What could be nicer and more relaxing whilst in Sihanouckville than a massage? One hour costs as little as five dollars and indoor massages giving a little more privacy in a nice air-conditioned room start at about eight dollars. Expect the massage to last at least an hour. There are also many spas in the city which offer massages as well as many cosmetic treatments and baths. Asians have a very different attitude towards massage and are very experienced well trained and dedicated in this art form.

There are several types of massage on offer in Sihanouckville.

Hand massage is a great relief of stress concentrating on the shoulders neck and back using Swedish techniques where as reflexology is Chinese in origin. Concentrating on different reflex points in the foot using only pressure it releases tension in the whole body.

Khmer massage is a more traditional Asian approach where the muscles are massaged along with stretching of the limbs to produce a blissful feeling of well being without the use of oils.

Pressure can be applied to the muscles in different intensities with an oil massage and it provides release from stress as well as improving blood circulation and aches and pains which is why it is often used in treating injuries. This is intensified by adding herbs and aromatic spices to the oil. Similar to the advantages of inhaling burning oils in aromatherapy here the aromatic oils are massaged into the skin, joints and muscles again improving circulation relieving stress and improving skin tone.

Walking in Sihanouckville is relatively safe there is little street crime and pick pocketing is rare as in fact are most crimes towards tourists. At night caution should be applied as in any city anywhere unfortunately. There is more danger of being embarrassed or pestered than actual danger most of the problems being drunken beggars and prostitutes, however areas are avoidable and there are many scooter taxis which cost about a dollar and they’ll even take two passengers…with luggage!

Walking between beaches is difficult as they seem to be located just out of a comfortable walking distance and with the heat it’s probably best to get a scooter taxi or if there are a few of you take a taxi which is very rarely more than $5 and the vast majority of Cambodian cab drivers are honest both with routes and fares.

The islands themselves around the city can be very interesting places to visit and explore on foot and many companies offer eco boat and trekking trips around them with English speaking guides and itineraries which include visits to Cambodian Island beauty spots as well as planned visits to families where you can meet, eat with and enjoy the local inhabitants as well as provide them with a little extra income.

Ream National park is well worth visiting it is too far to walk here being a 30 minute drive depending on traffic but many companies provides transportation and guided tours. Depending on how knowledgeable your guide is (quality does tend to vary) they can point out the different species of bird life here in this superb sanctuary which is home to many endangered species.

Sihanoukville offers many budget accommodations for the weary traveler in all shapes and sizes some beach side, others downtown starting at a very reasonable $5 per night. The types available will be very familiar to the Asian traveler with the usual pitfalls. Bed bugs can be a problem as this is the tropics, however, if you ask to see the place first there’s a good chance that things will be O.K. Ask politely to see the room if the proprietor does not comply or seems ‘cagey’ walk away and save yourself the inconvenience. A cat is also a good sign as they keep down the rats which transport these delightful parasites.

It is also a good idea to take care of belongings yourself and have your passport and money with you at all times, smaller hotels do not have safes so if you find it a hassle carrying documentation or you are going swimming, ask the proprietor to look after it and to give you a receipt. This can save you a lot of time and frustration as passports and bank cards and are valuable and distressing to replace.

Though Cambodians are by nature very honest street crime in Sihanoukville is small and crimes towards the tourist hardly ever seem to happen do you really want to prove to be the exception to this rule?

Many of the cheaper places are cold water only which at first may sound a little primitive, however, you might find they become more refreshing as the cold water closes the pores and stops excessive sweating.

With little in the way of shopping havens and very little history to be observed there are two main reasons for coming to Sihanoukville and this is of course the beaches and the Ream National Park. The beaches are nowhere near as crowded as nearby Thailand although there are local visitors at the weekend from Phnom Penn, however, during the week it is still possible to enjoy beach seclusion and island paradises.

Here is a list of a few you will enjoy.

Just a little to the south of the busy port with plenty of accommodation for the budget conscious is Victory Beach.

Known as ‘7-chann beach’ after the Independence Hotel lies the white sands of Independence Beach.

Sokha Beach Resort takes up most of Sokha Beach for it’s resident’s, however a small part is non residential.

By far the most popular beach is Ocheuteal because of it’s restaurants, bars and food stalls. The northern portion is known as Serendipity Beach with cheap guesthouses right on the sands.

If peace and quiet is your main priority travel southwards to Oters Beach which is pretty much untouched by development.

Bamboo Island can be reached for as little as $5 and offers beach hut accomadation in atotally unspoilt island getaway but take plenty of money as prices are higher than in Sihanoukville and there are no banks here.

The other attraction is Ream National Park just 30 minutes drive from Sihanoukville offering a chance to see all manner of beautiful birdlife.

Water sports are popular and unsurprisingly well catered for in Sihanoukville.The many Cambodian islands offer a chance to see breath taking unspoilt coral and assorted marine life and all within easy reach as all the dive boats leave from this port town.
Sihanoukville has two PADI Dive Centres, a SSI Dive Centre and qualified instructors and quides working at the towns smaller dive shops.Many places not only offering equipment but also instruction which is well worth taking the time over to learn the basics managing the breathing apparatus and becoming fluent in the buddy system method of underwater communication. Making your dives safer and more enjoyable.

14 miles off shore is the main diving area of Koh Rung Group this is a little deeper than the shallower dives at Koh Tang Group which is 8 miles nearer to the shore. Both offer excellent aqua experiences ,however the best dives are undoubtedly the overnight trips located further out 35 miles from shore at Koh Tang Group., Here large pelagic can be observed regularly and visibility is twice what it is at the nearer to shore destinations.

A two dive day trip costs US$59-70, with overnight trips costing an all inclusive US$185-195.

For the less adventurous or budget conscious snorkeling is still an enjoyable and relaxing experience and gives you a chance to see the marine life and coral. No training is needed but you should be a strong swimmer and supervise children carefully. As with scuba diving visibility improves the further out go and the best tours are offered by travel agents rather than the tours offered by restaurants. For as little as $15 dollars you can enjoy a light breakfast, two dive sites and a delicious three hour lunch at Bamboo Island.

The traveler will not find the large modern malls you see in Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket and Phnom Penn shopping in Sihanoukville, much as you would expect in such an unspoilt destination, is far more traditional and a lot of visitors consider this for the better. This will no doubt change in the very near future as retail expansion always seems to go hand in hand with development, of which the city is seeing great evidence of. The problem with this inevitable ‘progress’ is that the small shops and stall holders disappear as one can see in Phuket which now has a very few local traders in comparison to a few years back.

There are many small shops in the downtown Ocheteaul and Victory Hill districts, which sell souvenirs as well as clothing and jewelry. This is not the place to get a cheap suit made as there are no tailors here.

There is a beautiful traditional Cambodian market Psaa leu selling all manner of things and of course prices are flexible, however, many tourists go too low. Please remember this is someone’s livelihood often in a situation far more desperate than your own. Beat them down for the sport if you must but if they are likeable why not surprise them with a ‘tip’?

The handicrafts organization Rajana can be found above Starfish Café selling more up market souvenirs.

There are many ATM machines dotted around the city and are easy to locate both in the down town area and also in the larger hotels on the beach.

Despite its small size Sihanoukville offers a good range of restaurants and the prices are unbeatable.

Almost all cuisines are on offer from Indian to Mexican and there is unsurprisingly excellent quality seafood here served in fantastic beachside locations.
There is of course Cambodian food not as spicy as some Asian cooking, similar to neighboring Laos in some ways but without the French influence.

Here is a short list of some of the best.

Grand Restaurant Kampuchea is next to Angelo’s just over the road from the Beach Club on Tola Street. Why not try The Chicken Amok Curry, which is served in a coconut for only three dollars.

Happa is very easy to find on Serendipity Beach Rd. It’s a very nice Japanese teppanyaki (hot plate) restaurant.

Ku Kai on Serendipity Beach Rd is another Japanese restaurant with sashimi (raw fish) and mouth watering ribs.

La Paillote is one of the finest restaurants in Cambodia and booking is recommended. Lovely location on Victory Beach they serve the finest French-Khmer cuisine imaginable.

Maharajah is a lovely Indian restaurant on Victory Hill.

The Mexican on Serendipity Beach Road serves sizzling fajitas, tacos, jalapeno poppers, quesadillas as well as Western and Khmer foods.

Mick and Craig’s restaurant is just near the Golden Lions. A Sihanoukville favourite. Mick and Craigs has a “tex mex” menu and the best Sunday roast this side of Yorkshire. They also serve enormous pork spare ribs. Yum!

Monkey Republic is just a stone’s throw from the Golden Lions they have Kebabs, Barracuda (fish) and Chips, Chicken Amok and Some fine gourmet rolls.

In a land with thousands of years of history, Sihanoukville has a colourful but checkered past. Fifty years ago, a French-Cambodian construction carved a camp out of the jungle and started building the first deep-sea port of a newly independent Cambodia bypassing Vietnam for cargo ships. Named Sihanoukville in 1964 after then ruling king, the booming port and its golden beaches soon drew Cambodia’s richer travelers. This gave birth to the first Angkor Beer brewery and the seven story modern Independence Hotel playing host to Jacqueline Kennedy on her tour of Cambodia in 1967.

But in 1970 this prosperity and notoriety when Sihanouk was deposed in a coup and Cambodia descended into civil war. The town – renamed Kompong Som – became a ghost town: the victorious Khmer Rouge using The Independence Hotel for target practice and, making the tragic mistake of hijacking an American container ship. The port was bombed by the U.S. Air Force despite Pol Pot’s regime being driven from power. The ragged highway to the capital became infamous for banditry and the beaches always renowned for their seclusion became deserted.

In 1997 peace thankfully returned and Sihanoukville has been rebuilding its tourist industry ever since.
The first visitors where adventurous backpackers prepared to overlook the war ravages of the city.

Any signs of war have almost vanished from modern Sihanoukville, and investment continues to flood in. The independence Hotel is once more and many expats are now retiring in this white sanded modern Asian city.

As you can imagine with a small destination such as this, where most people are going to get away from noise and rush, the nightlife is limited, however, the bars here are excellent value. Few are offering more than a quiet drink but with lovely beaches and a starry night maybe you might enjoy and even relish the lack of entertainment.

There are dance bars, some with Euro style D.J.’s for those with a hankering for something livelier. The beach establishments are on permanent happy hour and it is possible to buy esoteric cocktails for as little as two dollars. The local beer is draft Anchor which is served with ice, now to the beer expert this might sound like sacrilege, however, this is something you get used to quickly as it makes the beer more cold and refreshing.

Here is a list of the best places.

Captain Morgan, to be found in the Golden Lions Plaza. An attractive bar with helpful staff serving very good food and snacks. It’s open to the wee small hours too.

Monkey Republic is situated very near to Serendipity Beach. For 75c you can enjoy the happy hour Draft beer. They have large parties every Thursday. They have an excellent pool table and play great dance music played by UK Dj’s.

Star Bar is behind the Shell gas station in the downtown area. A place where you can enjoy a lovely frosty cold Anchor draft beer (happy hour 50c, rest of the day 75c) or western food served by friendly waitresses. They also have an excellent pool table and this is a very popular rendezvous on Wednesday night when they have a great barbeque for a couple of bucks.

Resplendent with white-sand beaches and undeveloped tropical islands, the port city and beach resort of Sihanoukville (Krong Preah Sihanouk), also known as Kompong Som, is Cambodias answer to the Costa Del Sol.

More and more people are visting Sihanoukville and expect numbers to go through the roof once flights to Siem Reap are resumed. Make the most of this laid back relatively unspoilt great value resort before that happens.

Sihanoukville, named after the then king, was hacked out of the jungle in the late 1950s to create the country’s first and only deep-water port, considered crucial to its international trade as ships would no longer have to pass through nearby Vietnam. During the 1960s the city became host to more and more visitors.

On weekends and holidays Sihanoukville is extremely popular with well off Phnom Penhers. The four beaches are the main attraction but during the week it is possible to find relative seclusion on your very own stretch of white sand.

Just 18km east of Sihanoukville, Ream National Park – also known as Preah Sihanouk National Park is home to breeding populations of a number of regionally and globally endangered birds of prey, including the Brahminy kite, white bellied sea-eagle and grey headed sea-eagle – you can observe them soaring majestically over Prek Toeuk Sap Estuary, which is freshwater in the wet season and saltwater in the dry. Endangered birds include the milky stork, lesser adjutant and painted stork. The park’s more common birds include the little egret, great egret, woolly-necked stork, and stork-billed kingfisher. Making this a must for keen ornithologists and beauty enthusiasts alike.