Sihanoukville Guide: Best Beaches, Things to Do and How to Get There
Cambodia’s tropical coast is becoming popular with savvy travellers looking for unspoiled alternatives to Thailand’s well-trodden beaches. Jacob Weber fills us in on Sihanoukville.
Sihanoukville is making more and more noise — quite literally — on Southeast Asia’s travel scene. Shaking the economical effects of the civil war, its well focused on its main source of income — tourism.
A favourite hippy hangout (you’ll find happy pizzas with their signature herbal toppings) Sihanoukville is evolving to meet the demands of different types of traveller, from boisterous backpackers to discerning holidaymakers looking for something a bit more pristine than Phuket.
1. GETTING AROUND
You can take an internal flight directly to Sihanoukville from Siem Reap or Phnom Penh but odds are you’ll arrive by road from the capital via minibuses or coach. It’ll take between 3–6 hours depending on your wheels and budget, but it’s a pleasant — if occasionally terrifying — journey down. Once you arrive, all the near-misses and close shaves are a distant memory because you’ve got the golden sands of the Gulf of Thailand at your feet.
If you can drive one, seeing Sihanoukville via scooter is possibly the best way to explore. It’s never a bad day when you’re wearing flip-flops and riding a scooter to the beach. If you don’t fancy doing the driving, take a tuk-tuk or moto-taxi. Make sure you negotiate the price before you climb aboard and don’t expect change. Most of the town runs on US dollars, so keep small bills handy.
2. THE BEST BEACHES
Serendipity (Ochheuteal) Beach is the main tourist beach in town, offering plenty of adrenaline-inducing water sports — jet-skiing and parasailing. Bars and restaurants stretch the length of the shoreline. It’s popular by day and packed at night; Serendipity is where the bulk of the nightlife business is done. You get plenty of decibels to the dollar — it’s quite simply some of the loudest music you will ever hear. Think dazzling neon, the famous fire dancing, and of course, cheap spirit mixers served in plastic buckets. JJ’s Bar is one of the fan favourites — make sure it’s part of the beach bar crawl.
Otres Beach still hangs on to the hippy vibe and is probably the best beach of the bunch because of it. It’s managing to avoid much of the rampant over-development that inbound tourism has brought to Sihanoukville’s centre. Settle down at one of the laid-back bamboo bars for the afternoon, order a few $1 draft beers in frosted mugs, before taking your pick of the beachfront massage parlours. It’s a tough life. There is a good range of budget-friendly bungalow accommodation available.
Otres Market brings an open-air festival vibe to this otherwise sleepy village. It’s a carnival of international cuisine, craft cocktails and live music. All kinds of home cooking is served by foreigners and locals alike, from delicious baked goods to Turkish kebabs and local treats. Soaking up the atmosphere with cheap beer and new friends is the ideal way to finish the day — or start the evening.
Independence Beach is on the quieter side of the coast, and provides useful respite after a night on Serendipity. It gets its name from the once-proud Independence Hotel at the north end of the beach, whose seven-story structure proved so useful for target practice for the Khmer Rouge. There isn’t a great deal to do here besides sunbathe — but then that’s exactly what you’re here for, right?
For a quick cultural fix, check out a couple of beautiful Buddhist temples. Wat Leu and Wat Krom are popular as much for their architecture as their stunning views of Sihanoukville and the sea — make your way here at sunset for a panoramic view that you won’t soon forget.
3. OFFSHORE ADVENTURES
If you have the time — if you don’t then make it — venture to Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloen, two almost impossibly idyllic islands sitting pretty off the coast. You can get there in 45 minutes on a fast catamaran, so day trips are possible, but for the full island experience stay at least a night. Koh Rong, the bigger of the two, has built a backpacker party reputation.
Koh Touch is the action-packed stretch of beach on the south end of the island. More mature travellers tend to head for Sok San (Long Beach). One of the premier resorts in Cambodia can be found here; the luxurious Song Saa, a Robinson Crusoe-esque private island hideaway. Rooms start just shy of $1000 a night — if you’re on a tighter budget there’s plenty of quirky bungalows and hostels around.
Monkey Island, the sister to Sihanoukville’s Monkey Republic, is doing what the Monkey group does best; their set-up is perfect for socialising, with more than decent food and accommodation. Koh Rong Samloen is the quieter of the two islands, although Saracen’s Bay is getting busier.
Mad Monkey (no relation to the Republic) flagship private island resort is a good option for party-seekers, with several more private (and pricey) options for those looking for peace and quiet in paradise.
Have you been to Sihanoukville? Let us know what you got up to by tweeting us @travioor or posting a comment on Travioor’s Facebook page.
Originally published at www.travioor.com.
