A beach shelter on Ochheuteal Beach , Sihanoukville

Photo: Graham Simmons

Back in the 1990s, when Ray Zepp in his trailblazing book The Cambodia Less Travelled suggested that the Cambodian countryside was worthy of exploration, people thought he was crazy.

At that time, venturing off the beaten track in Cambodia was a strict no-no. “If the Khmer Rouge don’t get you”, went the saying, “the landmines surely will”. 

Fifty years ago, Sihanoukville was poised to become the sand-n-sun capital of South East Asia. Then came the Vietnam War and US bombing raids over Cambodia, and then the final horror – the genocidal reign of Pol Pot. During the Khmer Rouge period, many fine hotels and villas that had sprung up along Sihanoukville’s beaches were razed to the ground.

Today, things in Cambodia are radically different. In particular, travelling to the south of the country is a breeze, with some of the best and most unspoiled beaches in the whole of South East Asia just three hours by good road from the capital Phnom Penh. The whole coastline around the sleepy provincial town of Sihanoukville is poised to take off like a skyrocket with rabies.

Weather Station Hill, behind Victory Beach, is a backpacker hangout absurdly far from the beach itself.

But it’s far better to stay near one of Sihanoukville’s superb beaches, which stretch like a string of pearls along the coast to the south-west and south-east of the city, from Victory Beach through to Ochheuteal Beach.

The further east you go, the finer the beaches become, with Sokha and Ochheuteal being probably the pick of what is on offer.

A popular Francophone hangout near Ochheuteal is Les Feuilles, a boule’s throw from the beach. Hordes of other nationalities also come here to enjoy fine food, good cold Angkor beer and great music. Les Feuilles also has rooms to let, at French minimalist prices.

At the farthest (NW) end of Ochheuteal, a sand strip recently dubbed “Serendipity Beach” now boasts bar-restaurants, several guest bungalows and guesthouses, many of them right on the beachfront.

Offshore from Sihanoukville, a number of islands provide recreational facilities. The closest is Koh Pos (Snake Island), just 800 metres from Victory Beach, but Koh Koang Kang (about an hour’s trip from the mainland) offers better snorkelling and some good beaches.

Further offshore, the island of Koh Pueh boasts pristine rainforest, good diving and a fine sandy beach.