Cambodia, Sihanoukvile Beach and Island

" He who does not travel does not know the value of men " by - Moorish proverb

Sihanoukville town sits in the center of a small peninsula that juts into the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Several fine white sand beaches, easily accessible from the town, line the coast around the peninsula. All of the main beaches are lined with little beach bars and restaurants offering cold drinks, beach umbrellas and chairs, seafood BBQ, evening parties, water sports and more.

Sokha Beach

"Occupying all of Sokha Beach, the Sokha Beach Resort offers luxury accommodation, restaurants, bars, water sports, and lots more. Sokha Beach is open to the general public as well as guests of the resort. Sokha is a beautiful beach, about one kilometer long crescent of sand and comparatively wide so that there is plenty of sand left during high tide.

The fine white sand is perfectly groomed these days, but the beach is fairly quiet by comparison to nearby Ochheuteal and Serendipity.

There are no little seafood shacks on Sokha like the other beaches but a series of grass umbrellas, gazebos and beach bars/restaurants run by the Sokha Beach Resort.

Ochheuteal and Serendipity Beaches

Ochheuteal Beach, known as ‘UNTAC Beach’ in the early 1990s, is the most popular beach in Sihanouk Ville. Ochheuteal is long, sandy and narrow, with ‘Serendipity Beach’ at the arcing northern end, a development project at the southern half, and a cluster of hotels, guesthouses and restaurants stretching along the the middle. On the beach, little shack-style seafood restaurants and bars line more than a kilometer of the sand’s edge from ‘Serendipity Beach’ to the development project. A few, such as Chiva Shack, Chaimoy and Bar Ru, are open into the late night and throw regular beach parties and BBQ’s The Ochheuteal area has a good selection of beach venues ranging from mid-range hotels through budget guesthouses, most along the three roads that run parallel to the beach.

The mid-section of Ochheuteal Beach is the busiest in Sihanouk Ville next to Serendipity, offering a pretty even mix of mid-range and budget hotels and guesthouses. Golden Sand and the Seaside Hotel are two of the best hotels in this area. Holiday Hotel and Orchidee Guesthouses are old favorites of many. Bungalows and guesthouses in the mid-Ochheuteal area also include the affordable Sbov Meas Guesthouse, New Christmas Guesthouse, GST Guesthouse and the stylish DevaRaja Villa. Toward the other end of the beach, the Markara guesthouses and the Jasmine Hotel all offer affordable fan and a/c rooms. In the early evening, several roadside BBQ restaurants set up along 23 Tola Road a block off of the beach near the Holiday Hotel, offering fresh seafood skewers, grilled meats, poultry and lots more. Angelo’s is getting particularly good reviews from customers.

At Ochheuteal’s extreme northern end, the area commonly known as ‘Serendipity Beach’ is the only beach in Sihanouk Ville to offer bungalows and guesthouse rooms right on the sand as well as on the side of the hill overlooking the ocean. Serendipity’s popularity continues to grow, particularly amongst budget and independent travelers. Little beach bars and restaurants line the sand and there are often beach parties late into the evening. Serendipity offers several budget and mid-range places including the Malibu Bungalows, Le Jardin aux Hibiscus/Rega Guesthouse and Leng Meng; Cloud 9’s well-known bungalows; The Cove Bungalows and Tranquility at Serendipity right at the sea’s edge. A growing number and variety of businesses are popping up along the road from the Golden Lions Monument down to Serendipity Beach - small hotels and guesthouses ranging from budget digs like Monkey Republic and Mick & Craig’s Guesthouse to comfortable mid-range accommodation at Reef Resort, DevaRaja Villa and Beach Road. To get to Serendipity Beach follow Ekareach Street straight through the Golden Lion Traffic Circle, over the hill and down to the beach.

Independence Beach
 
Independence Beach gets its name from the the 7-storey The Independence Boutique Resort and Spa (formerly the Independence Hotel) sitting atop the rocky point at the north end of the beach. Generally referred to as ‘Independence Beach’ by English-speakers, many of the locals also refer to this beach as ‘otel pram-pul chann (‘hotel 7-storeys’) and it is labeled ‘7-Chann Beach’ on the in-town street signs.

Independence Beach is more than a kilometer long, but the sandy area is a bit narrow, making the beach best when the tide is lower...if it was open. Due to a new development project, most of Independence Beach has been closed. Only small sections of beach at the north and south ends remain open. At the southern end of the beach, near Sasha Guesthouse, seafood shacks and drink vendors cluster together on the sand just a couple of meters off the water. At the northern end of the beach the Independence Resort sits on the hill overlooking the ocean. A small fresh water lake that serves as the source of the Sihanouk Ville’s fresh water sits at the base of the hill (and is rumored to contain crocodiles.)

Victory Beach

Victory Beach is really two long beaches divided by a rocky point and a small hill. The southern section is known as ‘Hawaii Beach’ (also ‘Lemkeray Beach’ and ‘King’s Beach’) The northern section near Weather Station Hill is known as ‘Victory Beach’ and at the port end of the beach, ‘Port Beach’ and ‘ New Beach.’

'Victory Beach’ sits at the base of the very popular Weather Station Hill near the Vietnam-Cambodia Monument (‘Victory Monument’). At time of printing, the section of Victory Beach immediately at the base of the Hill was still undergoing a development project including a new boat dock and a beachside restaurant/bar with a full-size retired Antonov AN-24 being converted into a café. Sailing Cambodia and other boat operators operate from the new dock. Check the bulletin board for boating information. Currently most beach-goers are heading just a few meters up the sand from the dock area to one of several little beachside seafood shacks that are clustered together mid-beach. All offer the usual beach chairs and umbrellas, inner tubes, cold drinks, seafood barbeque, Cambodian food and even some western dishes. Farther north along Victory the beach narrows and two or three upscale oceanside seafood restaurants hug the water’s edge.

Above Victory Beach, Weather Station Hill (a.k.a. Victory Hill, Port Hill, The Hill) is a budget traveler and bar/nightlife area that offers a real variety of places. Budget and backpacker places dominate the side and top of the Hill above Victory Beach overlooking the ocean. Hilltop, the main entrance road from Ekareach Street has a mix of businesses including budget and mid-range guesthouses and hotels, a variety of restaurants and bars, internet cafés, CD shops, and come evening, several sports bars, hostess bars and other drinking establishments, many staying open into the early morning hours. The top of hill is one of Sihanouk Ville’s nightlife hotspots.

‘Hawaii Beach’ is also known as ‘King’s Beach,’ ‘South Channel Beach’ and ‘Lamherkay Beach.’ Like the other major beaches, Hawaii Beach is lined with umbrellas and chairs and little beach shack bars and seafood restaurants, though no where near as densely as Ochheuteal. Like Independence Beach, Hawaii is less touristed than Ochheuteal and ‘Serendipity.’ Access the beach from the small road at the southern end.

Otres Beach
 
Otres is the next beach south of Ochheuteal and resembles Ochheuteal in many ways - a three kilometer crescent of near white sand facing the southwest. Otres is far less touristed by comparison but is beginning to come into it’s own. There are now several beach shack bars and restaurants along the length of the beach, especially toward the near end, including Cantina Del Mar and the Daiquiri Hut, and a little further up the beach, Otres Nautica offering water sports equipment - boats, Hobie Waves, kayaks, etc.

To get to Otres: The road over the hill from Ochheuteal allows easy motorcycle access to Otres but is blocked to cars. By car from Ochheuteal Beach: follow 1 Kanda Street to the end and turn left, cross the bridge and proceed about 1km to the next right turn. Turn and follow the road about 1km to the beach. At time of printing the Omui Street route from downtown was obstructed by construction.

Other Beaches

These ‘other’ beaches are outside of the town area and are frequented more by fishermen than tourists, though this is slowly changing. Road conditions can be challenging, especially in the wet season.
 
Ream Beach
 
Located in the Ream National Park. Though not untouristed, the Ream Beaches see far fewer visitors than Sihanoukville beaches. Take Route 4 to the Airport road 18km north of town. Turn right, go 9km to the ocean. The beach to the right is long and narrow and frequented more by fishermen than tourists. Behind the beach is a mangrove swamp, which attracts a wide variety of tropical birds. The beaches to the left nearer the Naval Base now have a few vendors selling drinks and renting tubes. There is a small $5 per night guesthouse run by the National Park. Check at the park HQ opposite the entrance to the airport.

Prek Treng Beach

Also known as the ‘Hun Sen Beach,’ the Prek Treng Beach a few kilometers north of town is a long, narrow crescent of sand, a bit rocky in parts, offering comparatively warm shallow waters. Due to Prek Treng’s distance from town and complete lack of services (no guesthouses, restaurants, beach chairs, etc.,) the beach is usually deserted. There is a nearby development project promising a busy future for Prek Treng, but at the moment you can have the beach pretty much to yourself. Just remember to bring drinks and snacks as there are very rarely beach vendors available. To get there follow Hun Sen Beach Drive north a few kilometers past the port area. The beach is on the left just past the first bridge and before you reach the oil port.

Sunset Points
 
Sihanouk Ville offers several excellent spots to watch sunset. Most people opt for the beaches. Victory is the most ideally oriented beach for sunset. The view from the other beaches is sometimes partially obstructed depending on the time of year. Of the restaurants, Bungalow Village, Chez Claude, Chez Mari-yan, Nika Guesthouse and Mealy Chenda offer some of the best ocean views. Perhaps the best sunset point is at the top of Sihanouk Ville Mountain. The rocks at the top face west offer a beautiful view of the town, port, ocean and islands.