Cambodia in a Week – Day 5
Cambodia is not only about Angkor temples of Siem Reap and the dark history of Phnom Penh. You may get surprised to know that it also offers few of the best beaches of South-East Asia. Coconut Beach of Koh Rong island is a good example. The beautiful beaches are located on the south-west of the country, and are accessible from Sihanoukville, the party beach town. We celebrated Khmer New Year in Coconut beach, Koh Rong.
Highlights of the Day
- Minivan to Sihanoukville
- Ferry to Koh Rong Island
- Longtail Boat to Coconut Beach
- Check-in at Coconut Beach Bungalows
- Khmer New Year Celebration at Beach
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
We had booked two seats in the aircon minivan from the website of the company called Cat Mekong Express. The van departed from Orussey Market at 7 AM. It is advised to reach the point 20 min prior.
We checked out from our hostel – One Stop Hostel, Phnom Penh – at around 6.30 AM. The kitchen staff was kind enough to pack us our breakfast – hot pancakes with maple syrup and mixed fruits – so early. We got a tuktuk from our hostel to Orussey Market. The van departed on time.
Sihanoukville
The van took a break of 20 min on the way and we reached Sihanoukville in 4 hours.
Sihanoukville is seaside town with parties happening through the night. It is crowded with backpackers who wish to take a break here in between travels. Furthermore, there are many small beaches in this pretty little town. Serendipity Beach has the pier from where ferries depart to much more beautiful beaches. For example, Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem are really pretty beaches. Hence Serendipity beach is not so clean and always crowded. If you are looking for a cleaner and quieter beach at Sihanoukville, then go further south to Otres Beach. Because it has white sand where you can do lazy sunbathing for days keeping yourself away from night-time bar hopping.
However, if you are looking for the best beach in Cambodia, then I would recommend to take the ferry from Sihanoukville to Coconut Beach of Koh Rong island. We did the same. Or you can also go to Koh Rong Samloem, just the next ferry stop a little far from Koh Rong.
You can save a little money when you take the round trip ticket, anyways you have to come back to Sihanoukville and you can return any day.
We were supposed to take the ferry to Koh Rong Island. The driver took us to the ticket office of Speed Ferry Cambodia near Golden Lions Roundabout, where we got round trip tickets of Sihanoukville to Koh Rong. You can return from Koh Rong anytime as per your convenience matching with the ferry timings.
Speed Ferry Cambodia has ferries to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem from Sihanoukville at 9 AM, 11.30 AM, and 3 PM, and the return ferries are at 10 AM, 12.30 PM, 4.30 PM. We reached Sihanoukville at around 11 AM and somehow managed to catch the 11.30 AM ferry, thanks to our van driver for the time management.
Koh Rong Island and Its Beaches
There are around 28 beaches on Koh Rong island. Ferries usually would drop you at Koh Toch village. It is a much noisier place; if you are looking for calmer places, head to other beaches, which are accessible by taxi boats from the pier of this village.
Koh Toch Beach is a beautiful white-sand beach, a few minutes away from Koh Toch village. It has mostly private bungalows with direct access to the beach. However, if you want to party whole night, either stay at Koh Toch village or go south to Police Beach. It is also popular for night parties and is walkable from Koh Toch village.
Long Set Beach, also known as 4k Beach is located 3 km away from Koh Toch village. It has the longest seashore of at least of 3-4 km. Moreover, the beach also has some luxurious accommodations on the beach. It also offers private access to the beautiful white-sand beach.
Nature Beach, also known as Rumdoul, is a secluded white sand beach visited often by day-trippers, which certainly disturbs the tranquility of the place.
Coconut Beach is the best of all – according to me, which is why we decided to stay here. Its aquamarine water and white sand beach with economical accommodation facilities make it the best beach among all.
Further above, there are other secluded white sand beaches like Palm Beach and Lonely Beach. Also on the other side of the Koh Toch Beach, there are Long Beach or Sok San Beach. There are good for authentic Cambodian real life experience as Sok San fishing village is close to it.
Coconut Beach Bungalows
I already had booked a tent for two of us in Coconut Beach Bungalows directly over e-mails to Robbie, who owns the place. There were other passengers as well in Speed Ferry Cambodia who were accompanying us to Robbie’s bungalows. Robbie had sent the taxi boat driver to pick us up from the pier. He helped us with our luggage from the beach to the longtail taxi boat at an additional cost. It reached Coconut Beach in another 15-20 min.
We booked the tent for two nights. However, when we reached there, Robbie offered us to upgrade our stay to the family bungalow. This was because there was a family who wished to stay in the tents. So Robbie asked us if we would like to exchange with them at no extra charge. We were okay with it.
Khmer New Year
The beds were so comfortable – we slept for hours. Yes we had missed enjoying the sunset from the beach as we overslept. However, Robbie woke us up by asking all of us to join their New Year Party on the beach.
It was Khmer New Year; Robbie and his family made some beautiful arrangements for their guests.
We headed to the beach with other guests following Robbie. We welcomed the local new year together by lighting sky lanterns and let them fly away in the sky. It was a beautiful experience altogether.
It was a great experience in Coconut Beach Bungalows. I highly recommend this beach to travelers looking for some calm time in Cambodia. The local touch of this place is beautiful, especially the warmth of Robbie and his family.
NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN USD)
Let us have a look at the expenses of Day 5 in Cambodia – Koh Rong.
- Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville: 40
- Sihannoukville to Koh Rong (round): 30
- Hotel in Coconut Beach for twin sharing (2 nights): 30
- Getting around: 10
- Food: 10
Total expense (roughly): 120 USD
For an overall idea of itinerary and expense of the trip, whether for solo or couple or group of any number of people, feel free to contact me on Contact Us page. You can also have a look at Cambodia in a Week – Itinerary and Expenses.
If you are planning for a much-organized, tastefully-curated, stress-free yet exciting vacation, consider booking your holidays at Travel Love Repeat. It is going to be a treat for sure!
It’s great that you are giving indications on expenses. It’s always something stressing me out when I see so many wonderful things to do but I have no idea if I can afford them or not. And I’ve never thought about Cambodia for beaches! That’s good to know 🙂
Happy to help!
This article is perfect for an itinerary I’m putting together for our time in Cambodia. The cost is a little more than expected and as a family of 3 it can add up quickly. Do you have any tips on how we can cut costs?
I think it will reduce a bit as you will share with 2 more.
I have never thought about Cambodia as a beach destination, but it looks like the country has a lot of nice beaches to visit. It sounds like you got a great deal to upgrade from the tents to the family rooms at no extra charge! That would have made my day for sure!
Good to know that!
Ah! White sand, palm trees, aquamarine water – Coconut Beach sounds like a beautiful tropical paradise. The hardwood bungalows look comfy and I love the view from the bungalow’s balcony. This place would make a nice base to explore the beach and the nearby areas.
It is a paradise indeed.
Cambodia is more beautiful than I thought it would be. I would love to be laying on that beach right now!
Yes, the beach is so awesome!
How wonderful and what a brilliant way to celebrate the New Year. I didn’t get the chance to visit Cambodia when I travelled through Asia and this makes me really want to book that plane ticket.
Yes sure, Lucy!
Honestly, I have never thought beyond Angkor Wat. It’s been a dream gor many years. Now you have added this island village. It reminds of me an island in Assam–Majuli. It looks pretty economical too.
I am aware of Majuli. I love the place.
Coconut Beach does look wonderful, I can see why you think it as the best among all. Like you mentioned I was aware of Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh, thanks for introducing such beautiful places!
Always, Suma!
120USD a day is quite a lot as I thoughtit would be much cheaper over there. But I think it depends on what to do. Compared to other Asian country it is still an affordable palce to go.
Absolutely, yes. Cambodia is pretty economical.
A while back, I traveled through Cambodia and stopped briefly in Sihannoukville. We stayed in Otres beach and it is exactly as you described, white sand and aquamarine seas. We loved it and preferred it to the rowdy party atmosphere further up the beach. I wish we had known about Coconut Beach, it looks absolutely beautiful.
Koh Rong is just a ferry ride away from there.
Such a wonderful experience. Happy to know that they have a great cook. Food still is very crucial to having a perfect vacation. Will definitely consider this on our future trips.
That’s great to know, Clarice.
Whoa! The whole 1 hr ferry ride all the way to Koh Rong Island is totally worth it when you get to stay at such a nice beach.
The cottages look just gorgeous. Good to know that they have their own private bathrooms & balconies.
As usual I’m super fascinated by how you manage to find vegetarian local cuisines.
Bhushavali, it seems a bit difficult but actually it is not too much difficult to find veg dish, just ask them to not add meat and fish sauce when in South-East Asia.
Cambodia is high on my wish list. We are visiting Vietnam next February and I thought about combining Cambodia but I decided I’d rather give more time to each. Maybe the year after we will finally get to Cambodia. For me, highlights would indeed be Siem Riep’s famous temples, but it’s good to also see the beauty of the country itself, including its beaches. Love the sound of Coconut Beach, and the bungalows look lovely.
Keep a week’s time in hand for Cambodia.
You must have had a great time ringing in the New Year in Koh Rong. The beaches are so pristine. We were there on the island for a day trip when we were in Cambodia last winter. I can see it must have been a great experience to stay on the island. Maybe next time we are in those parts we can stay in Koh Rong.
Wow that’s great to know that you were here.
What a beautiful way to celebrate the local new year by flying sky lanterns followed by a delicious dinner! Sailing through the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Thailand and enjoying the breathtaking views around you must be an amazing experience. You were lucky to get an upgrade to the family bungalow. It looks quite beautiful. I love the sea view from the balcony.
The view was beautiful indeed.