I immediately liked Kampot: it's a nice quiet city, and lively at the same time. It is very cosmopolitan: many expatriates live in beautiful harmony with the locals. I also found that you eat very well in Kampot, as many restaurants with various flavours blend together.
When it comes to activities, for sports travel enthusiasts, one can really have fun on the river by spending a morning kayaking, and then enjoying the afternoon on a boat admiring the sunset. Several boats await your arrival and depart around 4 p.m. for a trip.
The nearby caves are also worth a family outing.
In my opinion, Kampot is a city that's worth the side trip during a trip to Cambodia: a quad ride, a day of climbing or a cooking class to learn how to cook the famous Kampot pepper crab are all unique activities that made my stay in Kampot really enjoyable.
I arrived in Kampot late in the day, after a few hours on a bus from Siem Reap. I had heard about the super guesthouses located outside the city along the river. But alas, they were all full. So I went back to the town centre.
Kampot's city centre is nice, having a strange roundabout with a huge durian standing in the centre. There are lots of nice restaurants, including the very chic Rikitikitavi, if you want to drink some good cocktails in the light of the lanterns.
The next day, I took a trip by tuk-tuk to see the famous pepper producers before heading to Kep. I wanted to see Bokor National Park, but several travellers I encountered along the way changed my mind about doing that. Since a luxury hotel was built, the places have lost their charm and character. It's too bad, because the jungle and the little French church seemed like a beautiful Cambodian destination!