TBK Remembers - Sihanoukville and Koh Ron in Cambodia

 

After staying in Luxurious hotels in Phnom Pehn and Siem Reip Panha persuaded me to fly us to Sihanoukville, where we stayed for a few days, and then we took the boat to Koh Ron to stay in a wooden hut on a hillside!

TBK remember it well! My backpacking days are over so we left Koh Ron early and booked another night in Sihanoukville! It poured with rain there and the original room they offered us was outside in the rain. When I asked if they had any other rooms they said they had a suite and when I asked how much it was, and explained we wanted to stay there on the way out and on the way back they gave me a special rate!

It was the perfect hotel- and great for Panha and I. He loved staying up late and watching TV whereas I liked going to sleep early and getting up early to write my blog. We had a sun roof overlooking the pool with sofas and chairs where I would sit and write my blog while he slept. Over the road at the back of the hotel was their restaurant which stretched down to the sea and was made up of comfy alcoves with netting and lighting. The food was amazing in huge portions, all freshly cooked , and the staff (mostly Russian for some reason) were all very friendly. They had all my and his favourites on the menu ( steak for me, fish for him, cheese for me and fruit to share and more than once we got slowly drunk on wine and cocktails over a very relaxing meal ( how yo can see why I wanted to come back a day early from the island!)

                  How about that for a steak platter- and his fish was even bigger!

I would highly recommend the hotel- https://wbhcambodia.com/ and the beach ( Otres) is one of the best in the area. We enjoyed walking, swimming and having food from the vendors who walk up and down cooking delicious food to order.

I mentioned that Panha loves fish and before we caught the boat to the Island he wandered off and bought tons of the stuff which he proceeded to eat for our two days on the Island. You can imagine the smell!

Sadly that is all the photos I have of Sihanoukville and Koh Ron. I can thoroughly recommend the former but not the latter. Another Cambodian friend of mine , Sovarth, told me later there is a more expensive nicer hotel/ island in the same area. If you are thinking of visiting Cambodia I would highly recommend it. It has a great mixture of must see sights like the Genocidal Center and the Killing fields in Phnom Penh. Although the history they explain of the murderous Khymer Rouge regime, little heard about in the West, is very disturbing it is very well presented and explained. On the joyous side there is the Palace and the National Museum , boat trips, great restaurants and a micro brewery. 

In the North Siem Reip is far more than just a set of temples , magnificent as they are, so allow yourself time to explore properly and enjoy.

One of the amazing walkways at one of the temples. The statistics that the Tour guides reel off in terms of how long they took to build, the statues and figures in the walls and their background will amaze you. 

Then if you want to be by the sea I recommend a few days relaxing at Whites Boutique hotel- I saw on their website they have a new restaurant- maybe I should return and give it a try. The Cambodian food is amazing and I loved both my cookery lessons at Saria Resort and Spa.

           Meryenda beside the pool at Saria Resort and Spa in Siem Reip

The final thing I want to mention about Cambodia is the people. They were so friendly , helpful and generous even though they are not rich. I had a mix up with my flights on one trip and had to pay out for another flight from Thailand to Sie Reip after the original one was cancelled by mistake. As a result I ran out of money in my last few days in Phnom Pehn. Sovarth told me where to get cheap food and where I could use an ATM without a minimum withdrawal. On my last day he paid for my transport to the airport. Sonchek collected me on his moped and took me out to dinner. I really enjoyed staying with Panha and went back a second and third time to see him and also Ch Hai in Siem Reip. The tour guides and staff at Sarai Resort were amazing as were the chefs and restaurant staff. Chin Meng Jau came with me to the Killing Fields and made me a VIP at the restaurant he worked at ( a rare late night out with Angkor Beer and a live band). Mr Chen came to visit me a few times in PP and came out for dinner- so I always had plenty of company even though I travelled there alone. 

The other tourists were very friendly and often you would meet the same people over and over , especially if you visited more than one country on your vacation.

I have not been back to Cambodia for 4 years now so a lot may have changed, but I am really glad I visited it when it was still an emerging tourist destination.

As usual if there is anywhere else you want me to " Remember" in my blogs just let me know.