Life’s a Beach
Sihanoukville or Kampong Som as it is called locally is famous as a refuge for backpackers and old hands getting away from it all, it is worth a couple of days (or more) for those seeking a beach bum experience. Getting there is easy, although the new airport has yet to have any scheduled flights. A bus from Phnom Penh is only $3.50 (tickets at Flamingos Hotel) and a taxi will cost $30 to $40 depending on the driver, number of functioning wheels on the car, rising fuel prices, and whether or not it is raining. The road is great and it takes about 4 hours via a tollway. Toll fee has recently been reduced and it is now only US$ 0.69 to get on it and another like amount at the other end. But they do have a restroom stop at the halfway point that you can utilize for only 500 riel (US$ 0.12). Along the way you will get a good view of rural life in the Kingdom and may even glimpse some sights such as the bullock powered pottery caravans that will surely disappear in the next few years.
The town itself consists of a small central core where most of the hotels and bars as well as anything worth calling nightlife, are located and five and a half major beach areas in various state of development or disarray depending on your viewpoint. On the way into town you will pass the little used airport as well as Cambrew, the country’s only brewery. Drop in to their sampling room and have a glass of the freshest beer in the country. A near disaster was recently avoided as the severe drought almost forced the closure of this landmark institution.
Getting around town can be a genuine hassle. The beaches are about 1-2 kilometers from the downtown and the motodop taxis here have the deserved reputation of being the most aggressive, corrupt and dangerous drivers in the country. The option to rent your own motorcycle has been recently restricted by a locally enforced ordinance that requires you to have a Cambodian or International driver’s license. So without a local with his own vehicle, you are at their mercy. Ask around the Ex-pat bars to get the latest real info and recommendations for a local hire.
The Beaches
Ochheutal beach is the farest away and will eventually be incorporated to be part of the new golf course. It is currently a collection of ramshackle huts and bars where one can stay for free if buying a couple of beers a day. A true backpackers experience.
The small Serendipity beach is next door and while a half step better in development and character, it has recently been the center of a controversy about it’s name as a local trademark and all the machinations that occur when westerners try to inflict their home values and lawyers into a local legal machinery.
Sokha Beach is the home to the Sokha Beach Resort and 1½ kilometer of private manicured beach. The $1 non guest fee is more than cheap considering the absence of beggars, ptomaine laden food carts and thus accumulating rubbish.
Independence beach is still very undeveloped but should be enjoyed soon before the reopening of the Art Deco Independence Hotel later this year. The rebuilding of this landmark and later Khmer Rouge headquarters is a major redevelopment project that emphasizes how far this country has come in the past decade.
Next door is Hawaii Beach that is still in good shape. Check out the 2nd “airport” before it all becomes part of a new Japanese resort development. Nearby are some of the best Seafood restaurants.
Victory beach has lots of development, good hotels including the Holiday Palace Casino. This is a full service hotel with a Thai restaurant and only $15 a night. It is overlooked by Weather Station Hill or ‘Backpackers Hill’ that houses lots of bars, restaurants and accommodations.
Downtown
The downtown area is a collection of small bars and hotels and guesthouses with ridiculously low rates especially in low season. Bars that stay open late are the nightlife unless you wish to try some very native experiences by crawling down dirt tracks and up in-inviting roads: only for those who know their way around. Hotel rooms range from $5 to real good ones for $15. While there were almost zero customers on the weekend I was there, there is a load of valuable information to be gained from the local expats and owners, many of whom have been there for a long time. Never underestimate the worth of local knowledge to be gained by talking to these usually friendly folk.
Weather station Hill
Up the hill are a few venues worth a view including Corner bar where Mark cooks up great pizza and daily specials. Next door is the latest in strangeness, the Rabbit Bar, featuring a fully clothed girl dancing on the bar. No chrome pole yet, but if it lasts it may be in the offing.
So for those seeking a seaside diversion, Sihanoukville is definitely worth a trip, if only to see it before it goes the way of Phuket.