Beaches were the most exciting part of our 75 days SEA backpacking trip. Undoubtedly, Sihanoukville is a beach place but what was exciting about it were the tours from Sihanoukville to remote and less frequented islands, namely Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem Islands. After reading up about both islands we decided to hit Koh Rong Samloem Island as it had a laid back vibe with nothing much to do apart from chilling at the beach in contrast to Koh Rong which has way too many stay options to chose from and was a typical party island.
Our bags were packed and we headed to the Serendipity pier to board our ferry to Koh Rong Samloem island. It was a short 40 minute speed boat ride from Serendipity pier to M'Pai bay. This was the only place in our trip where things were not really organized. Despite having tickets with all details mentioned including the bay number and ferry to board, the pier people made us change our boat twice creating a lot of confusion. Note: Be very sure to double confirm and board your ferry as there are last minute changes. However, it was all dealt with and with a delay of 10 minutes we left for our desired island. The speed boat was very comfortable and the ride so smooth that we did not even realize how soon 40 minutes went by. Unfortunately, we could not say the same for our return journey. The ride back was the complete opposite to say the least, the sea was very rough. Of course, the boat journey experience depends on Mother Nature's mood.
Our bags were packed and we headed to the Serendipity pier to board our ferry to Koh Rong Samloem island. It was a short 40 minute speed boat ride from Serendipity pier to M'Pai bay. This was the only place in our trip where things were not really organized. Despite having tickets with all details mentioned including the bay number and ferry to board, the pier people made us change our boat twice creating a lot of confusion. Note: Be very sure to double confirm and board your ferry as there are last minute changes. However, it was all dealt with and with a delay of 10 minutes we left for our desired island. The speed boat was very comfortable and the ride so smooth that we did not even realize how soon 40 minutes went by. Unfortunately, we could not say the same for our return journey. The ride back was the complete opposite to say the least, the sea was very rough. Of course, the boat journey experience depends on Mother Nature's mood.
Once at M'pai bay we were welcomed by a make shift pier of wooden planks as the pier was under construction. The first thing that we felt on reaching the bay was the calmness of the place. The beautiful Koh Rong Samloem Island was just our kind of place. Very calm, quiet, slow and laid back with unending beautiful beaches to walk by. A couple of restaurants and a handful of stay options is all that the place offers. We were thrilled as that meant a peaceful environment and above all most likely our own private beaches to enjoy. The island soothed our souls and upon reaching our hostel we fell in love with the place. We had initially booked our stay for 2 nights and immediately extended our stay by one more night.
Very fortunately Koh Rong Samloem Island has not seen exponential growth but the island has been leased by the Cambodian government to private players and it has just got a few years time to safe guard her wilderness and raw charming beaches. There are very few and basic eat out options on the island. Walking into one of the restaurants we ordered a simple egg fried rice. We never knew a simple and basic dish like fried rice could be so brilliant with tons of colorful veggies, local flavors and different sauces adding so much flavor to the mild rice.
The day was perfect with clear sky and in the evening we decided to take a long walk along the shore of the island and reach the other side of the island. This turned out to be one of the most beautiful stretches with tall and thick trees on one side, our feet leaving prints on the super sandy beach and crystal clear water on the other side gently brazing past our feet every now and then. It was so beautiful with no sound apart from the waves kissing the shore that we decided to soak in the beauty by sitting on one of the many rocks on the beach and enjoying the beautiful views.
The day was perfect with clear sky and in the evening we decided to take a long walk along the shore of the island and reach the other side of the island. This turned out to be one of the most beautiful stretches with tall and thick trees on one side, our feet leaving prints on the super sandy beach and crystal clear water on the other side gently brazing past our feet every now and then. It was so beautiful with no sound apart from the waves kissing the shore that we decided to soak in the beauty by sitting on one of the many rocks on the beach and enjoying the beautiful views.
After a good long walk we were lazing in the hammocks, soaking in mesmerizing views and that is when the weather gods decided to surprise us. We saw dark clouds gather shape and create thunder far away. Clear blue skies turned dark grey followed by massive thunder and lightning. Slowly the fishing boats started arriving at the pier and the clouds became darker and were accompanied by massive lightning. We were just in time to run for cover to our hostel and it started to pour. The storm lasted for around an hour with trees being uprooted, furniture strewn around, boards fallen on the ground, puddles all across and bringing down the temperature drastically. Though little scary it was fun experiencing rains. It was such a contrast to the temperature that we experienced in the afternoon. Truly Nature has her own rules.
Despite the storm the folks in the hostel made sure the night was happening and awesome with bonfire, music, beer pong and traditional fire show. We sat on the swing by the beach under the starlit sky making memories!
Life on the island could not have been any better. It was like living our ultimate dream- a place to stay by the beach and waking up early in the morning to go for a swim in the turquoise blue waters. After a good swim we were hungry and super charged up for the day. We headed to Erin's kitchen for breakfast and treated ourselves to pan cake with chocolate sauce and a mango smoothie. The sit out on the shore at Erin's kitchen was a perfect set up. A massive tree next to our table provided the right amount of shade from the morning sun and the cold wind gushing past us made us feel relaxed. Our mind too was equally relaxed by the mesmerizing sound of the waves crashing on the beach.
In the afternoon, we were chilling on the swing and by the bar at our hostel when we stumbled upon a placard promoting a snorkeling tour. Since we were pretty much free the entire day we decided to give it a shot and in no time we were all set to leave for a snorkeling trip from the Yellow Moon hostel that had organized a boat tour including snorkeling, fishing, barbecue, sunset view followed by dinner.
The boat trip was the most exciting part of the day. We snorkeled at two different spots. Though the visibility and marine life was non existent, fishing while on boat was a brilliant experience. The two of us together managed to catch close to 7 to 8 fish. There was live barbecue on the boat and we had our catch barbecued with Thai fish sauce right there and this was the most fresh meal that one could have. It was a great experience to see everyone get a catch and we had fun comparing who got the biggest catch. Post sunset, we headed back to our hostel for a dinner of fried rice and chicken and veg kababs. The meal was pretty good. For USD 10 per person the trip was out and out worth it. Oh and of-course there was a can of free beer for every one on board which was a big plus and mind you the beer was as chilled as it could get. We also witnessed a rooster fight that was happening and the locals were pretty much involved in it.
Most of the hostels organize Beer pong tournaments and that is usually where you can spot majority of the crowd post sunset enjoying the game along with their drinks. We witnessed our first tournament here at Yellow moon hostel.
Plankton beach, just 5 minutes away from Yellow Moon hostel is where the beach comes alive post sunset. It is a once in a lifetime experience to swim with bio-luminescent organisms that lights up the blue waters of Cambodia. The later you get into the water the better is the effect. We got into the water after midnight. With every stroke or movement we could see bright fluorescent bio luminescent organisms sparkle. There are very few experiences that can not be explained with any amount of words or adjectives and this was one such experience. Yet another magical work of Mother Nature. It is an absolute must do in Koh Rong Samloem Island.
Out of the few places to dine in Koh Rong Samloem Island, Kiki's restaurant is the first preference. Almost everything on their menu is priced at USD 2 which is budget friendly. The pan cakes with Nutella was amazing and the baguette with fried eggs was one of the best brunches we have had in a long time. Their French fries are an absolute must try! None of the fries served by the massive fast food chains could even remotely come close to this one. It would be an absolute crime to not buy the fresh fruits on this island.
We tried mango and pineapple which was juicy, sweet and lip smacking. We had all of this by the beach under the shade of massive trees being seated on very comfortable naturally made bamboo chairs. One meal would go on for an hour enjoying the surreal atmosphere- life is beautiful!
After much deliberation and research, we booked our stay on the island with Coastal 23 hostel, a sister concern of Yellow Moon hostel. It was one of our best hostel experiences. We had opted for a private room. The beds are very basic but comfortable and come with a mosquito net. The beautiful wooden room is rustic and charming. The room, sheets, pillow cases were squeaky clean. They tried to give the best of travel experience by organizing budgeted tours. They also take great pains to make sure the décor is nice, cool, wacky and very creative plus innovative. It was very basic yet beautiful and considering the remoteness of this island, it was a luxury. The shared bathrooms were very clean and the entire place was very well kept. The hostel offers plenty of hammocks and pretty swings by the beach which is an absolute romantic spot with your loved one where you can enjoy the views of M'pai bay.
Coastal 23 hostel is the last property on the beach strip. Just a 5 minute short walk from here we reached a secluded rocky beach and a 10 minute leisure walk we reached the clear water bay. The name is completely justifiable as the water here was crystal clear and glass like. We could literally see thru the blue water. Apart from us on this secluded stretch there were hardly 8 other beach bums. We felt like we were on our own little private island. There are few charming beach facing bungalows on clear water bay. They seemed a little expensive however, stay options in M'pai bay were way better. The vibe in coastal 23 hostel was very chilled out. We could rent a kayak for USD 10, play volley ball or just sip the local beer by the beach all day. They have a pretty impressive bar.
Nothing had quite prepared us for a hostel experience. Another perk of travel, the hostel atmosphere is nothing like that of a hotel. In our opinion, it is not run to make profits but to help strict budget travelers. Hostels provide basic amenities and stay at a very reasonable price but give immense exposure and learning. In a very short span of three days, we interacted with folks from Mexico, Lebanon, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Canada, England, USA, South Korea, France and Cambodia. The atmosphere is extremely social, friendly and trustworthy. It was one hell of an experience and quite overwhelming too in a very positive way.
Koh Rong Samloem Island has very beautiful dive sights. There is one shop that was brilliant- "Cambodian Diving Group." If you are a first time diver like us the "discovery scuba diving experience" priced at USD 95 takes you into one of the most pristine under water world in SEA.
Ferry round trip ticket from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong Samloem costs USD 22 per person and from Samloem if you want to reach Koh Rong just pay an additional USD 5 for a round trip. The ferry departs at 9 am, 11:30 am and 3 pm from Sihanoukville and it leaves at 10 am, 12:30 pm and 4 pm from Koh Rong Samloem. The return ticket is an open ticket meaning it could be used to return on any given day. There are several stay options in Koh Rong Samloem island. Based on the property you have chosen to stay make sure that the ferry stops at the desired boat jetty/ bay. If you miss your stop and you get down at the wrong stop it is a very expensive and tiring affair to reach the right part of the island. If you are fortunate enough you could find local boats willing to drop you at the pier but at a very exorbitant price. Or you have to carry all your luggage and trek through the jungle for 40 minutes to reach the other side. On a hot and sunny day this wont be the ideal island vacation experience. In our case, we chose Coast 23 hostel on M'pai bay and chose one of the most sought after ferry services "Speed Ferry Cambodia" which stops at 'M'Pai bay.' The other bay is Saracen bay.
For your return ferry from the island back to Sihanoukville, remember to carry your ticket one day prior to the ferry point and block your seats. You need to report 15 minutes prior to the departure time.
