Sihanoukville - Beach Resort

'Beach town', 'port community', 'fledgling resort destination' - all describe Sihanoukville, Cambodia's premier beach town. Sihanoukville's white sand beaches and warm Gulf of Thailand waters combine with a laid back, beachy atmosphere to provide a great little tropical getaway. Sihanoukville is a place to unwind by the beach, enjoy the fresh from-the-ocean seafood, take in a snorkeling or scuba trip, and generally slow-down, lay back and chill-out.

Sihanoukville has a different look and feel than most Cambodian towns. Constructed as a port city in the late 1950s, the town is much newer, more urban and cosmopolitan than most Cambodian provincial cities.

Nowadays, Sihanoukville is as much a beach town as it is a port town, catering to beach-going weekenders from Phnom Penh as well as a steadily increasing number of foreign visitors. Still, the pace of life in Sihanoukville is very relaxed.

Cows occasionally wander the main road, outside town foreign faces draw smiles and curious stares, and most of the beaches offer only beach umbrellas, thatched roofed eateries, and a growing number of restaurants, bungalows and hotels.

Sihanoukville has a more than ample supply of accommodations, including a 5-star resort complex on Sokha Beach, several mid-range places downtown and at the beaches, a few 'upscale' three-star hotels, and dozens of budget guesthouses, especially on Weather Station Hill (Victory Hill).

Sihanoukville Beach

Considering the moderate number of visitors to Sihanoukville, the town offers a surprising number and variety of restaurants and bars.

Fresh seafood, especially crab, prawns and ocean fish, has always been one of the town's biggest draws, but there is also a wide variety of places offering foreign cuisines - Australian, French, Indian, German, Sri Lankan, British, Italian, pizza places, a couple of western bakeries and even a espresso coffee shop.

And these days Sihanoukville offers a pretty good night life as well with a wide variety of bars staying open well into the wee hours, especially on Weather Station Hill, in the downtown area, and the beach bars on Ochheuteal, ‘Serendipity’ and Victory Beaches.

ORIENTATION
Sihanoukville is not a small place, and the best way to get around is to hire a motorbike.  Sihanoukville itself is east of the main backpackers' beach and close to the more mid-range Ochatial Beach. Due south of town is tiny Ko Pos Beach, which ha a solitary mid-range hotel, and the larger Independence Beach, which has the crumbling Independence Hotel - slated for redevelopment.

INFORMATION
Cambodian's only deep-sea port is located here and considerable international aid has been spent to improve the infrastructure in the province. Although tourism has increased over the past few years, the beaches of Sihanoukville are some of the most unspoiled in all of Southeast Asia. It is a prefect tropical getaway, filled with lovely beaches and facilities for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving or just sunbathing. Boat trips are also available to many of the nearby islands. There are several hotels and local restaurants serving fresh, delicious seafood on the beach. On the weekend, there are many local visitors from Phnom Penh to relax, swimming and enjoy fresh seafood.

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3/21/2014 08:25:00 PM

Kampot Province

Set on the Kampot River, Kampot Town is the capital of Kampot province.  A lot of Kampots all in one place.  A quiet town, best known as the starting point for trips to Bokor Mountain and it's riverside scene. Kampot is a great escape from the larger cities and towns in Cambodia.  Located near the ocean, close to Vietnam, you can travel to SihanoukVille and Phnom Penh in a few hours, and to Vietnam in only an hour.  Also, the original seaside resort of Cambodia, Kep, is a short drive away.

Kampot Located on both sides of the Kampot River also know as Teuk Chhou or Prek Thom, and connected by 2 bridges, the East side of Kampot is where most of the restaurants, guesthouses, and market are located.  Along the riverfront, on both sides, are several hotels, guesthouses and restaurants with Western and Khmer (Cambodian) hosts.  The riverfront is fairly quiet and quite picturesque. 

Walk around town, rent a bicycle, or rent a small motorcycle to get around.  Also, you can ride motorcycle taxis and tuk tuks (a cart pulled by a motorcycle) for 12 to 50 cents to most places in town.

Some attractions downtown, besides the riverfront, are the central market, small caves with Buddhist shrines, and the football stadium.  Towards the ocean on the East side is the port of Kampot and many Cham Muslim communities and schools.  Across the river is Kampot's Wat or Buddhist Temple which is open to tourists.  Past the Wat are Kampot's salt fields, and further out of town are Kampot's famous Black Pepper (red and green too!) and Durian farms.  Along the riverfront, mostly North of downtown's bridges, are several guesthouses and restaurants, right on the river.

3/19/2014 09:10:00 AM

Kien Svay Resort

18 kilometers away from Phnom Penh, Kien Svay is a distinctly Cambodian leisure resort. Every weekend many Phnom Penh residents get away from it all and relax by the water.

'Water Houses' are available for rental: covered platforms built on stilts sunk into the river. These are accessible only by boat and the platform owners take you there and back as part of the modest fee. Kien Svay is ideal for a leisurely picnic lunch on the river. There are also relaxing boat cruises available at reasonable rates and you can order food and drinks directly from the hut owners or you can go shopping for food and drinks in a small-established market nearby where they sell cooked food. 

Food shopping at Kien Svay can be compared to fast-food in Western countries. You go to different small stores, look for your favorite food, and the sellers will cook the food in just minutes. While mostly you can find chicken and fresh water fish, you can also shop for cooked frogs, lobsters, local-made salad, local fruits and a variety of beverages. It’s very fun going food shopping – Yummmy!!!

3/15/2014 11:08:00 AM