After visiting Cambodia’s historic sites, we decided it was time to enjoy some of Cambodia’s beaches. We based ourselves near Serendipity beach in Sihanoukville for a few days to get a lay of the land. While they had some great beaches, we thought Otres was the best, for us it was what the town had to offer, cheap food and accommodation on a beach, and even a cinema where you picked the movie of your choice to watch in a private room. Cambodia does not have an infrastructure for trash so unfortunately some of this gets washed up on the beaches despite resorts efforts to keep the beaches clean.
Otres Beach.
Some cruise ships make a stop in Sihanoukville and I feel dismayed that this is all some of the passengers get to see. The beaches and town are mediocre (by Southeast Asia standards) but the outlying areas are spectacular!
We spent a few days at the magnificent Sunset Beach on Koh Rong Samloem. There are only 4 rustic resorts, a dive shop and no roads on this section of the island creating a mini paradise. On top of that you can’t go wrong with any of the four restaurants which all serve great food. Jon went diving and I spent my time lazing on the beach. If you did not feel like lazing there were kayaks, snorkel gear, and paddleboards for rent as well as hiking to other villages on the island.
View of Paradise Beach from the ferry and up and close.
Our next destination in the area was Ream National Park which has evergreen and mangrove forest, sandy beaches, coral reefs and offshore islands. This area was high on our list due to a new massive Chinese development that is currently under construction. In addition, the Cambodian government has plans for a great Ocean drive and has built half of the road directly through the park. Soon this quite peaceful area will be overrun with people and we wanted to see the unspoiled version. We spend the days lounging in our private bungalow, hiking and swimming and our night at the fantastic restaurant talking with the wonderful staff and management.
Our favorite part was swimming with the bio-luminescent plankton at night. We had no idea what bio-luminescent plankton was or even what to look for. Our only knowledge of plankton was Mr. Lawrence from Sponge Bob Square Pants. What we soon learned was that these were little algae that sparkle as you swim in the ocean at night. It was a special experience floating among little sparkles.
Picture of the clearning of the land to build the resort and the “end of the road”.
View from the restaurant during the day and at sunset.
Where we stayed Sihanoukville, Monkey Republic, we had small room with a fan and a bathroom for about $15 a night. The property had a restaurant that served great food with large portions. There was also a pool on site with a DJ once a week. This was your typical backpacker hostel.
The outside of Monkey Republic.
Where we stayed Koh Rong Samloem, Robinsons Bungalows, we had tepee tent with a real mattress and an outside sitting area with amazing ocean view for about $30 a night. The property had a restaurant that served delicious food and a relaxed ambiance. The resort had all types of lounge areas and was at the end on the quite side of the beach.
Our tepee and lounge area and view of the ocean from inside the tepee.
Where we stayed Ream National Park, Monkey Maya, we had hillside bungalow with a fan and private bathroom and a deck overlooking the jungle and ocean for about $30 a night. The property had a restaurant that served delicious food and drinks and a relaxed ambiance. There were kayaks for rental any hikes in the surrounding National Park.
Our deck overlooking the jungle and the ocean.
Journey with Christina 