Seeking out Sihanoukville beaches

23 Aug 2016  2045 | Cambodia Travel News

SIHANOUKVILLE If I had to vote on it, trade shows would win. I enjoy the cut and thrust of the shop floor, the networking and catch-up time with trade show friends, the predecessors of today’s Facebook friends.

Trade shows are social venues for a circle of friends you hardly see elsewhere. That’s understandable they are always transiting from one show to the next, year-round with a short break during summer and another at Christmas to salvage family unity.

I was mulling over my event preferences at the recent Mekong Tourism Forum held in Sihanoukville, a resort and port town on the southern coast of Cambodia.

inside no 5Forums are sit-down affairs, mimicking school children in class and the Mekong Tourism Forum was particularly painful in the process. I was fidgety, sure that I was missing something important elsewhere. We had to sit through ponderous presentations assisted by power point displays that required binoculars to read. Why do speakers repeat exactly word-for-word what is displayed on giant screens?  They know we can’t read them.

We are squinting, even taking mobile phone shots to see if that helps. One delegate stands up and takes a walkabout to get a better view. Another walks over to the refreshment table and grabs a cookie. Maybe it will sharpen his focus?

I just sat there aghast at how folk can bore you with a topic so absorbing as travel. Technocrats abound at the Mekong Tourism Forum and I am praying the organisers will ban them in 2017 perhaps replace them with people who actually travel for fun and can proffer insights on what we should be doing to keep it that way.

When one speaker elaborated on how many times a guest flushes a toilet at a resort somewhere in the vast Mekong Region, I shuffled to the door to catch a glimpse of the sea, just in case too much flushing had ruined its hue.

It was a grand sunny day in Sihanoukville for those who were not caged in a conference room, or worst still the neighbouring casino. There are no windows in either establishments, which begs the question why bother building them in such a scenic spot?

I promised to take a tour of the town’s beaches right after the coffee break, skip class and see Sihanoukville in real-time.

I note that Cambodia has a relatively short coastline squeezed between borders with Thailand to the west and Vietnam to the east.

inside no 5.1Sihanoukville province sits on the edge of a peninsula jutting out into the Gulf of Thailand best known for its beaches, islands and the mangrove jungles of Ream National Park.

It is also a bustling port for container ships and a few cruise ships make it a port of call on voyages east to Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Today, Sihanoukville’s beaches are lined with seafood restaurants and late-night bars, although there are efforts by town authorities to curtail development and at some beaches clear away the vendors.

Resort tourism began shortly after Cambodia regained independence from the French in 1953, which expressed itself in a short era of new buildings and economic growth.  By 1964 the first hotel in the relatively new town of Sihanoukville opened appropriately named Independence. The seven-storey white building overlooks the sea, just 5 km from the town centre.

Even today, most of the best beach resorts on the entire coastline are to be found within a 10 km radius of the port town and the most popular  four public beaches even closer to town.

The town attracts Asian tourists drawn to its 17 casinos. It has a small airport, about 17 km east of town, served by daily flights from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. They deliver tourists for a tan fix at the seaside to close their Cambodia holiday.

On an impressive, deserted beach, Independence Hotel opened its doors in 1964. They were unceremoniously closed in 1970 for more than 23 years during the barbaric Khmer Rouge regime. The hotel eventually reopened after an extensive remake in 2007.

It was the venue for the farewell dinner of the Mekong Tourism Forum and it did a marvellous job of entertaining us with a grand buffet and nonstop songs from the house band.

inside no 5.2Independence beach in the daytime is a haven for hawkers. They camp out on the shoreline and a nearby lanes selling barbecued chicken, prawns and squid, chilled beer and soft drinks. It’s one of the best beaches you will find to chill out as well as enjoy great hawker food, while you watch the tide ebb and flow.

Victory Beach, south of the commercial port, is a mite busier, but there are clusters of cheap hotels and guesthouses for budget travellers.

At the other end of the scale, Sokha Beach is privately owned by the four-star Sokha Beach Resort and features a casino and conference hall.  The F&B manager generously hosted the MTF media to a few bottles of wine, a gesture that raised his image in the eyes of impoverished travel writers, who like Oliver Twist couldn’t resist asking for more.

Ochheuteal Beach, is a narrow span of sand stretching so far the locals identify it as two beaches. They name distant part Serendipity Beach, although for the life of me I couldn’t think why.

There are numerous hotels, guesthouses, beach huts, minimarts and restaurants to serve beachcombers. After dusk the nightlife kicks in and a lively scene it is indeed especially for travellers who prefer weed to tobacco for health reasons.

Otres Beach southeast of Ochheuteal  stretches 4 km and is possibly the  cleanest and most relaxed beach in Sihanoukville, ideal for seniors who enjoy an afternoon siesta after a heavy seafood lunch.

As the taxi took me back to the conference venue, I checked TripAdvisor for the hotels rates at Otres and was surprised they were as low as USD15 a night if I wanted to rough it guesthouse style, or around USD50 for a touch of luxury. This is definitely a low-key party beach in the evenings and an ideal for a siesta during the day.

TripAdvisor lists the top choices for travellers and I identified the following options to look at more closely following my whistle-stop tour of the beaches.

Beach Club Resort is located on Ochheuteal Beach and claims to be Sihanoukville’s premier boutique mid-range hotel. All rooms have a swimming pool view.

Independence Hotel Resort & Spa was was Sihanoukville’s most luxurious property in the 1960s. Today, its 88 rooms and suites are clearly in the four-star category and the hotel’s ambience is a trip down memory lane. The restored property has its own private access to the beach, outdoor swimming pool, meeting facilities and a fitness centre.

Koh Thmei Resort opened in December 2010 so the bungalows are quite fresh. However, the wood and tin roofs give it a thatch-look charm, but may not be to everyone’s liking. Koh Thmei is located in the Ream National Park.

Reef Resort claims to be Sihanoukville’s premier boutique hotel resort, with nine superior double rooms, four family rooms and one apartment all set around a swimming pool. The restaurant and bar serves Mexican, European and local dishes. Free Wi-Fi.

Sokha Beach Resort, without doubt, is the town’s top resort set in a sprawling beachfront garden next to its own private beach. This resort was designed with two accommodation wings, but has since expanded. Most rooms and suites have private balconies, either with a view of the garden or sea.

The resort’s Asean House serves buffet and ala carte menu throughout the day, while the Fishermen Village offers fresh seafood buffets.

The hotel’s has the town largest convention facilities and an equally impressive casino sporting two helicopters parked outside used to ferry high rollers between Phnom Penh airport and the roulette tables.

sourced:ttrweekly.com

Recommended Cambodia Tours

Cambodia Day Tours

Cambodia Day Tours

Angkor Temple Tours

Angkor Temple Tours

Cambodia Classic Tours

Cambodia Classic Tours

Promotion Tours

Promotion Tours

Adventure Tours

Adventure Tours

Cycling Tours

Cycling Tours