Beach town 'port community', 'fledgling resort
destination' - all describe Sihanoukville ,
Cambodia Gulf of Thailand
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 Independence Beach
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.
