Kien Svay, a resort for all

It’s almost the end of our school term, so my lecturer and classmates (all around 20 people) decided to go somewhere for a small lunch party together. It was hard to find a place to hang out for a lunch party in Phnom Penh. So we decided to go to Kean Svay Resort, around 17 km from Phnom Penh on the National Highway 1.

Kean Svay has been a very famous resort for Phnom Penh residents and it is usually very crowded at weekends and on national holidays. It’s a very good place for eating, drinking, relaxing, enjoying family time or hanging out with friends. It’s also a very well-known place for dates.

Kean Svay is located on a big reservoir with many small huts surrounding. Usually, people rent a small hut for their family or friends from lunch time until late afternoon – the rent is not expensive though. You can order food and drinks directly from the hut owners or you can go shopping for food and drinks in a small-established market nearby where they sell cooked food.

Food shopping at Kean Svay can be compared to fast-food in Western countries. You go to different small stores, look for your favorite food, and the sellers will cook the food in just minutes. While mostly you can find chicken and fresh water fish, you can also shop for cooked frogs, lopsters, local-made salad, local fruits and a variety of beverages. It’s very fun going food shopping – Yummmy!!!

So why do people like to hang out at Kean Svay? Well, beside eating and drinking, they chat with their friends, playing a guitar and guess what – playing cards among friends or family members is the most popular activity there. Perhaps, Kean Svay has a very nice view of the reservoir and small huts that make the area completely different from the environment in Phnom Penh. It's like a get-away place for most Phnom Penh residents. 

I’ve been there for a couple of times and it’s still a very attracting place for me. Today, we bought some grilled chicken, fish, frogs and lobsters, with some local salad and fruits as well as some Vodka Cruisers and cokes. We brought all the food and drinks to our rented hut and we chatted while having our lunch with friends and the lecturer. Then we began to play card – and I almost won though lol. We stayed there for around 3 hours and we had a great time together at Kean Svay.