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SIHANOUKVILLE - BEACH RESORT
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'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. |
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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.
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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. |
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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.
Sihanoukville
Holiday 3 days/ 2 nights |
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