The Beaches of Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville town sits in the center of a small peninsula that juts into the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Several fine white sand beaches, easily accessible from the town, line the coast around the peninsula. All of the main beaches are lined with grass umbrellas, and drink and snack vendors. But each beach still has its own unique appeal, separated from each other as much by character as the rocky points between.
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Sokha Beach
Occupying all of Sokha Beach, the new Sokha Beach Resort, Sihanouk-ville's first full resort complex, is offering upscale accommodation, restaurants, water sports, and more. Sokha Beach is about 1 kilometer long and comparatively wide so that there is plenty of sand left during high tide. It is perfectly groomed these days, fairly quiet by comparison to Ochheuteal, and is open to the general public as well as guests of the resort.
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Ochheuteal Beach
Ochheuteal Beach, known as UNTAC Beach in the early 1990s, is now the most popular in Siha-noukville, offering the full spectrum of beach venues from upscale hotels and dining to laid-back budget beach bars and bungalows. Ochheuteal is long, sandy and narrow, with 'Serendipity Beach' at the northern end, a golf-course development at the southern end, and a cluster of mid-range hotels and restaurants near the MP base in the middle. Little shack style restaurants and bars, grass umbrellas, rentable beach chairs line the beach from one end to the other.
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The mid section of Ochheuteal just south of the MP base appeals to visitors seeking middle to upper range facilities near the beach. It offers several nice hotels including the Golden Sand, the mid-range Holiday and Orchidee Guesthouse, as well as some of Sihanoukville's better seafood restaurants, (Sea Dragon, Susaday, and Les Feuilles), within walking distance of the hotels. Bucking mid-Ochheuteal's upscale trend, several relatively inexpensive guesthouses have sprung up, including the Susaday and a few more along the second road back from the beach. Further south along the beach near the golf course development, a number of budget traveler/backpacker oriented bar/restaurant/beach hangouts have sprung up, (including the well-known Chiva's Shack and Chaimoy's Frog Shack), all offering chairs, umbrellas, drinks and a chill-out atmosphere. |
At Ochheuteal's extreme northern end, the area popularly known as 'Serendipity Beach' is the only beach in Sihanoukville to offer bungalows and guesthouse rooms right on the sand. Over the past couple of years 'Serendip-ity's' popularity has grown exponentially, as have the number of bungalows, hotels, and restaurants. The beach now offers several mid-range and budget places including Coasters', and Cloud 9's well-known bungalows, Uncle Bob's 24-hour restaurant and budget rooms, and Eden Bar's budget and mid-range rooms and popular beachfront bar. There are also places popping up between 'Serendipity' and the Golden Lion Traffic Circle such as Endless Summer and Mick and Craig's Sanctuary Bar and Guesthouse. To get to 'Serendipity Beach' follow Ekareach Street straight through the Golden Lion Traffic Circle, and up and over the hill. |
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Independence Beach
Independence Beach gets its name from the deserted hulk of the 7-storey Independence Hotel at the north end. Locals call this beach 'otel bram-pul chann (hotel 7-stories). It is labeled '7-Chann Beach' on the in-town street sign. Independence is more than a kilometer long, but the sandy area is quite narrow, making the beach best when the tide is low. The beach is wider and more touristed toward the northwest end, near a small fresh water lake (which is the source of the town's fresh water and is rumored to contain crocodiles). At the other end is the beach's only hotel, Sea Breeze. Grass umbrellas and drink vendors now line the beach from end to end but Independence is still much less frequented than other beaches. The road up to the old Independence Hotel is often frequented by a small troop of Rhesus monkeys but is currently closed while the hotel undergoes renovation.
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Victory Beach
At over two kilometers, Victory Beach is quite long, but like Independence Beach, the sandy area is narrow, making low tide the best time. Victory is really two beaches divided by a rocky point and a small hill. The southern beach is sometimes referred to as 'King's Beach,' 'South Channel Beach', or 'Lamherkay Beach', but 'Hawaii Beach' seems to be catching on as the appellation of choice. Like the other major beaches, southern Victory is now lined with umbrellas and little drink huts, though not as densely as Ochheuteal. There are a few boats on the beach that take tourists out to the nearby islands for a fee.
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Victory Beach north of the rocky point is a park at one end and a port at the other. It is a great place to watch sunset and the big ships come and go from the port. Chney Molop Chhrey seafood restaurant is right on the beach and the Holiday Palace Casino and Hotel is on the beach road.
Weather Station Hill (a.k.a. Port Hill, Victory Hill, Backpacker Hill, 'The Hill,' etc.) between north and south Victory beaches just above the Victory Monument is the budget center of Sihanoukville. The Hill is home to dozens of guesthouses, restaurants of all types, bars, and shops, a couple of travel agencies, a scuba shop and more including such as Bungalow Village, MASH/Melting Pot, Sakal Bungalows, Mealy Chenda, Chez Mari-yan, Blue Frog, Indian Curry Pot, and Corner Bar. The beach sits just 50 meters from the base of the hill and is fast growing in popularity. Umbrellas, beach chairs and a few beachfront restaurant/bars dot the edge of this part of Victory Beach, which also offers excellent sunset views as well as a generally pleasant alternative to the sometimes overcrowded Ochheuteal Beach. |
WATCH OUT !!!
Do not leave your things unattended on the beach! There have been several reported thefts of cameras, purses and other belongings left on the beach while the owner was swimming, strolling, sleeping or otherwise distracted.
Other Beaches
These 'other' beaches are outside of the town area and are frequented more by fishermen than tourists, though this is slowly changing. Road conditions can be challenging, especially in the wet season.
Otres Beach
Otres is the next beach south of Ochheuteal. A single road traces the beach's 3km to a small river at the far end. Otres is the twin sister of Ochheuteal, but is largely untouristed and often almost completely deserted. There are a few grass umbrellas scattered along the beach, a small restaurant shack near the middle and guesthouses at the near and far ends of the beach. The new Queen's Hill Resort bungalows sits on the hill side at the near end, overlooking the ocean and beach. Otres village and pagoda sit about 1km off the beach. To get there from Ochheuteal simply follow 1 Kanda Street to the end of Ochheuteal to where in connect with the new bridge and road over the hill to Otres. Or from downtown, take Omui St. southeast about 4km to a fork and turn right. At the next opportunity take a left. It is 2km to the beach. |
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Ream Beach
Though not untouristed, the Ream Beaches see far fewer visitors than Sihanoukville beaches. Located in the Ream National Park. Take Route 4 to the Airport road 18km north of town. Turn right, go 9km to the ocean. The beach to the right is long and narrow and frequented more by fishermen than tourists. Behind the beach is a mangrove swamp, which attracts a wide variety of tropical birds. The beaches to the left nearer the Naval Base now have a few vendors selling drinks and renting tubes. There is a small $5 per night guesthouse run by the National Park. Check at the park HQ opposite the entrance to the airport.
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Depot Beaches
lie just off Hun Sen Beach Drive, north of town. Most of the beaches are quite narrow and the water is shallow and can be very warm. Take the Hun Sen Beach Dr. well past the port and look to the left for small beaches.Beach below the hill, is not the most popular Beach in Sihanoukville but is within easy walking distance. Its convenience and excellent view of sunset make it popular with local strollers and travelers from the hill. |
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Sunset Points
Sihanoukville offers several excellent spots to watch sunset. Most people opt for the beaches. Victory is the most ideally oriented beach for sunset. The view from the other beaches is sometimes partially obstructed depending on the time of year. Of the restaurants, Bungalow Village, Chez Claude, Chez Mari-yan, and Mealy Chenda offer the best vistas. My favorite beach spot is the fishing camp at the base of the hill between north and south Victory beaches (Chhne Kampong Teuk). The fishing boats in the foreground and Snake Island on the horizon can be quite photogenic. Perhaps the best sunset point is at the top of Sihanoukville Mountain. The rocks at the top face west offer a beautiful view of the town, port, ocean and islands. |
