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Sihanoukville

Sure, Sihanoukville (ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ) would never win first prize in a pretty-town competition, and much of it is now dominated by casinos and tacky commercial centres. But despite the rapid and mostly unwanted development, it has remained the jumping-off point for the best of Cambodia's white-sand beaches and castaway-cool southern islands. The Serendipity Beach area is a decompression chamber for backpackers, who flock here to rest up between travels and party through the night.

Away from the hustle south of town is relaxed Otres Beach, where cheap bungalow joints and bohemian-flavoured guesthouses are now neighbours with rather swish boutique resorts. Although much of the beachfront will likely be cleared for large-scale development in the future, for now the mellow scene still allows for lazy days of sunbathing and whirlwind nights of bar-hopping.

Explore Sihanoukville

Sokha Beach
Midway between Independence and Serendipity Beaches lies Sihanoukville’s prettiest stretch of sand, 1.5km-long Sokha Beach. Its fine, silicon-like sand…
Otres Beach
Past the southern end of Ochheuteal Beach, beyond the Phnom Som Nak Sdach (Hill of the King’s Palace) headland, lies stunning Otres Beach, a seemingly…
Lamherkay Beach
About 1.5km southwest of Victory Beach, next to a shady grove, is Lamherkay Beach, also known as Hawaii Beach. Koh Pos (Snake Island), the island 800m…
Ochheuteal Beach
This 4km-long beach qualifies as Sihanoukville’s main beach, but it's no place to swim these days as the rapid development of high-rise casinos along its…
Independence Beach
Northwest of Sokha Beach, much of Independence Beach (also known as 7-Chann Beach) has been taken over by a gargantuan new property development, but a…
Wat Leu
Spectacular views of almost every casino (finished and unfinished) in Sihanoukville and gorgeous sunset panoramas await at Wat Leu, situated on a peaceful…
K
Kbal Chhay Cascades
Thanks to their appearance in Pous Keng Kong (The Giant Snake; 2000), one of the most successful Cambodian films of the post-civil-war era, these cascades…
O
Otres 1 Beach
Otres 1 is the first stretch of sand along Otres Beach. It's changing fast as Chinese companies take over from predominantly Western-owned businesses and…
O
Otres 2 Beach
The most southern section of Otres Beach, known as Otres 2, is mainly the domain of Chinese developers these days, with a few Western-oriented holdouts.

Sokha Beach
Midway between Independence and Serendipity Beaches lies Sihanoukville’s prettiest stretch of sand, 1.5km-long Sokha Beach. Its fine, silicon-like sand…
Otres Beach
Past the southern end of Ochheuteal Beach, beyond the Phnom Som Nak Sdach (Hill of the King’s Palace) headland, lies stunning Otres Beach, a seemingly…
Lamherkay Beach
About 1.5km southwest of Victory Beach, next to a shady grove, is Lamherkay Beach, also known as Hawaii Beach. Koh Pos (Snake Island), the island 800m…
Ochheuteal Beach
This 4km-long beach qualifies as Sihanoukville’s main beach, but it's no place to swim these days as the rapid development of high-rise casinos along its…
Independence Beach
Northwest of Sokha Beach, much of Independence Beach (also known as 7-Chann Beach) has been taken over by a gargantuan new property development, but a…
Wat Leu
Spectacular views of almost every casino (finished and unfinished) in Sihanoukville and gorgeous sunset panoramas await at Wat Leu, situated on a peaceful…
K
Kbal Chhay Cascades
Thanks to their appearance in Pous Keng Kong (The Giant Snake; 2000), one of the most successful Cambodian films of the post-civil-war era, these cascades…
O
Otres 1 Beach
Otres 1 is the first stretch of sand along Otres Beach. It's changing fast as Chinese companies take over from predominantly Western-owned businesses and…
O
Otres 2 Beach
The most southern section of Otres Beach, known as Otres 2, is mainly the domain of Chinese developers these days, with a few Western-oriented holdouts.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Sihanoukville.

See
Sokha Beach
Midway between Independence and Serendipity Beaches lies Sihanoukville’s prettiest stretch of sand, 1.5km-long Sokha Beach. Its fine, silicon-like sand…
See
Otres Beach
Past the southern end of Ochheuteal Beach, beyond the Phnom Som Nak Sdach (Hill of the King’s Palace) headland, lies stunning Otres Beach, a seemingly…
See
Lamherkay Beach
About 1.5km southwest of Victory Beach, next to a shady grove, is Lamherkay Beach, also known as Hawaii Beach. Koh Pos (Snake Island), the island 800m…
See
Ochheuteal Beach
This 4km-long beach qualifies as Sihanoukville’s main beach, but it's no place to swim these days as the rapid development of high-rise casinos along its…
See
Independence Beach
Northwest of Sokha Beach, much of Independence Beach (also known as 7-Chann Beach) has been taken over by a gargantuan new property development, but a…
See
Wat Leu
Spectacular views of almost every casino (finished and unfinished) in Sihanoukville and gorgeous sunset panoramas await at Wat Leu, situated on a peaceful…
See
Kbal Chhay Cascades
Thanks to their appearance in Pous Keng Kong (The Giant Snake; 2000), one of the most successful Cambodian films of the post-civil-war era, these cascades…
See
Otres 1 Beach
Otres 1 is the first stretch of sand along Otres Beach. It's changing fast as Chinese companies take over from predominantly Western-owned businesses and…
See
Otres 2 Beach
The most southern section of Otres Beach, known as Otres 2, is mainly the domain of Chinese developers these days, with a few Western-oriented holdouts.

Guidebooks

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