Canvas & Orchids Retreat

The most amazing relaxing location and the friendliest staff you could wish for. Idyllic! The set menus each night were surprisingly varied and nicely presented. Cocktails not great but it didn't matter given high standard of other aspects. So great that it has given locals opportunities to stop them hunting and preserve the rainforest, while also teaching them English and hospitality. Loved the night time firefly trip, jungle hike and waterfall trip. Thanks to all ＜3

Peace, Serenity and Beyond! (LONG POST AHEAD) This place is highly recommended! Dont let the road contruction at last part sway you off from coming to this beautiful location, Im telling you it is all worth it, Me and my wife travelled here last September, and i can still remember the feeling of traquility and hospitality offered to us. Once you arrived at their receiving port you will be offered cold towels and drink to freshen up yourself from the long ride. The sight at the port is already breathtaking as the river is sourounded by lucious trees and plants you can even hear the the birds chirping when there are no boats around, You will then take a 15-20 minutes boat ride to arrive at the location. The last minutes of this journey is the most enjoyable as you will see the floating tents resting and floating in the island banks, it was such a sight to see. Once at the dock you will be greeted by Paulo (the head of the team) and he will explained all the neccessary and extra things that you could do during your stay, it was a full briefing and we really enjoyed the knowledge that he shared to us. After the quick briefing you will then be escorted to your luxurius tent! (JUST WOW!) We were surprised and astonished as to how they brought everything a hotel can offer in such a secluded place. ( i wont spoil anything you just have to see it for yourself) The place is quite large as they have their own place where you can play volleyball and a place to play board games and stuff! we stayed at the far end tent so you need to walk to get to the kitchen and bar area. It also amazing that they are growing some of their own vegetables and most of their staff are also the people living in the island! (Talk about sustainability!) We didnt do much on the first day as we just wanted to relax and enjoy the place, the bar was really enjoyable although the place were secluded in the jungle and river, there are ample selection of liquor and wines, you can even request for a cocktail! The selection of their snack is also awesome as they have a combination of western, asian and local dishes you wont really feel limited with the choices they offer not to mention the portion for the price are really generous! During night time as we go out for dinner we were invited by Bona to watch a small presentation regarding the Cardamom mountains and its habitats. It was a short but an amazing presentation as they showed us the footage of their camera traps installed inside the forest just close to the vicinity of the place. ( again i wont spoil what the footages are but it was amazing) Oh I almost forgot before the show start you will have a first hand taste of their local liquor! (not sure if you can buy it from them tho!). Bona also explained to us how engaged Canvas and Orchids are with community projects with village residents, It such a heart warming story especially with the school they have built for the children in the island. I believe Bona was the h

This is a very special place with the emphasis on echo. It has so many positives including of course the absolutely wonderful staff, the yummy food and the very very quirky floating tents (my “Wild West” shower in unforgettable!). But in the end I found the place a bit “claustrophobic” in the sense that if you do not go to the activities you are stuck in a not very big area. Because of the fact that the resort own only a part of the island there are not walks that you can do by yourself or just discover. I hope that they will be able to build up some variety of experiences inside the resort…for the rest has been a great experience.

Such a beautiful setting, the journey along the river from the reception, which takes approximately 30 minutes, gives you the perfect insight into what Canvas and Orchids Retreat is all about. You really feel like you are miles from anywhere in the middle of nature. Loved to be able to kayak along the river, and felt very safe despite not being an experienced kayaker. Swimming from the deck of our room was delightful, the water temperature in February was perfect, (not one of those where you inch in because of the cold). It's great that all the staff are locals, their levels of English speaking can vary, but of course we don't speak their language, shamefully. The food was fine, nothing too fancy, but we didn't expect that in this setting. The cocktails we had were fabulous 👌 There's no kettle in the room, so a flask of hot water is left on your balcony table early morning so you can make a drink in your room before going for breakfast, milk being provided in your own little fridge. The shower is in effect a wooden barrel in your tent, most unusual but fitted in perfectly. The only thing we weren't sure about was the layer of loose stones in the hand basin, so you can't actually fill the basin with water and not sure how hygiene this is. All the staff were friendly and worked really hard, they even provided a fresh packed breakfast of choice for our early check out at 6a.m. Just a tip, remember to put your mosquito repellent on before going for evening dinner.

Love the concept, low environmental impact, creating employment for the locals, great setting on the river, tents were great, staff friendly and helpful, the only issue was the food offerings were quite average for a resort of that standard

The retreat organised a driver for us from Phnom Penh, who picked us up from out hotel there. He was very courteous and helpful - we took lunch with us and had a short stop for it but otherwise the journey took a full 5 1/2 hrs. We received a very warm welcome at the Retreat and all the staff were very friendly, warm, courteous and helpful. Our tent was beautifully furnished, kept cool by a fan and air cooling machine and we were not troubled by mosquitoes - spray was enough! We were also provided with an aromatherapy candle at night which would have helped deter mosquitoes. It was beautifully quiet at night and the beds were very comfortable.All details had been considered in our tent and the decor was lovely! The food was delicious and there was plenty of choice. Swimming in the river was blissful- the support of salty seawater plus a nice still river with not too strong a flow ! All we could hear was the birds and an occasional boat arriving! We took a couple of the river trips, which were well organised and fun- the staff also have a good sense of humour! It was inspiring to hear the stories of the staff, the local community and school nd the forest and animal conservation. We were shown fascinating pictures of wildlife photographed from hidden cameras at night…I felt very privileged to have been able to visit this place and moved almost to tears when it was time to leave . Thank you .