Cambodia is famously known by the UNESCO World Heritage temples of Angkor Wat. And there’s no doubt of its title…We actually couldn’t recommend it more as they are indeed a spectacle not to be missed if you go to Cambodia.
However, many people are still not aware of the not-so-famous yet spectacular beaches that Cambodia also has! So we went to find more about the beaches of Sihanoukville.
At the very South of Cambodia, in the Sihanoukville province, the city which takes the same name offers a great variety of beaches, food and things to do. We spent 4 days roaming around and visiting all the beaches on the southern coast. We picked our favourite spots in Sihanoukville to share with you.
To visit the beaches, we walked all the way from the first beach near town (Independence Beach) to the end at Otres Beach.
The Best Beaches of Sihanoukville
Independence Beach:
At our first stop, we sat down at the many restaurants on the shore to have breakfast. Views don’t disappoint and you can pretty much spend the whole day there as the shade is plentiful and the water clear.
We took our time to soak in the views and the comfortable seats offered in the restaurant to have a relaxed breakfast but were often approached by locals who offered manicure, pedicure or threading. We later found out that it’s a common recurrence all over Sihanoukville.
Off to the sea, we walked to the pier to check the views from there. Nothing to complain about:
Sokha Beach:
After leaving Independence Beach, we had to make a little detour on the road to get to Sokha Beach. A long stretch of sand was waiting for us with crystal turquoise waters. The water there was warm and clear. Around there, only hotels and resorts with more up-market restaurants available. Clearly a more ‘high-end’ beach and frequenters around.
Funny story:
Before heading to the next beach, we had to walk off the shore to be able to reach, which turned out a bit out of hand. We went up the hill from Sokha and down to what seemed the closest way to the beach. Little did we know we would end up in a village where dogs weren’t really friendly. We had to make our way opposite where we wanted to avoid the angry barking dogs and go down on the back of a car park, jumping through rubbish and what looked like open sewage. Safe and sound onto the beach. Phew! Just another travel fail and a good story to laugh about.
Serendipity Beach:
Serendipity is the main beach in Sihanoukville but unfortunately not the best. Packed with tourists and vendors offering tours to the islands around, the port also makes the area busier and cramped. There are many restaurants and hotels and therefore, lots of rubbish. It seems like Serendipity, contrary to its name, is the place to get drunk and party. We stopped there for lunch and left before we got swamped by more people offering us things to buy.
Ochheuteal Beach:
The next beach on our way is just a continuation from Serendipity but it is a lot more chilled and quiet. There’s some restaurants and more humble accommodation by the shore too. Water didn’t seem to be any better although the vibe is clearly nicer and the area less crowded.
Otres Beach:
Finally, after much walking we reached our favourite spot in Sihanoukville! Otres beach won our hearts with the cool vibes, rustic bars and restaurants, massage stalls, hammocks and a killer sunset. We have heard good reviews of the this area of Sihanoukville but we didn’t expect to arrive in this little paradise. Only downfall was the jellyfish ‘season’. The winds in November brought them to Otres and we had to walk a bit further north to find a good spot. But honestly, the views made it all worth it!
Have you been to Cambodia and visited their beaches? What were your favourite spots? We’d love to hear from you!
Larissa & Jean
Nomaddictives
