After Phnom Penh I have heard towards, Sihanoukville. It was a 6 hours bus trip from Phnom Penh. I was looking forward to the Cambodian coastline and some time on the beach. It has been a while.. since Australia actually. I decided to stay one night in Otres Beach and spend the rest of the days on Koh Rong Island. But is Otres Beach worth a visit? Or is Koh Rong Island worth more? And what about Sihanoukville?
I think the photos say it all. Make sure you scroll down all the way to the Cambodian summary and let me know your thoughts.
Sihanoukville Cambodia
I have been told by a few people that there is nothing special in Sihanoukville. And they were right. As soon as the bus neared the town, it was clear that the town is definitely not worth visiting. It is a full on construction site! The whole city! There is not one proper road or street without new buildings being built. I felt like they should hand out safety vests and helmets to every visitor in Sihanoukville. I am not exeggerating.
Personally I was quite happy that I booked an accommodation in Otres Beach 2. There is Otres Beach one and two and the second one is a few Kilometers further away from Sihanoukville and was therefore supposed to be nicer.
So after my big dinner feast at THE BIG EASY the owner helped me negotiate a fee with a tuk tuk driver and off I went. It was already dark and I didn’t see much but the road was definitely bumpy and rough. In addition I couldn’t believe that the tuk tuk driver tried to up his price during the ride. No way! A deal is a deal.
Otres Beach
My boat ride to the Koh Rong Island wasn’t until lunch time so I went for a walk to finally see the popular Otres beach. Let’s say I wasn’t impressed. Otres Beach is widely under construction as well. Amazing how many ‘ugly’ apartment and hotel buildings are being build. Mainly casinos and accommodation build by China for the Chinese tourists. I think it ruins the whole relaxed beach life style. Within years it will become a high rise destination without any holiday appeal. For me anyway!
Is Otres Beach worth a visit?
I had a great time here and I think the beach is ok. I wouldn’t say it is as amazing as some reviews say, as it is clearly ‘man made‘ to look pretty. The surroundings is a full on construction site.
I should have just stayed in Sihanoukville for the night to save the extra travel but sometimes you know better afterwards. So which one is better? Is Otres Beach worth a visit? Or is Koh Rong Island worth more?
Koh Rong Island
After a very hot and what seemed rather disorganised boat trip the Koh Rong Island I was finally there! The ferry stopped at the Koh Toch Village which was full of simple accommodations, restaurants and bars. The bay reminded me a bit of my days as a backpacker, when I was travelling through Australia 19 years ago.
I stayed in the village for one night to get an idea on activities of the island. From renting a bike to snorkelling and diving, you could do it all. However it seems very clear that all is more a tourist rip off, run by the Cambodian cartel. People who make lots of money and give the locals and village people only a tiny fraction for doing all the work. 25USD to hire a bike was just a little bit too much.
So, is Koh Rong Island worth a visit?
The Koh Rong Island has 7 bays and 28 beaches, although hopping from one beach to the others isn’t easy. So I decided on Coconut Beach. I took a boat taxi after negotiating a decent price. (It can vary from 30USD to 7 USD. Coconut Beach is further up north and is more quiet without the bars. For me it seemed like the perfect spot for some beach time. And so it was!
Coconut Beach
I had four very relaxing days reading my book (about Angkor Wat and Cambodian History) and swimming. For me there was no need to book any activities. I thought about exploring the island on a bike but I have been told by others that the road is in a terrible state and there is really not much to see. I stayed in some basic bungalows (with private bathroom) and haven’t worn any shoes since arriving.
There are only a few small restaurants here and the food is kind of limited (especially when they run out of either chicken or pork meat) but it has been perfect. There is a little bit too much rubbish floating around in the ocean which is a shame (#savetheocean) but the water colour is stunning. Perfect background for lots of fun photos. I also met some great girls and my skin has a sun kissed glow now.
Cambodia summary
After more than three weeks in Cambodia I am heading back towards Thailand. I have had an amazing time here in Cambodia. It is clearly a country that endured lots of wars and fighting and is trying hard to become a popular tourist destination.
Siem Reap was definitely my favourite and I would go back there any time (after all it has the best ice cream in Cambodia). And while you can skip Otres Beach for a few years I would definitely recommend Koh Rong Island. That said it took me a few days to warm up to the Island as I am always keen to incorporate activities into my day. And there is really not much to do. But after I figured out how to do nothing all day and just relax I enjoyed my time on Koh Rong Island and Coconut Beach a lot!
It will be interesting to see the development in Cambodia in the next few years! The people here deserve a tourist boom as long as it supports them as well. Not just the rich group getting richer.
