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City in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Jpatokal at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Seihanu; ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ), formerly Kompong Som, is a seaside port city in Cambodia. This formerly laid-back beach destination has been transformed by Chinese investment and is now basically a giant construction site for Chinese resorts and casinos. After a major crackdown on the scam economy by the Cambodian government, much of the city can look bleak and is far from the coastal beachside city it once was. Nonetheless, Sihanoukville remains a launching point for the nearby beautiful islands. In 2019, the city had about 67,000 residents.
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also known as 7-chan beach after the seven-storey Independence Hotel
ឆ្នេរអូឈើទៀល - Chnay Occheuteal
A long narrow strip of white sand beach in Sangkat No 3. The northern section has now become known as Serendipity Beach, a beach popular with Western tourists, noted for small guesthouses right on the beach. There are around 30 beach huts serving good value meals and a wide selection of drinks, a golf course development at the south end, and a cluster of mid-range hotels and restaurants in the middle. Grass umbrellas, rentable beach chairs, and little drink huts line the beach from one end to the other. Further south along the beach in front of the golf course development, a number of budget backpacker-oriented bar/restaurant/beach hangouts have sprung up offering chairs, umbrellas, drinks and a chilled-out atmosphere. Expect noise and exhaust fumes though from the numerous 2-stroke jet skis in the area. Swimming can be dangerous and several tourists have been killed by jet skis.
Amazing 4-km-long stretch of clean, white sands. Far less crowded and more relaxed than other beaches in Sihanoukville. Every season more and more beach bars and guesthouses pop up along the beach. Tourists will find accommodation in rooms or bungalows (prices ranging from US$5-30), e.g., Cinderella Beach Bungalows, Castaways Beach Bar and Bungalows. Like most of Sihanoukville's budget accommodation, no air-con is available in Otres Beach lodgings, except for the Secret Garden Resort, at the far end of "Old Otres" (Otres 2). Otres Beach is a great place for lazy sunbathing, but other activities also available (catamarans, windsurfing, kayaks, various boat trips, bicycles.) Unlike Serendipity Beach, marijuana and marijuana-based baked goods are openly and safely smoked and sold at the beach side bars/guesthouses and on the beach itself, which is now attracting a young Western crowd to the area. A second part of Otres Beach about a 5-10 min tuk-tuk ride away, referred to as "Otres 2", has several guesthouses open and is beginning to attract tourists looking for an even less crowded beach than the relaxed main strip of Otres Beach. Otres 2 is far less developed and less crowded, but offers only minimal activities and locations. There are no stores of any kind in Otres 2, though in the main strip of Otres 1 there's a bank machine. Adjoining that on the road in from Occhuteal is a Khmer village with various stores and a few Khmer restaurants; with a small, modern convenience store on the side road out of the village that leads to and from Occhuteal. Otres has a different climate than Snooky; it may be sunny all day when downtown Sihanoukville and the other beaches are raining and flooding. It's also known in the area as having the best sunset, and people staying in closer beaches often drive out to watch it from there (with few vendors or other harassment unlike closer to the city). Otres is fairly large away from the beach; side roads lead to other areas inland, including along the small river that flows through the broad prairie that lies inland from the beach strip. Along it, another village lies, and a few small resorts, and during high season, a small public market with entertainment. There's a couple of resorts and bars there, including a funky westerner-run backpackery bar and stage, and another more modern one with dining room and also a stage. The river can be navigated by kayak, and fish from it is part of the menu among local Khmer. The beach at Otres is very shallow for a couple of hundred meters out, or more, depending on the tide. The bottom is soft sand and clean and when there are no waves very safe for children and novice swimmers.
Guesthouses, bars and restaurants right on the beach, open until the early hours. This beach is the most popular and typically has the greatest number of people on the beach.
Owned by Sokha Beach Resort. It is private, but you can access it by paying a couple dollars. You won't have many people begging or trying to sell you something here.
Plenty of budget accommodation nearby on Weather Station Hill. This beach is close to the seaport.
Lower temple
Forested environs. Large statue of sleeping Buddha.
Upper temple
Hilltop location. Views over the town and ocean. Working temple with a number of resident monks.
The old fishing port. Offers some nice views.
Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem are small, famous islands around 30 minutes away from Sihanoukville by speed ferry that offers a relaxed location away from the crowds, beautiful pristine beaches, a small jungle to trek, as well as a handful of bars, restaurants, and guesthouses. Ferries from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong leave 3-4 times daily from various docks and several different ferry companies in Sihanoukville. Ferries can be booked from any guesthouse or travel agent. Round-trip tickets are sold for between US$25. Dorm beds (US$7) and private rooms (US$15-30) are readily available on the island. Fishing, diving, and snorkelling are available as well at prices similar to the rest of Sihanoukville.
A wonderful mangrove nature reserve about a 30-min drive from Sihanoukville. Take a moto to park headquarters for US$2. From there, park rangers can arrange boat rides for US$40 per boat through the mangroves. The boats leave a few miles away just before the highway crosses the river, so don't send away your moto or taxi. Destination is an island where you can walk on a decaying boardwalk that leads to a viewing tower you may not climb due to decayed ladder. You have spend all your time watching your step so the walk (100 m, perhaps) is not worth taking. Call in advance. Hiking trail with ranger accompanying has been suspended as of November 2018 due to fallen trees on the trail that the park lacks money and manpower to clear.
A waterfall approximately 7 km from the city of Sihanoukville and then a further 9 km along a red dust track. Popular swimming area, families come to spend the day, many food stalls, rest houses and other facilities line the stream. The swimming is the attraction more than the waterfall so don't expect much nature at the stream.
CCPP
An NGO which works with impoverished Cambodian children. Together with volunteers, the children create art which is then sold to help support the children's families and the project itself. As part of the project children are provided with access to education, painting materials, sport activities, two meals a day, medical and dental assistance. Social workers are employed to work with the children's families. You can help by becoming a volunteer, donating painting materials, buying a painting, donating money or by holding an exhibition of the children's art.
Massages, nail care, body scrubs.
There are many islands off the Cambodian coast that have lots of coral and fish. Sihanoukville used to have many dive centers but after all the Chinese investments happening in the city and the effect of Covid, all the dive centers have moved to the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem. The best dive sites are in front of M'Pai Bay village on Koh Rong Sanloem, and it is the place on the islands where you will find the biggest concentration of dive centers for this reason.
Possible around most of the islands, with the best snorkelling being at the further our islands for visibility, corals and fish. Many restaurants at Serendipity Beach advertise a snorkelling trip for US$15, but most are incapable of properly explaining what their offer includes. Most will boil down to the same trip organized by one of the travel agents which includes (simple) breakfast at the beach, a visit to two snorkelling spots and a 3-hr lunch break at Koh Russei (Bamboo Island). If you are serious about your snorkelling, you should consider going with one of the three scuba dive shops, to ensure you get proper gear.
Finding a clean and unspoiled beach (apart from private Sokha Beach) is challenging in Sihanoukville, but can be found a couple of hours away on the islands, Koh Rong Sanloem and Koh Rong. Sihanoukville in 2024 is mostly used by travelers as a hub to go to the islands. Daily ferries can take you there from Sihanoukville tourist pier, the best option is with GTVC as they have the best and most boats, running to the island 4 times a day at 08:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 16:00. There are other ferry companies such as Buva Sea, Speed Ferry Cambodia or Island Speed Ferry Cambodia.
A restaurant serving local flavors and Cambodian traditions with an 8- or 12-course dinner option if you prefer.
Serving up breakfast and lunch.
Makes contribution to local charitable causes.
Nice-looking bar with friendly staff. Food and snacks.
Extremely cold Anchor draught beer (happy hour US$0.50, rest of the day US$0.75). Friendly waitresses. Good pool table. Decent kitchen with Western-oriented menu. Popular Wednesday evening barbecue, US$2.
Supposedly one of the last hostels in Sihanoukville. Features a small swimming pool and a bit overpriced Khmer food.
Spacious bungalows on a very quiet part of the beach. It has fan and air-conditioning rooms and a nice porch in front of the bungalow with comfortable chairs and couch and brilliant ocean view. Wi-Fi. There is also a nice little bar downstairs. No restaurant, but there are plenty nearby.
Hotel in a lush garden with a swimming pool, air-conditioning, hot showers, and free Wi-Fi, pick-up and shuttle to the beaches and city. It is a training hotel to help young Cambodians learn a skill and find a job.
An international-class beach resort. Very bland and a bit rough around the edges, but the beach is gorgeous and hassle-free, and the resort is family-friendly with children swimming pools and playgrounds. Try their best Restaurant, Lemongrass, and "The Deck" Tapas Bar. 180° views of the gulf.
A modernist concrete seven-story block on top of the cape and with great sea views, it has a pretty pool and attractive, expansive gardens. A nice touch are some black and white photographs of the hotel in its heyday. The best feature is the adjacent clean pale sand private beach which has crystal clear water and some big rocks, although this may be under development as the hotel are planning bungalows. Some distance from town.
There is a money exchange with in the Samudera supermarket.
Low-priced fruit and vegetables. also sells home wares and clothing.
By bus
Frequent buses arrive in Sihanoukville from Phnom Penh (4-5 hr via National Road 4 or 2½-3 hr via Express Lane 4), Siem Reap (10-12 hr), Ho Chi Minh City (10-12 hr), and Bangkok.
By train
One daily train from Phnom Penh — times and prices from:
By taxi
A chartered taxi from Phnom Penh's Central Market can make the trip in less than 3 hr and will around US$25–40 per car, depending on the petrol price of the day and the condition of the vehicle.
By boat
There is no boat to/from Koh Kong/Hat Lek (the border crossing with Thailand) anymore.
Distances between the beaches are too long to walk comfortably, but getting around is easy, as the roads are wide and bike taxis (motodop) are everywhere.
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Preah Sihanouk · International · KOS
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