Chey Chumneas is one of the most captivating areas in Phnom Penh, playing home to the Royal Palace, National Museum and the Royal University of Fine Arts

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/Prime-Location/I-want-to-move-to-...-Chey-Chumneas-Phnom-Penh.html

I want to move to ... Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh
Written by MELANIE BREW
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
What's going for it?
Chey Chumneas is one of the most captivating areas in Phnom Penh,
playing home to the Royal Palace, National Museum and the Royal
University of Fine Arts. To the east it is bordered by the riverside
Sisowath Quay and to the south it is bordered by the Rodeo Drive of
Phnom Penh - Street 240. Tourists, expats and Khmer nationals can all
be seen soaking up the lovely atmosphere of this neighbourhood.
Pedestrian and bicycle traffic is heavy, with people taking advantage
of the many places to go and things to see in the area.

What's the catch?
Finding a place to live in Chey Chumneas can be done, but it isn't the
easiest neighbourhood to simply move into. Many of the people who live
there found their homes by word-of-mouth. If you're looking for a
modern serviced apartment, it can be especially difficult; most of the
rental properties are unrenovated flats and people who do find nicely
remodelled places generally try to hold on to them. Ironically, some
of the nice things about the neighborhood, such as good shopping and
plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants, are also some of its main
drawbacks. Chey Chumneas can be a little too busy at times with heavy
congestion of tuk-tuks, motos, cyclos and well, let's face it, local
drivers.

Getting there, and away
There are relatively few streets in Chey Chumneas, but for the most
part they are clear except during rush hours (7-10am, 4-6pm). Street
19 between Street 240 and Street 178 gets pretty crazy between 3pm and
4pm, as there is a large school that lets out around then, kicking off
a road war as the kids on motos try to fight their way through the
parents' SUVs. The strip off Sothearos Boulevard in front of the Royal
Palace, however, is one of the easiest roads to navigate and is fun to
cruise, as you can often get up to 35 miles-per-hour, which is very
fast for Phnom Penh. Unfortunately, the entire neighborhood floods
during the rainy season, but new sewage and drainage pipes have been
put in so it's possible that this next rainy season won't be as bad -
but you shouldn't count on it.

Schools
There are no international schools directly in this area, but iCAN
British International School, International School of Phnom Penh
(ISPP), the British International School of Phnom Penh, the upper-
school campus of Zaman International School and Home of English are
all nearby.

On the market
Land in Chey Chumneas varies in price quite a bit, depending on what
part of the neighborhood you're looking at. There are also numerous
restrictions concerning building height and renovating and maintaining
historical buildings. For property along Norodom Boulevard, the asking
price for land is between $4,500 and $6,000 per square meter,
according to Bonna Realty Group. Along Street 19, behind the Royal
Palace, it drops to between $1,800 and $2,500. Land along the
riverside proper sells for $3,000 to $3,500, and along Sothearos
Boulevard for $2,000 to $3,500.

Average prices for an approximately 600-square-metre villa are between
$1.5 million and $2 million, but villas are hard to come by in this
neighborhood and are usually quite old and in need of repairs.

Average rents range widely from around $400 up to $1,000 for a flat.
Serviced apartments are available along the quayside, but will set
you back at least $1,000. How much you pay will also depend on what
floor the apartment is on.
.