White sand, palm trees, peacefulness, and simplicity are all hanging out together approximately 23 km, by ferry, from Sihanoukville’s Serendipity Pier, off Cambodia’s southern tip. A wonderful surprise, found as it is within a nation progressing at a snails-pace down the track of conservation and preservation.

Saracen Bay

In 2009, the Saracen Bay side of the island only ever used to feel the footfall of day visitors.  Since then progress has taken hold in the form of widely spaced accommodation (from the lower end, bunk bed types up to so-called resorts with infinity pools) and in one small stretch, beach bars.

For all the development, part of its charm is that it still has a primitive island feel to it. There are still no roads (read; the absence of car and motorbike fumes and noise) or ATM’s and no building higher than two stories.

There is the odd amount of rubbish some of which, in fairness, gets blown onto the island. Most of the accommodation take care of this.  Staff rake the sand each morning, removing the mostly plastic waste. A few places also provide water refills (at $1 a fill) to assist with the world’s plastic problem. 

Eating

Worth noting is that the restaurants do run out of supplies. It’s an island so there will be times when demand exceeds the supply coming in by boat. Don’t forget you’re on the island, in part, for being chilled. So stay chilled and order something else as it might take a few days for new supplies to arrive.

There are a good number of the accommodation’s restaurants, all right on the beach that should keep you spoiled for choice with a week or so’s worth of meals.

Here’s a few I tried:

Sweet Dreams

Have some good-sized and reasonably-priced food options. For example, a chicken noodle dish for $4. They also do very moreish fried potatoes for $4 which, for the size, is better shared. And a two-piece pork baguette sandwich also for $4 and delicious (They seem to continually run out of coffee)

Eden Side

Have a buffet breakfast for $6 which is bountiful enough for you to fill up until dinner time. It encompasses; coffee, orange juice (very watered down), water, omelet with veggies, soup (Asian style), baguettes or white bread with butter and jam, and pancakes with banana or mango, cheese, and fruit.

Paradise Villas

Their food is a little at the pricier end but has a more interesting menu than your stock standard, burger, and fries or fried rice. A fairly healthy and tasty mango/chicken wrap with fat chips goes for $6. They do lattes and cappuccinos as well as home baked cake.

Leng Meng Beach Bungalows

This is a great wee gem. Cambodian run, they’ve given some nice attention to aesthetic details, like paper candle shades. With great attentive staff, peaceful sounds and decent wifi, it has a crowd-drawing vibe that the good quality food and drink add to. I had a great chicken curry for $5. The good cold beers were $1.50 and a glass of fairly decent wine for $3.50.

Convenience Stores

There are two convenience stores on the Saracen Bay side of the island. The larger one having a more opulent selection of everything from bikinis, alcohol, drinks, snacks, ice creams to fruit, toiletries, and medicines.

Things To Do

• Swim in the shallow clear water or lay in a hammock strung up so your butt dips into the ocean
• Do a Padi  Dive (although the word is there’s not a great deal to see in the waters nearby)
• Lounge around on sun loungers listening to birds twittering and if that gets too much, there are a few weight loss inspiring sweaty walks to do.
• Walk the bay, it’s diameter is 3 km’s. You can clock up your 10,000 steps a day easily
• Or do some of the other walks listed below, Light House Walk, Sunset Beach Walk, and Lazy Beach Walk

 

Light House Walk

Begin this walk at Dolphin Bay Resort (to the right of the island if you’re facing the ocean) there’s a sign that points you in the direction of the lighthouse and there’s also now a strip of deforestation that will lead the way up (just before you get to the resort).

It’s an hours walk to the lighthouse, made up of; some covered forest, some open areas surrounded by trees, some fallen trees easy enough to climb over, some rocky areas and places to climb but nothing overly steep and then there are the areas of deforestation, unfortunately. 

I’ve done the walk twice, once wearing flip flops (not the most comfortable option) and with trekking shoes (makes for a faster pace and far more comfortable)

There’s not much to see once you reach the lighthouse apart from the working guns (the whole island is a marine base) that you obviously aren’t allowed to take photos of. The best view you’ll get is from the top of the lighthouse which is via metal ladders, one to each of the 5 floors up to the top (not for those, like me, who have a fear of heights).

Getting There

There are 18 ferries a day to Saracen Bay, Koh Rong Sanloem. The first departing from Sihanoukville at 8 am and the last at 5 pm. They (in theory) are supposed to take 30 minutes and cost $22 return. I use the online booking system BookMeBus which has all the main available ferries listed.  Failing all of those, there is a supply boat.

NB. Allow for stop-offs in Koh Rong in the trips between Sihanoukville and Sanloem. I booked the 1 pm ferry from Sanloem thinking it would be the 30 minutes as stated but a stop in Koh Rong meant it took an additional 30 minutes.

**Worth noting, one of the ferry companies provide a ferry service between Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem three times a day for $5 each way called Island Hop – book here

Sunset and Lazy Beaches, Koh Rong Sanloem

By comparison, the opposite side of the island from Saracen Bay, where Sunset and Lazy Beaches are, is absolutely pristine! Crystal clear water and pure, white sand. The little amount of accommodation there is, is striving to keep it that way.

Lazy Beach

I stayed for Christmas here in 2009 and it’s still as beautiful as it was back then. The restaurant has more seating, the menu seems to have more choices but the prices, the sunset view, the clean white sand, and the clear water don’t appear to have changed at all.

At both these locations, I only visited for a few hours recently so don’t have a lot of hands-on knowledge about what there is to do or eat. Mostly I gazed at the beautiful view of pristine nature before me, dreaming of ways to package it up and take it with me.

Eating

Lazy Beach Menu

Things to Do

Lazy Beach Walk

The start of this approximately 1/2 hour walk is to the right of the Octopussy Bar. It begins with a wide stretch of sand that narrows to a small wooden walk bridge. The ground raises up from the other side of the bridge and then it’s a deforested track for the next 10/15 minutes with a rise and then a descent until you reach a T-intersection where you turn to the right. From this part, the walk is lovely going along a firm sandy path through the bush until you’re arrive at the back end of the Lazy Beach accommodation.

Getting There

Lazy Beach Bungalows run their own ferry to the island once a day. Or you can get any one of the ferries going to Saracen Bay and walk across to Lazy Beach. You can leave your luggage at Saracen Bay and they’ll send someone over to pick it up and bring it back to you at Lazy Beach. 

Sunset Beach

Eating

I had breakfast at Sunboo. The prices seem fairly expensive here, compared to the rest of the island but if you factor in the unspoiled beauty around you then it’s cheap.  They do a good French Press coffee for $3 and the scrambled eggs and bacon were a good size, especially accompanied with homemade bread.

Things to Do

Sunset Beach Walk

This starts at the opposite end of Saracen bay to the Lighthouse Walk.

The entrance to the track is behind the Padi Dive building. You’ll head past some accommodation and then cross a small wooden bridge. It’s a shorter walk than the Lighthouse and has more covered foliage and some steep rocky sections where ropes have been set up. These to help haul yourself up and keep your balance. It’s not a particularly difficult walk but sturdy footwear will be kinder on your feet. NB. In the wet season, this track becomes very muddy and fairly slippery.

Getting There

The ferries are less numerous to this side of the island. But there is The Dive Shop Boat to Sunset Beach and the different accommodation seem to have once a day supply boats as well, such as Robinson Bungalows and Sunboo Beach Bungalows

Or you could get a ferry to Saracen Bay and walk across to the other side. I wouldn’t advise this if you’re not fit or you’re carrying a lot of luggage and definitely not at night.

If you want to get a feel for the way Thai beaches used to be 20 years ago then I would suggest getting to Koh Rong Sanloem as soon as you can. The changes will come, that’s a given but so far it is still stunning.