- Family Beach Vacation
- Introvert Paradise
- Active and athletic
- Top 2 best resorts in Cambodia
Cambodia, a small kingdom in Southeast Asia, is increasingly ranked among the most visited countries in the region. The main reason for its popularity is the Angkor temple complex, built by the Khmers several centuries ago and occupying at least 200 square kilometers. The ancient ruins of Angkor are not the only thing that attracts foreign tourists. In recent years, the best resorts in Cambodia, where they can spend their vacations or vacations on the shores of the warm southern sea, have increasingly become the subject of their interest.
Family Beach Vacation
If you are planning a tour to Cambodia with the whole family, be very responsible when choosing a resort and hotel. The kingdom is famous for its virgin nature, clean (in most cases) sea and beautiful beaches, but the infrastructure of Cambodian cities and the service in the local hotels may seem a little more modest than in neighboring Thailand or Vietnam. You should not expect European gloss from Cambodia, but the benevolence of its inhabitants more than compensates for some of the everyday inconveniences.
The best family resort in Cambodia is without a doubt Sihanoukville. Its infrastructure is quite capable of satisfying even the needs of a family with kids, and adolescents and children of primary school age will like it and will be comfortable at the resort.
- The most popular beaches for the family are Ochitel and Serendipity. They are located closest to the city center, their infrastructure is suitable for recreation for adults and children, the choice of cafes and menus in them is the most impressive, and getting here from the vast majority of hotels, hostels and guest houses is the closest and most convenient way. On Ochitel and Serendipity there are play towns, real McDonald's, stable communications and other benefits of civilization, without which young tourists do not seem to have a full-fledged vacation by the sea. The only disadvantage of these beaches is the not too clean sea due to the influx of tourists.
- Are you ready to debate with the younger generation about the need for a reliable cellular signal while on vacation in Cambodia? If you can remain the winner in this dispute and prove that you can live without the Internet for some time, feel free to head for distant beaches. Show the heirs of Ream and Cut where the old-timers don't pay too much attention to the availability of infrastructure and entertainment. But the recreation areas far from the city center are well known for their soft and light sand, the purest sea water and beautiful views. On the Cut you will meet many interesting personalities from all over the world. The coastal cafes here make wonderful coffee and bake excellent pancakes, and for dinner, the girls bring giant grilled shrimp and fresh mango that melts in your mouth like ice cream.
- Another place of credit for relaxing with children is the beach at the Sokha Beach Resort. Its territory is closed to outsiders, but it is always possible to negotiate with the guards. For a nominal fee, you will be allowed to enter the territory of the resort, where there is everything for a comfortable stay: sun loungers and parasols, changing rooms, fresh showers, a cafe with soft drinks. And the Sokha beach itself is very clean and well-groomed, the entry into the sea is gentle, and the water is clear and warms up from the very early morning to a pleasant temperature for kids.
When going on a tour to the best resorts in Cambodia, be sure to take into account the climatic features and choose the most suitable time. The wet season in the kingdom begins with the arrival of summer, although the first bells of impending precipitation are heard already at the end of spring. Tropical showers are increasing in May, signaling that rainy season is just around the corner. It ends in mid-autumn and the onset of November marks the start of a new high season in Cambodia's resorts. The best time to travel to Sihanoukville lasts from mid-November to the end of April. At this time, the air temperature in the afternoon does not drop below + 24 ° С, and sometimes rises to + 28 ° С. The sea remains warm even during the New Year holidays - up to + 25 ° С.
Introvert Paradise
The best resorts in Cambodia for fans of solitude and silence are undoubtedly the islands that are located near Sihanoukville. Most of them are uninhabited, others have been built guest houses and hotels, consisting of bungalows or simply offering a not too demanding tourist a hammock under a canopy and a tent-tent for a couple of bucks a day.
You can get to Koh Rong from Sihanoukville in about 40 minutes and $ 10. The island is quite large; several dozen families of fishermen live on it. Apart from the fishing villages on Koh Rong, there are only hotels with very primitive amenities. But the beaches here are very clean and deserted, noisy entertainment is absent almost everywhere, and diving and snorkeling are some of the best in Cambodia. You can rent scooters and get to distant deserted beaches. The north of the island is the least inhabited. More civilization in the southwest in the bay where ferries from the mainland dock.
Unlike Koh Rong, Ko Dek Kul islet is not large and is almost uninhabited. People can be found here only at the Mirax Resort, which has a five-star status. However, you should not be afraid of noisy companies: there are only a dozen rooms in the hotel, and a little more guests. Visitors to the island enjoy snorkelling, pristine jungle walks and seafood tastings, especially enjoyed by chefs who shine with their skills in a couple of island restaurants.
Every year the resorts of Cambodia are gaining popularity among the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom. And representatives of other countries are increasingly choosing the kingdom as a destination for vacations and vacations. Hurry up if you want to see the best resorts and beaches of Cambodia in their pristine beauty. The situation is changing too quickly to wait for next year or an opportunity.
Active and athletic
Despite the frank relaxation of a beach holiday in Cambodia, active tourists find something to do so as not to lose the volume of hard work and then acquired biceps. And in this sense, Sihanoukville is again ahead of the rest. I mean, all the other beach resorts in the kingdom.
The most unpretentious travelers in Sihanoukville run. They do this most often at dawn. The series of beaches of the resort is quite impressive and, if you start at Independence Beach and finish at the Cut, and then return, you can wind a couple of tens of kilometers.
Ochitela and Serendipity have a wide variety of water sports - beach equipment rental centers will gladly offer you windsurf boards with sails, water skis, catamarans, kayaks, snorkelling masks and excursions to the open sea with calls to nearby islands. The assortment of local residents in the tourist business includes boat tours to the open sea for fishing fans. The caught fish will be prepared for you by the crew members on board. If you are not lucky with the catch, you can always taste seafood dishes in the coastal establishments of Sihanoukville. By the way, for fans of a rich night program, it is in the area of the beaches of Serendipiti and Ochitel that several establishments with music, alcohol and a dance floor are open.
Diving in Cambodia is also popular, and the best resorts where diving enthusiasts are offered equipment and boat rentals are on the islands. Diving in coastal waters off the mainland in Cambodia is not recommended - visibility under water is not very good. The best time to watch fish is from November to May, when there is no rain and the sea remains clear. Dive centers in Sihanoukville are located on the street between the Golden Lions and Serendipity Beach.
The flora and fauna of the South China Sea are very diverse: more than 600 species of fish live in its waters. The most interesting representatives of the underwater fauna off the coast of the best resorts in Cambodia are various types of sharks, including bamboo and whale sharks, stingrays, marlins and sea turtles. The most spectacular diving can be found in the waters near Koh Tang and Koh Prince. You will have to get there by boats rented by local dive clubs and accompanied by an experienced guide. The maximum diving depth at the island sites is 35-40 meters. The underwater currents near these islands are of average strength and even not the most experienced diver can handle them. In addition to the richly vegetated reef in the waters near Koh Tang and Koh Prince, you will find several wrecks that have turned into real homes for numerous marine life over the years.
Diving centers in Cambodia offer scuba diving enthusiasts a variety of leisure activities, from diving safaris to biofluorescent night diving. For wealthy clients, private charters to distant islands are provided.
Top 2 best resorts in Cambodia
Despite the fact that making ratings is a futile business, and every traveler will still redraw them in his own way, depending on his own impressions, we will try to systematize our knowledge about beach holidays in Cambodia. The list will be short, because resort tourism in the kingdom is only developing, and the length of the country's coastline is not as impressive as in neighboring Thailand.
- Sihanoukville, without a doubt, deservedly occupies the top line of the top lists of popular Cambodian resorts. There is a wider selection of hotels and restaurants, a huge number of offers for organizing leisure activities outside the beach, the most developed entertainment infrastructure, and getting to Sihanoukville is easier than to the islands, for example. The beach strip at the resort stretches for more than 10 km, and it is very easy to find a suitable place for yourself under the sun in the city. Depending on your own preferences, you can enjoy a noisy and quite civilized vacation on the beaches close to the center of Sihanoukville, or meditate at sunset on a completely empty strip of sand on the Cut. There are restaurants and cafes everywhere, but the choice is certainly richer on Ochitel and Serendipity. But on the distant beaches, you will be offered freshly grilled king prawns and fresh ripe mango without any queues. Any hostel has sun loungers and parasols on the adjacent beach area; to rent them, it is enough to buy a drink in the hotel cafe. By the way, about hotels. In Sihanoukville there are also quite worthy representatives of the world chains with a solid number of stars (the area of the Independence beaches, Serendipity, Ochitel and the city center) and hotels consisting of small bungalows (the far end of the Cut). Their walls are made of bamboo, and of the conveniences in such houses there is usually only a cold shower and a mosquito net. But the surf line starts right next to your porch.
- Kep received its portion of fame at the beginning of the last century, when its beaches became especially popular among the French who were exploring Indochina. The overseas colony quickly absorbed European traditions, and from a fishing village, the resort quickly turned into an elite vacation spot for the Parisian aristocracy. The wars and post-war devastation of the 70-80s of the last century devastated the city, and Kep is experiencing its rebirth right now. Modern hotels of various levels are growing at the resort, infrastructure is developing, roads are being built and beaches are being improved. Unlike Sihanoukville, they are covered with coarse sand, in places turning into pebbles. But the sea water off the coast of the resort is very clean, and the rare blue crabs inhabiting it are proof of this. In addition to beach relaxation, Kep offers its guests a rather varied entertainment program: walks in the reserve, where rare representatives of the local fauna live; acquaintance with the main agricultural direction of the region - the cultivation of pepper on the famous plantations of the Kampot province; excursions to the palace of King Sihanouk, recently built, but never became the new residence of the monarch. Boat trips are also popular with tourists. One of the destinations is Rabbit Island with secluded beaches and restaurants serving fresh seafood prepared in the tradition of Khmer cuisine.
When heading to the resorts of Cambodia, plan a couple of days for excursions to Siemrip. To visit a distant kingdom and not see the legendary Angkor is an unforgivable carelessness. Moreover, in Sihanoukville, and in other resort places, you can find a lot of offers of organized excursions, including those with Russian-speaking guides.
