Cambodia Travel Blog

Our Journey

What we did

We had allocated 11 days for our trip to Cambodia, which we extended to two full weeks upon arriving at our hotel on Koh Rong Sanloem. If you have the time, we can definitely recommend spending two weeks in Cambodia, as there are many things to see and do, and even with two weeks we left a lot of the country unexplored. We flew into Siem Reap, the gateway to the Angkor Wat temples, where we spent four nights. We then flew to Sihanoukville and took a ferry to the Koh Rong islands, where we spent the remaining ten nights of our trip. We spent four nights on Koh Rong, the larger island with more of a backpacker vibe, and another five nights on Koh Rong Sanloem, the smaller and more peaceful of the two islands. We continued our journey by flight from Sihanoukville which left early in the morning, so we spent one night in Sihanoukville as well.

Route we travelled — Siem Reap to the Koh Rong Islands

What we skipped

Phnom Penh:
We decided to leave the capital city out of our itinerary, as we would be spending time in a big city in the next leg of our journey. We had heard mixed reviews about Phnom Penh, and I am sure it has a place in a Cambodia itinerary which is less beach-focused as ours. We have heard especially good things about the Killing Fields museum, which documents the history of the Khmer Rouge regime of the 70s.
Kampot:
Kampot is a riverside town known for its colonial architecture and its nearby natural beauty, including pepper plantations and National Parks. We had heard good things about Kampot, though it has supposedly become more touristy in recent years.
Cardamom Mountains:
The Cardamom Mountains are a remote and rugged region in southwestern Cambodia, known for their dense rainforests and diverse wildlife. This stop definitely has a place in more adventurous itineraries.
Kratié:
We had considered visiting Kratié to see the Irrawaddy dolphins, but ultimately decided against it as it would have required a long bus ride.

Angkor Wat

Some Background & History

Angkor Wat is the name of the main temple in the Angkor Wat complex; Angkor Wat by itself is already the largest religious monument in the world, but it is just one of the many temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park. The park consists of over 100 temples.

Starting from the 9th century, the Khmer Empire became the dominant power in Southeast Asia, and they chose the area around current-day Siem Reap as the location for their capital city; Angkor is the Khmer word for city. Over the centuries, the Khmer Empire expanded and their kings built a great many temples in the area. Our guide told us that each king wanted to build a new temple, preferable grander than the previous ones, to leave their mark on the capital and to invite foreign dignitaries to. This continued until the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 15th century, by which time 100s of temples were constructed in this area.

As the Empire faded, many of the temples were abandoned and fell into disrepair, and the jungle started to reclaim them. Many sources say that the temples were "lost" to the jungle until they were "rediscovered" by French explorers in the 19th century, but in reality the local people never forgot about them and continued to visit them and maintain them to some extent. This was especially true for Angkor Wat, which was never fully abandoned and has been continuously maintained and used as a place of worship by local priests.

Angkor Wat is the most famous temple in the complex and is the largest religious monument in the world. It is featured on the Cambodian flag and is a source of great pride for the Cambodian people. The Khmer Empire was originally founded as a Hindu empire, and Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. However, over time the Khmer Empire gradually transitioned to Buddhism, and Angkor Wat was converted into a Buddhist temple, which it remains to this day.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

The Khmer Empire gradually converted from Hinduism to Buddhism over the course of the late 12th century and early 13th century, and this transition is reflected in the architecture of the temples in the Angkor complex. The earlier temples, such as Angkor Wat, have more Hindu elements, while the later temples have more Buddhist elements.

The temples served not only as places of worship, but also as political and economic centers, as well as functioning as important engineering structures supporting agricultural activities. Many temples are surrounding by large moats and reservoirs, which were used for irrigation and water management in the region. Over the course of the centuries, this engineering knowledge on irrigation was lost, which contributed to the decline of the Khmer Empire.

The name Angkor Wat means "City of Temples". Another temple in the complex is called Angkor Thom, which means "Great City". These names indicate the importance of the temples as the center of the city and the empire. Some other temples include "Bayon", which means "Face" (it is named after the many faces carved into the temple, which are thought to represent either the Buddha or the king who built it) and "Ta Prohm", which is famous for the trees growing out of its ruins.

By the 15th century, the Khmer Empire had declined and the capital was moved away from Angkor. Our guide told us that the decline of the empire was due to many factors:

Environmental changes:
A series of droughts followed by intense monsoon floods damaged the irrigation system and led to food shortages and social unrest.
Loss of irrigation expertise:
In an attempt to stay as relevant for as long as possible, the engineers who built and maintained the complex irrigation system did not pass on their full knowledge to the next generations. This led to a gradual loss of expertise in irrigation. This made the system more vulnerable to the aforementioned environmental changes. Our guide told us that the experts would pass on only 90% of their knowledge, which meant that after 10 generations only 35% of the knowledge would remain, which was not enough to maintain the system, let alone fix it in case of disaster.
Conquest by the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya:
The Khmer capital of Angkor Wat sat closely to the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya, much like the modern day city of Siem Reap sits closely to the Thai border. As the Khmer Empire waned, the Ayutthaya kingdom grew stronger and conquered Angkor in the 15th century.
Eventually, the Cambodians regained control of the area, and the name of the city Siem Reap actually means "Defeat of Siam".
Religious changes leading to loss of legitimacy of the kings:
The Khmer Empire was originally founded as a Hindu empire, and the kings derived their legitimacy from their role as intermediaries between the gods and the people. Our guide told us that the kings were seen as divine figures, which made it easier for them to control the population. As the empire transitioned to Buddhism, the kings lost some of their divine status and legitimacy, which weakened the control of the central government over the population.

The Angkor Wat Complex

The temple complex around Siem Reap contains over 100 temples, and it would be impossible to see them all in one trip. Most tour operators offer two main circuits to see the temples: The small circuit and the big circuit. Each take 6 to 8 hours to complete, and they can be done by car, tuktuk, or bike.

These circuits are designed to show you the most important and impressive temples, but by no means do they show you all the temples in the area. They cover about 10 temples in total, which is just a fraction of the over 100 temples in the area. If you have the time and are feeling adventurous, you can explore these temples yourself or with a guide.

You will need a park pass to enter the temple complex. There are three options:

1-day pass: $37
3-day pass (consecutive or not): $62
7-day pass(consecutive or not): $72

As we had three full days, we went for the 3-day pass.

We can recommend spending at least three full days in Siem Reap if you are serious about exploring the temples. This will give you enough time to do the small and big circuit, as well as a bonus activity to your choice, like exploring some lesser-known temples or visiting the floating villages on Tonle Sap lake.

Day 1 - Small Circuit

For our first day at Angkor Wat, we woke up at 3:45 AM to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. The sunrise at Angkor Wat is a must-see experience. There were many visitors, but as the site is so large, it did not feel too overcrowded.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

The Angkor Wat temple

The Angkor Wat temple

The Angkor Wat temple

After this magical sunrise experience, we continued with the small circuit. This circuit took us to the following sites:

Ta Prohm:
This temple is famous for the trees growing out of its ruins. It was popularized by the movie Tomb Raider, which was filmed there.
Ta Keo:
This temple is known for its steep staircases and its impressive views from the top.
Bayon in Angkor Thom:
This temple is famous for its many faces carved into the stone, which are thought to represent either the Buddha or the king who built it. This temple is located in the Angkor Thom complex, which was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. Angkor Thom means "Great City" and is surrounded by a large moat, which is larger than the moat surrounding Angkor Wat.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Ta Keo

Ta Keo

Bayon (undergoing restoration)

South Gate of Angkor Thom

Many of the temples we visited were undergoing restoration, which is a testament to the importance of these temples for the Cambodian people, but also for their tourism industry. Many of these restoration works are funded by foreign countries. Each temple's restoration is typically funded by a single country, as we saw signs indicating restoration funding from Japan, China, the US, or France.

We booked this sunrise small circuit tour through Get Your Guide. All in all, we were happy with the tour, but there were some things that bothered us about it. First of all, we had to be ready to go at our hotel at 4:30 AM to catch the sunrise. However, as the tour consisted of about 12 people, we spent 45 minutes driving around picking people up. We made it in time for the sunrise, but we found this inefficiency a bit frustrating. Secondly, while the tour guide was very friendly and took some nice pictures, he was not very informative and did not provide much historical or cultural context about the temples we were visiting.

Day 2 - Big Circuit

For our second day, we woke up at a more reasonable time and did an afternoon tour of the big circuit. This tour took us to the following sites:

Pre Rup:
This temple is a tall structure which rewards visitors who climb its steps with stunning views.
East Mebon:
This temple used to be located on an island in the middle of a large reservoir. Now, the reservoir is dry and the temple can be reached by foot. The temple is known for its many carvings and statues of elephants.
Ta Som:
Like Bayon, this temple has many faces carved into the stone.
Neak Pean:
This temple is located on an island in the middle of a large reservoir. This reservoir itself was the most impressive part of the temple, and it is a popular spot to take pictures, for tourists but also for locals, who come here for photoshoots for special occasions.
Preah Khan:
This temple is mostly a ruin, but is known for its impressive size. This temple was dedicated to the father of the king who built it.

Pre Rup

East Mebon

East Mebon

East Mebon

Ta Som

Ta Som

Neak Pean

Neak Pean

Neak Pean

Preah Khan

Preah Khan

We booked the big circuit tour via our hotel, who arranged a tuktuk driver and an English-speaking guide for us. This arrangement was much more efficient and allowed us to be more flexible with our schedule. On the other hand, the guide was not as good a communicator as the one we had for the small circuit. He provided some more historical and cultural context about the temples, but it wasn't always easy to understand him.

Tips and Tricks for visiting Angkor Wat

Here is a succinct list of things we wished we had known before visiting Angkor Wat:

Bring your own lunch: The restaurants in the Angkor complex are expensive tourist traps serving mediocre food. Bring your own food for a tastier and cheaper meal.
Read in advance about the history of the temples to get more out of your visit as the guides are not always very informative.
We would recommend spending at least three full days in Siem Reap. If you have only one day, we recommend the small circuit, as it includes Angkor Wat. If you have two days, also include the big circuit. If you have three days, we would recommend mapping out your own route to explore the temples, as the small and big circuits only cover a fraction of the temples in the area.
Start your day early (or late) to avoid the daytime searing heat. We know how to handle some heat, but the heat at Angkor Wat was difficult for us to handle.
If you are doing the sunrise tour, be prepared to leave your hotel very early and to wait around for other people to be picked up. We had to put our alarm clock for 3:45 AM. This early wake-up time had an impact on our enjoyment of the rest of the day, and in hindsight we would have preferred to pay for a private sunrise tour to sleep in longer.

Day 3 - Siem Reap

Siem Reap turned out to be a much larger city than we expected, and there are many things to see and do in and around the city. During our stay, we were able to do the following:

The Old Market:
The Old Market is a large market in the center of Siem Reap where you can find all sorts of souvenirs, clothes, and food. We visited this market on our first night to buy some souvenirs, and we quite liked the goods on offer so came back to it a couple evenings later. We also visited the Siem Reap Night Market, which is located just across the river from the Old Market, where we bought some cashmere scarves for our family.
Haggling is an ingrained part of the shopping experience in these markets, and we found that you divide the original asking price by 3 and still expect to close the deal; Especially if you are willing to walk away from the deal.
Pub Street:
Pub Street is a lively street in the center of Siem Reap, focused on restaurants, bars, and other nightlife venues. We passed Pub Street on our way to the Old Market, and were surprised by how lively it was. The vibe is comparable to Bui Vien in Ho Chi Minh City or Khaosan Road in Bangkok, but a bit more laid back and less loud. Pub Street is fun to see, but we did not hang out here.
Angkor Silk Spa:
We took some time from our schedule to relax and restore our energy at a spa close to our hotel. We had a relaxing experience and can recommend it.
We chose this spa as it was on the same road as our hotel, both of which were located on a road with lots of nightlife venues. Some of these nightlife venues seemed to cater to a more adult audience, which the spa seemed to be very aware of as well. When we entered, we spotted that the lobby was filled with crosses and bibles scattered around, which we believe was the spa's way of signaling to their customers that they were a, let's say, "family-friendly" establishment.

Unfortunately, Francesca fell sick on our third day in Siem Reap, so we were not able to get everything out of our stay in Siem Reap. Some other activities we had planned to do but had to skip were:

Tonlé Sap Lake:
Tonlé Sap is a large lake (the largest freshwater lake in SEA) located to the South of Siem Reap, known for its many floating villages. Being an architect, Francesca had wanted to check out these structures built on the water, but unfortunately we did not get around to it. We have heard from others that the floating villages are quite touristy.
Apopo Landmine Museum:
During the Vietnam War, the US military dropped millions of landmines in Cambodia. These landmines continue to plague the local population, causing many casualties every year. You will see many people, mostly beggars, with missing limbs in Cambodia. During our visit to Angkor, we saw groups of amputees playing music and selling souvenirs to tourists, with signs stating that they prefer earning their keep like this rather than resorting to begging.
The Apopo Landmine Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of landmines in Cambodia and the efforts to clear them. The museum focuses on a specific type of landmine-detecting rats, which are trained to sniff out landmines and alert their handlers to their presence.
Angkor National Museum:
This museum in Siem Reap can be a good primer before visiting the temples, as it provides a lot of historical and cultural context about the temples in the Angkor complex.
Lesser-known temples:
Due to our limited time in Siem Reap, we only had time to see the temples included in the small and big circuits. In hindsight, we wish we had more time to explore some of the hidden temples around. Tourists are allowed to roam the temple complex on their own, and we would've loved to research some hidden temples and go discover them ourselves by bike or on foot.

Hotel Reviews

Sakaban Suite

Staff

9/10

Facilities

8/10

Cleanliness

7/10

Comfort

7/10

Location

6/10

Value for Money

8/10

We enjoyed our time at Sakaban Suite and recommend it to anyone looking for a comfortable base to explore Angkor. The staff was especially wonderful, as they were happy to help us out with all our requests. The hotel has a small swimming pool which allowed us to relax on our off-day.
The hotel itself is located on a street filled with nightlife venues which cater to an adult audience. This wasn't too big of a deal for us, except for the fact that the room which we had booked was located at the street-side of the hotel. These venues were playing music loudly all night long, which prevented us from getting the sleep that we needed. After bringing this up to the staff, they were happy to move us to a quieter room, but unfortunately this room was less luxurious than the room which we had booked (and for which we had paid).
From the hotel lobby, you can book tuktuks and guided tours to the Angkor complex. They also offer other activities like massages and cooking classes.
Overall, we believe Sakaban offered great value for money and we enjoyed our little oasis of piece within the busy city of Siem Reap.
Find it here.

Food & Drinks Reviews

Sakaban Suite Restaurant / Bar

Upon arrival at the hotel, we took advantage of the happy hour at the hotel bar, which interestingly offered a 3-for-2 deal on cocktails, meaning that Fran got to drink an extra cocktail. Overall it's a very decent bar with a comfortable atmosphere, and we enjoyed our time there. The restaurant at the hotel was also nice, but perhaps a bit overpriced for the quality of the food compared to the other restaurants we tried in Siem Reap.
Find it here.

Khmer Taste Restaurant

We decided to hop in for a quick bite at this restaurant one of our evenings, and we were blown away by the prices on the menu. If memory serves us right, we ordered a national dish (Amok), a desert (mango sticky rice), a cocktail, and a soda for the grand total of $4. This was a steal, and the food was tasty, but we ended up getting some stomach issues the next day, which we suspect were caused by the food we ate at this restaurant.
Find it here.

Da Stefano

After our experience at Khmer Taste, we decided to play it safe and ate at a European restaurant. Da Stefano is an Italian restaurant owned by an Italian chef, Stefano, where we both had a pizza to give our stomach a break from the local cuisine. The pizza didn't taste like authentic Italian pizza, but it was decent and we enjoyed our meal there.
Find it here.

Chubby Gonzos

We both love Mexican food, and we happened to pass this place while exploring the area. We decided to stop by for a quick taco stop. The tacos were very decent and we enjoyed our meal there. We ordered all the tacos they had on the menu, but this wasn't a lot of food and it wasn't the best we'd had in SEA. We liked the Birria taco the most and recommend this place if you like Mexican food.
Find it here.

Sambo Khmer & Thai Restaurant

Thai cuisine is our favourite cuisine, so we were excited to check out this Khmer-Thai restaurant which had good reviews online. We were not disappointed, as we had a delicious meal there, and the atmosphere of the restaurant was very nice as well. The owner is a very friendly and welcoming person, who made a point of having a chat with us and making sure we enjoyed our meal. The prices are a bit higher, but we recommend this place over restaurants like Khmer Taste any day.
Find it here.

Phsar Khmer Food Court

This food court is located close to the Old Market, and it offers a wide variety of food at reasonable prices. We were annoyed by the token system, which required us to buy tokens at a booth before we could order our food, but the food was nice and the venue is nicely decorated.
Find it here.

Samroh Srah Srang Restaurant (Angkor Wat lunch 1)

Our first tour in Angkor Wat took us to this restaurant for lunch. This restaurant is a classic tourist trap, serving bad food at high prices. We do not recommend.
Find it here.

Neak Pean Restaurant (Angkor Wat lunch 2)

Our private guide who took us on our second tour in Angkor Wat (Big Circuit) took us to this restaurant for lunch. This restaurant was another classic tourist trap, with the food being downright bad and the prices being very high. We do not recommend this restaurant either.
Find it here.

Night market

There is a night market straddling the riverside next to the Old Market, where you can find local food stalls for a quick and cheap meal. I had a pancake / crêpe filled with honey, which was tasty but a mess to eat. Overall, this night market was not as memorable as the ones of other South-East Asian cities we have been to, as we did not feel very welcomed as tourists.

Koh Rong Islands

After our stay in Siem Reap, we flew into Sihanoukville to visit the Koh Rong Islands. After landing in Sihanoukville, we took a 30min taxi ride to the ferry terminal and then a 45min ferry ride to the islands.

Koh Rong

We started our island stay on Koh Rong, which is the more developed and more touristy of the two islands, catering to backpackers. Our ferry docked at Long Set Pier on Long Set Beach, which is a long stretch of beach lined with hostels, bars and restaurants.

We stayed at Onederz Koh Rong, and were greeted to their Full Moon Party celebrations the evening of our arrival. We enjoyed the party, which was a great setting to meet other travelers and kick off our island stay. There were some fun activities like a fire show which merged into a fire limbo session.

We spent our first day taking it slow. We enjoyed breakfast on the beach at our hotel bar, where we spent some time ordering coffees and juices which later turned into cocktails. We also walked up and down Long Set Beach a bit, stopping for lunch at Phorn's bar.

A highlight of Koh Rong is the weekly Nestival that takes place at the Nest hostel. This event start in the early afternoon with some "beach olympics", which are a series of games and challenges that take place on the beach, like a tug of war, a beach volleyball tournament, and a sack race. As the day progresses, the music is turned up and the party gets going, with two stages with DJs. The Nestival is a very fun event if you are a backpacker who's into meeting other travelers and partying.
If you're walking to the Nest from Onederz, you will have to wade through a small river inlet, which is very shallow at low tide but can be a bit more challenging at high tide. There is a rope you can hold on to to help you cross. We did not find this an issue and actually enjoyed the little adventure, but we've heard from some other people that they found this crossing a bit scary, especially at the dark of night.

Nestival party — One of the stages at the Nestival

The hotel organizes a boat trip to explore the waters around the two Koh Rong islands. The tour starts with a snorkling session at an area where you can see some fish, but nothing that blew us away honestly. Then, the organizers gave us some make-shift fishing equipment for a fishing session. Before the trip, we thought that we might skip this part of the tour, but it ended up being a lot of fun. The people who were able to catch a fish got to keep it and have it cooked for the BBQ dinner. Francesca caught a fish and was very happy with her catch, but she wasn't as happy with eating it for dinner, so Florian ate it in her stead. For sunset, the boat moored at M'Pai Bay on Koh Rong Sanloem. We walked a short distance up onto the viewpoint opposite Thmorda Resort, where were trated to a stunning sunset view over the ocean. On our way back to Koh Rong, the organizers turned on some music and we had a fun little dance party on the boat. Later, they turned off the lights on the boat and encouraged us to take a plunge in the ocean for a night swim. The water there is filled with bioluminescent plankton, which light up when you move in the water. The lights they emit are rather faint, but it was a fun and magical experience nonetheless.

Enjoying a drink while watching the sunset at M'Pai Bay

Overall, we really enjoyed our time on Koh Rong. The island has a very laid back pace, while still having enough on offer for young travelers to have fun and meet other people. Go to Koh Rong if you're looking to mingle with other young, like-minded backpackers.

Dinner on the Beach — Enjoying dinner and drinks at the beach

Sunset at the Beach — Sunset fading over the water

Beach by Night — The beach after nightfall

Throughout these adventures, Francesca had occasional flare-ups of the stomach issues she contracted in Siem Reap. These became particularly bad on our last night, which, combined with the fact that the weather report wasn't favorable for ferry rides the next day, made us decide to stay on Koh Rong for an extra night. On this additional day, Francesca visited the Koh Rong Clinic and Pharmacy, where she got treated for her disease. She was hooked up to an IV and given a plethora of medications. The doctor was shocked to hear she had been dealing with this for a week, saying most tourists come in with these symptoms after just a few days. We were very grateful for the doctor's help, with the treatment working well and allowing Francesca to enjoy the rest of her stay. However, due to the limited medical facilities on the island, the doctor charged about $500 for the consultation and treatment, which is a hefty sum for European standards of healthcare.

We tried to extend our stay at Onederz, but were informed that they were fully booked that night. We moved to the hotel next door, Scarlet Sails, who put us in an uncomfortable room with mold stains. You can find our full review of this hotel below, but suffice it to say that we do not recommend it.

After our stay at Scarlet Sails, we boarded the ferry to Koh Rong Sanloem.

Koh Rong Sanloem

Koh Rong Sanloem is the quieter and less developed of the two islands. It does not cater to backpackers as much as Koh Rong, and it has a more laid back and romantic vibe. We booked our stay at Island Center Point on Saracen Bay Beach. This is a more upscale hotel, as this would be our romantic getaway on this trip, and we had a wonderful stay there.

The arrival was a bit rocky: The ferry ride was quite rough, which made Francesca's stomach issues worse. Upon docking at the pier, the hotel staff was awaiting us to take us to the hotel. They had a special contraption, consisting of a car engine, some wheels, and a wooden platform to sit on, which they used to transport our luggage from the pier to the hotel. This wasn't the most comfortable ride, given the unpaved and bumpy road, but we made it to the hotel in one piece. Florian quite liked this little adventure, but Francesca not so much.

Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by the staff with a welcome drink and a refreshing towel. They showed us to our room, and we almost immediately decided to extend our stay by two more nights. After the rough stay at Scarlet Sails and with our stomach issues, we were ready for a couple of days of dolce far niente. They had prepared the room with some romantic touches, like rose petals on the bed and the bath, which immediately showed us the attention to detail that the staff put into making us enjoy our stay.

Arrival Road — The road from the pier to the hotel

Arrival Bath — The bath on the terrace of our room

We spent our days on Koh Rong Sanloem relaxing by the beach, SUPing in the calm waters of Saracen Bay, and walking up and down the beach. This was a wonderful opportunity to slow down from the fast pace of travel and a time to enjoy each other's company.

The hotel is located on Saracen Bay Beach, a long beach lined with a host of accommodations in a range of price points, ranging from backpacker hostels to more fancy hotels. We walked up and down the beach a couple of times; This walk can be challenging during high tide, as the water can rise up to knee level in some areas. There are some undeveloped areas, as well as areas where development seemed to have halted halfway, but it is a pleasant walk nonetheless. We walked as far as Coco restaurant on one end of the beach, a pleasant family-owned restaurant, and as far as Onederz Koh Rong Sanloem on the other side of the beach. We really enjoyed the vibe at Onederz on Koh Rong, but the vibe at the Sanloem location was not the same. We found the audience here to be less sociable and lively. It's hard to pinpoint why exactly, but I suppose the hostel doesn't organize as many activities and the travellers here focus more on relaxation and less on partying.

Next to accommodation options, the beach also has some restaurants and bars, and most accommodations have their own restaurant and bar as well. This collection of beachfront venues creates a nice atmosphere on the beach and provides you with some options, but after a couple days you will start to realize they all offer the same options on their menus, so the cuisine on the island will grow somewhat stale after a couple of days. This is more than made up for by the impeccable vibe on the beach. Overall, Saracen Bay Beach is an excellent place to spend a couple of days doing nothing except sunbathing, swimming, eating, drinking, spending time with your loved ones, or meeting interesting strangers.

Saracen Bay Beach

We were particularly fond of the part of the beach in front of our hotel. The hotal provides some sunbeds for their guests, and we spent many, many hours reading, chatting, napping, sunbathing, and drinking cocktails here. At some point, we became fully convinced that time flows differently on this island, as each day flew by, even though we spent the entire afternoon on these sunbeds.

The sunbeds on the beach of Island Center Point

As mentioned earlier, Island Center Point went above and beyond to provide us with an unforgettable stay on the island. After informing them we chose their hotel for our romantic getaway, they sent us a quote for a romantic dinner on the beach package. They sent us a six-course menu and informed us it would cost $95. At first, we assumed this was per person. We were of the opinion that we didn't need expensive things to enjoy ourselves, so we decided to refuse this offer. Upon arrival, they had suggestively left the menu in our room. After checking the menu again, we realized that the $95 was actually covering the whole package. (The menu mentioned a single complementary wine bottle; we realized a bottle per person would be excessive.) We called the front desk to book the dinner, but before we could confirm they already offered a reduced price of $85 for the whole package.
The romantic beachfront dinner was a wonderful experience. The staff set up a private table for us on the beach, encapsulated by a wooden structure lavished with sheets, and the table was decorated with candles and sea shells. The food was delicious, and there was a member of the staff dedicated to our table for the night, which once again made us feel like the hotel went out of their way to make our stay memorable. Though they had arranged an amazing experience, we noticed they didn't have extensive experience in Western fine dining in a couple of little oddities. For example, they prepared six courses for us, but each course was the size of a decent standalone meal. As each course was delicious, we ended up needing to be rolled off the beach at the end of our dinner! Furthermore, our dedicated waitress took away our plates the moment we finished it and wasted no time bringing the next course, which further added to the feeling we were stuffing ourselves!
Halfway through our meal, a fire show started on the beach in front of the neighbouring accommodation. This made our experience even more magical. This dinner was a highlight on our two-month trip through SEA.

Unfortunately, all wasn't rainbows and sunshine during our stay on Koh Rong Sanloem. Francesca had gotten the worst of it during out stay on Koh Rong, but Florian developed his own stomach issues during our stay on Koh Rong Sanloem. After ignoring it for a couple of days, making the same mistake as Francesca, we decided to try and find a doctor or pharmacist on the island. However, Sanloem is even less developed than Koh Rong, making it even more difficult to find medical help. On the beach, we spotted some sketchy signs describing the location of a pharmacy. The signs pointed to a bar right next to Onederz. Upon entry, we inquired about the pharmacy, and the bartender took us to the back of the building, where he asked us about my symptoms. After a very succinct explanation, he disappeared into a small room, and came back with some medication, which he sold to us as loose tabs without any prescription. We were a bit skeptical, but in the end this medication did do the trick and solved Florian's stomach issues rather quickly.

All good things must come to an end, and the same applies to our time on our little paradise. We had booked an early morning flight out of Sihanoukville to start the next chapter of our trip. As the ferries cannot be relied on for a timely transport (as their departure times are influenced by weather conditions), we decided to stay one night on the mainland at Sihanoukville as a cautious buffer.
Sihanoukville did not strike us as a particularly pleasant city. The area around the ferry port is rather dirty and busy with loud traffic, which did not give us a good impression of the city. We booked a room at Onederz Sihanoukville, as we were quite happy with our stay at Koh Rong. This hostel was walking distance from the ferry port, but the walk there was rather unpleasant because of the aforementioned dirtiness, as well as the overbearing humid heat. We had low hopes for the hostel, but were pleasantly surprised, as overall the hostel was a tidy place with a nice restaurant and pool area.

The view from our room at Onederz Sihanoukville

We arrived in the afternoon and spent our day sunbathing by the pool and later on playing card games in the restaurant area. We were informed by the television in this area that a war had broken out between Thailand and Cambodia, so we thought it was a good moment to start the next leg of our journey.