Bill Bensley’s adventure-themed retreat opens in Cambodia

Shinta Mani Wild (SMW), a glamping resort created to evoke the atmosphere of Jacqueline Kennedy’s first diplomatic expedition to Angkor Wat, has opened in Cambodia’s South Cardamom National Park.

The brainchild of designer and entrepreneur Bill Bensley, SMW comprises 14 luxury tents and – like a true jungle escape – is perched 1.5km above a waterfall in what Bensley has called a “utopia of sustainability”.

To reach the hideaway, guests must brave river rapids while zooming across a 320m zip-line; the short trip takes them straight into the resort’s “Landing Zone” bars.

Leisure and wellness amenities include a “Waterfall Restaurant” – which offers organic and foraged food sourced through the Shinta Mani Foundation – and “Boulders Spa”, a full-service Khmer Spa and shop offering riverside foot massages and nature-based products by Khmer Tonics.

Shinta Mani Wild is the second member of The Bensley Collection, a Shinta Mani Hotels & Resorts brand which – when first announced in 2017 – was billed as a portfolio of “super luxe hotels and resorts showcasing visionary concepts, extraordinary design, and bespoke service”.

The company, which developed its eco-tents and sanctuaries in collaboration with Wildlife Alliance, The Royal University of Phnom Penh, and the Cambodian Government, currently operates a total of four sustainability-orientated properties, three of which are located near the picturesque ruins of Angkor Wat.