'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).
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.