Sihanoukville Travel

Sihanoukville Weather Overview

Sihanoukville witnesses tropical weather thanks to its proximity to sea waters. On account of the southwest monsoon winds that blow over the town, it experiences two seasons, the dry season and the wet season. The best time to visit Sihanoukville is during the dry season. Let us read on to know more about the different seasons of Sihanoukville and how they attract tourists.

Dry Season (October to Early May)

Dry Season in Sihanoukville begins with October and continues up to Early May. The season is the perfect time to visit the beaches in the city and spend time amidst refreshing sea breeze. This city can safely be called the beach haven of Cambodia. Several tourists throng Sihanoukville at this time as this is the peak season for exploring the city's jewels.

Wet season (Early May to September)

The wet season in Sihanoukville runs from Early May to September. The tropical climate of the city experiences brief spells of heavy precipitation and intense humidity. However, this being offseason, tourists will find it easier to venture into the city amidst lesser crowds. Although the wet season makes traveling difficult, visitors can enjoy benefits such as offseason discounts while relaxing at any of the beach resorts spread across the city. Places such as Otres Beach provide a tranquil atmosphere and offer tourists a plethora of watersports and stimulating activities to take up.

Close to being a landlocked country, Cambodia’s coastline is short but not lacking in quality. Sihanoukville is the country’s main seaside destination and acts as a gateway to close-by idyllic undeveloped islands such as Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem. Attracting a much lower number of tourists than neighboring Thailand, Sihanoukville is popular for its natural beauty and largely untouched beaches. With plenty to see and do, Sihanoukville is one of the greatest cities to explore when in Cambodia.

Wat Leu Temple

Cambodia is known for its Buddhist Wats or temples. They are an absolute must-see when you visit the country. The temples are stylistically diverse, ranging from the green-tinged stone of Angkor Wat to the colorful pointed roofs of temples such as Wat Leu, which resembles a pagoda. Religiously significant and intriguing in its architecture, Wat Leu has several features to note, such as the three-headed carved white elephant, its gold decorations and a huge black statue of the Lord Buddha. This is an attraction representative of Cambodia’s rich spiritual culture.

Beaches

Sihanoukville earns its reputation as Cambodia’s premier seaside resort with an array of beaches to wonder along. The beaches boast white powdery sand, stunning views of the Gulf of Thailand and a calm atmosphere. A few of the famous beaches to explore include Otres, Ochheuteal and Serendipity, each of which has its own collection of beach bars for that necessary mid-afternoon cocktail.

Water Sports

Sihanoukville is an ideal location for a number of water sports activities and adventures, essential accomplishments for any beach holiday. Submerge yourself in the ocean and get a good view of the coral and sea creatures lurking in Sihanoukville’s depths on a scuba diving trip. If diving is too extreme, many places on the beach offer snorkeling trips, fun for having a flipper around. Other water sports activities include kayaking, windsurfing, and for a slightly higher price, you can practice kitesurfing. All of these activities make for a thrilling day by the sea.

Khmer Cookery Class

Learning how to make culinary Khmer specialties is an essential activity for any lover of Southeast Asian cuisine. With experienced chefs giving clear instructions, the use of authentic ingredients and the opportunity to take recipe cards home so that you can replicate the experience, a traditional Khmer cookery class is an original and rewarding way to spend the day. Among the range of dishes, visitors can learn to cook. A few that stand out are the Banana Flower Salad, Lok Lac, and Spring rolls.

Starfish Bakery and Café

An ethical NGO supporting the local community, the Starfish Bakery offers more than just freshly baked produce and revitalizing cups of coffee. Starfish gives employment opportunities to disabled people as well as diligently working on projects to improve healthcare, housing and business in the local areas. Support by donating directly to their charity or by purchasing their excellently baked goods expertly prepared thanks to the experience passed on by the previous French occupation of Cambodia.

Kbal Chhay Waterfall

Kbal Chhay Waterfall is seven kilometers away from the center of Sihanoukville. The trip in a tuk-tuk to get there is reasonably priced, so it is worth venturing out of the city to admire this serene natural spot. If you visit after the monsoon period the waterfall has a spectacularly strong flow. Surrounded by tall green trees this is the perfect environment for witnessing Cambodia’s tropical jungle-like geography.

Shopping

With a bounty of handcrafted goods and local food to purchase, Sihanoukville provides many a ‘shopportunity’. As a beach resort, it offers lots of places selling beachwear, sarongs, and shoes. Visitors can also expect a wide variety of jewelry and souvenir shops. There are also slightly more expensive branded shops around in which to buy clothing. Starfish Bakery and Café has its own little gift shop where they sell sustainable bags made from recycled sacks. The gems, however, are to be found in the markets. Sihanoukville’s night market and Otres village’s weekend market are ones to take note of. Join the local culture of buying bags of fresh produce and enjoy a picnic of dragon fruit and lychees down on the shoreline.

Golden Lions Roundabout

Hard to miss yet not to be missed, the Golden Lion Roundabout is an iconic landmark in Sihanoukville. Comprised of a lion and lioness coated in yellowy gold paint sporting scary facial expressions and unrealistic proportions, the lions in the roundabout are prominent. A great pointer as to where you are located in Sihanoukville, the roundabout is surrounded by a number of restaurants and bars worthy of a visit.

Buggy Tour

A fantastic way to see Sihanoukville and the surrounding areas, once lounging on the beach gets a bit dreary, buggy tours offer an exciting way to explore many parts of Cambodia. Some of the tracks are muddy so the tours make for a dirty but adventurous ride. You can go through local villages, try your hand at driving the buggy and venture to the nearby countryside.

Mini Golf

Perfect for a laid-back competition, mini golf is a great activity to partake in during a lazy day on the beach. You can find mini golf facilities at Queenco Palm Beach, Ream National Park, and Mollie Golf Mini Golf. Mollie Golf Mini Golf, located near the Ochheuteal beach, offers very good value for money. It costs between $1.50 and $3.50 to play 18 holes.
Visitors can have some drinks at the golf course, and they also offer free entry to their gardens.

Situated on the Gulf of Thailand, Sihanoukville is one of the only coastal cities in Cambodia. South East Asian Khmer cuisine is famous for being of good quality and very reasonably priced. Sihanoukville, however, offers more than just Asian cuisine, with an abundance of culinary specialties to choose from including Japanese, Italian, French and even Russian. Explore the culinary side of the city with our list of some best restaurants.

Secret Garden Otres

Situated at the end of Otres Beach, The Secret Garden is a resort made up of classy and comfortable beach bungalows, a bar and a restaurant offering superior fare. You don’t have to be a guest to dine here but you may want to be one, as breakfast can be served directly to your room for a heavenly start to the day. The menu includes both Western and Asian dishes, all of which are made from quality ingredients including produce grown in their own garden. The Secret Garden offers fine-dining at its best and a gorgeous view of the beach to accompany it.

Address: Otres, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Olive & Olive Mediterranean

Clean and classy, with an open front looking out onto the bustling street, Olive & Olive Mediterranean is a restaurant with satisfying food and excellent customer service. Providing a complimentary flat bread on arrival and a range of delicious Mediterranean dishes to choose from, Olive & Olive is a lovely place for any meal of the day.

Address: Sangkat Buon Kâmpóng Saôm, Sihanoukville, 18000, Cambodia, +855 97 444 1945

Ryoma

Perhaps a slightly unexpected restaurant to find in Sihanoukville, Ryoma specializes in Japanese cuisine. With sweet little lanterns lining the decking and rustic wooden furniture, Ryoma has a pleasant laid back atmosphere. The food is cheap so it’s possible to order a few small dishes and sample a range of the delicious Japanese food that they offer. There are two Ryoma restaurants in Sihanoukville so no excuse to miss out, find them at the famous GoldenLion roundabout and on Serendipity Road.

Address: Golden Lion Traffic Circle Krong Preah Sihanouk Cambodia, +855 97 334 2543

Five Men Fresh Beer

Five Men Fresh Beer is a microbrewery; essentially a beer hall with exquisite and tasty Cambodian food available to order. This is an entertaining and wonderful place to eat dinner. The meals are complimented by the fresh beer brewed in the factory – it is served straight out of the barrel without being fermented a second time. A very authentic place to experience dinner.

Address: 19 Mithona St, Krong Preah, Sihanouk, Cambodia, +855 12 913 346

Starfish Bakery and Café

The Starfish Bakery and Café began as a non-profit organization which focuses on supporting the Cambodian people. They ensure that all of their projects are socially and sustainably viable and offer aid with water, sanitation and healthcare. A breakfast paradise offering a sterling cup of coffee, freshly baked goods and fruit platters, The Starfish Bakery and Café is definitely worth a visit. You’ll be supporting an organization that works towards a worthy cause

Address: Sangkat Buon Kâmpóng Saôm, Sihanoukville, 18000, Cambodia, +855 12 952 011

Best Luxury Hotels in Sihanoukville

Sokha Beach Resort

Sihanoukville’s leading upmarket resort, Sokha Beach Resort offers a selection of modern rooms and suites with expansive outdoor facilities. Sokha Beach Resort has access to the private Sokha Beach area, which offers a quiet and hawker-free beach experience.

Ren Resort

Located close to Otres Beach, Ren Resort is a modern four-star hotel with a selection of clean and spacious rooms. The resort’s location on the far end of Otres Beach makes it a far quieter option than hotels closer to Sihanoukville City Centre.

Best Mid Range Hotels in Sihanoukville

French Garden Resort

Located less than five minutes from Ochheuteal Beach on foot, French Garden Resort offers double and twin bungalows as well as family-sized apartments. Clean, spacious rooms and a great outdoor swimming pool make this a convenient and comfortable place to stay.

Tamu Hotel

Tamu Hotel offers a beachfront location and sleek, modern rooms on Otres Beach. With an outdoor swimming pool and beachside dining, this four-star hotel is an excellent choice for travellers that want to be as close as possible to the beach.

Sahaa Beach Resort

Spacious bungalows, an outdoor pool and a convenient location right on Otres Beach make Sahaa Beach Resort a great choice. This small boutique resort offers simple rooms close to the beach and a short walk from the popular beachside bars.

Best Budget Hotels in Sihanoukville

Reaksmey Meanrith Guesthouse and Residence

Located in Sihanoukville City Centre, Reaksmey Meanrith Guesthouse and Residence is quite far from the beach. If you don’t mind relying on tuk-tuks or renting your own transportation, it’s a quiet and affordable place to stay.

Carpe Diem Bungalow

Located in Otres Village, Carpe Diem Bungalow is a short walk from the beach. The resort’s simple fan bungalows aren’t particularly luxurious, but they’re more than enough for a simple stay close to the beach. Wi-Fi is offered but speeds are unreliable.

Reef Resort

Located close to the busy Serendipity Beach, Reef Resort offers clean and simple rooms near some of Sihanoukville’s most popular beach bars. Note that many of the nearby bars will stay open until well after midnight, making the rooms close to the road quite noisy.

By flight

The small Sihanoukville Airport (IATA: KOS | ICAO: VDSV) is located 17km to the east of town, on the edge of Ream National Park. Cambodia Angkor Air started flying to and from Siem Reap on December 14th 2011 with three flights a week. They also fly nonstop to and from Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City) 3-4 times per week. There are red-eye flights from Beijing (PEK) as well now. AirAsia began flying to and from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August 2017, 4 times a week. Hainan Airlines offers direct service to KOS from BaoAn Airport (SZX) in Shenzhen, China.

Sokha Helicopters offers a VIP charter service between a private helipad at Sokha Beach Resort and Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Charter rates start at US$1495 per flight hour plus 10% VAT & 10% SPT, with discount packages for stays at Sokha Beach Resort. Helicopters are modern, French-built Eurocopter Ecureuils with luxury leather seating for 5 passengers. Licenced pilots are from Australia and Europe. Flight time from Phnom Penh is 55 minutes and Siem Reap 1 hour and 40 minutes.

By bus

Sihanoukville being a famous destination for holidays for both locals and foreigners, there are many buses and minivans going there everyday and the road is usually in good condition. You can check the different schedules, prices and book directly online via camboticket.com

From Phnom Penh:

Capitol Tours runs multiple large buses a day taking about 5-5.5 hours. The cost is 20,000 riel (5 USD) as of Jan, 2016. The buses depart from Capitol Tours near Orussey market and tickets can be purchased there also. The seats on this bus are quite small, not really comfortable from two large adults sitting next to each other. The bus makes stops along the way to pick up people and goods. It will drop you off in downtown Sihanoukville, about 3 kilometers from Ochheuteal/Serendipity beach, motos and tuk tuks will be waiting there quoting 3-4 dollars for the trip to Ochheuteal/Serendipity. If you get past these and grab a motorbike it should be around 4-5000 riel, a tuk tuk should be 2 dollars, some drivers will stick to their ridiculous prices, so if that happens just move on, don't try to negotiate with them. (as of Jan, 2016)

Phnom Penh Sorya Transport, GST Express, and Mekong Express operate hourly bus services from Phnom Penh, taking 5- hours and costing US$4.5-10, depending on the quality of the bus and the number of stops. The first bus leaves Phnom Penh at 7:00AM; the last bus leaves at 5:45PM. All buses arrive and depart from the bus station downtown near the Central Market. Tickets can be booked at the bus company offices, travel agencies, and many guesthouses. It is worth reserving a day in advance to be sure of a seat. National Route 4 between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville is one of Cambodia's best roads, despite this travel can be at a snails pace due to traffic. (undated info)

Giant Ibis and Mey Hong offer 14-16 seat air-conditioned minibus transport that is aimed at tourists and never have more passengers than seats. Tickets cost $10, although it can cost a few dollars more if you need pickup on Otres or far from their offices. (undated info)

Rith Mony, Bun Thou, and Virak Buntham Express operate daily air-conditioned minibus service leaving at 8:30AM to/from the the border with Thailand at Koh Kong/Hat Lek, taking about 5 hours. "Local" and "Tourist" minibuses service this route; they are always jam-packed, and the trip can be uncomfortable. "Local" service price depends on how much space you want (a whole seat, half a seat, or a space on the roof); foreigners can expect to pay around US$6-8. They will also typically have pickup in front of the offices on the main strip in town at 7:30AM (at which point they simply drive over to the station to wait until the 8:30AM departure time.) You may be offered pickup at your hotel for a premium. Sometimes there are buses leaving at 2:00PM but the service may be available only with suitable demand and ticket prices may be higher (~US$15). (undated info)

In 2010, Virak Buntham Express started a bus service from Ha Tien in Vietnam to Sihanoukville via the new Xa Xia/Prek Chak border post. (From Ha Tien, there is a ferry to Phu Quoc island, another popular tourist destination). Unlike even recent travel guides report, this trip now has become easy and straightforward. Visa on arrival for USD 25/550.000 VND (but bring a photo!)

From Siem Reap:

There are various company night buses running from Siem Reap. Trip takes around 12-14 hours and costs 14-17$ for a sleeping 70% reclining seats/hotel bus with beds. But beware that road is really bumpy, seats may be not like shown on photo in the ticket office, and you may be forced to change bus from sleeping to sitting in Phnom Penh, so make sure you have the direct bus with no changes, assigned seat and seller phone number to get what you paid for when you buy a ticket.

The bus station is far from the city centre and you will need to take a tuktuk or a motorbike. Expect to pay anywhere between $ 1 and 4, depending on how many people there are in the tuktuk.

By train

Cambodia's rail network has recently been restored and provides a cheap and comfortable way to travel. Services between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville restarted in April 2016. Tickets cost $7 each and the journey is more relaxing than the bus trip. The service is operated by Royal Railways.

By taxi

A chartered taxi from Phnom Penh's Central Market can make the trip in less than three hours and will cost anywhere from US$25-40 per car, depending on the petrol price of the day and how beat up the vehicle is. You can reduce the price by sharing seats, but be warned that Khmers will squeeze as many as eight people into the car, including two in the drivers seat, so most people will need to buy two seats for comfort. As of May 2013, you can get a private taxi to Sihanoukville for $50 - $55. Many of these have an LPG tank in the boot, so one large case is the limit. If two people travel a spare seat can cater for a second large case. Most of the cars are relatively recent Toyota Camrys and comfortable enough. Order from Travel Agents around the city.

By boat

Boats used to run daily from Koh Kong/Hat Lek (the border crossing with Thailand), taking around 4 hours and costing US$20/700 baht. However, the service was suspended in 2008 and it's unclear if it will resume, since travel by road is now cheaper, safer and just as fast. Several sources quote "persistent rumours" about a future ferry service with the nearby Vietnamese Phu Quoc island, but nothing happened yet.

Boats to the islands offshore - Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, run every day several times per day. You can take a slow boat, speed ferry or make a day out and go on a tour boat. Speed Ferries are the best option if you just want to get out to the island as quickly as possible, as the company runs modern purpose built catamarans with lots of under cover seating. Alternatively, get on a day trip tour boat and you should be able to use your ticket to get off at the island and stay overnight, and return another day.

Modest numbers of cruise lines offer one-day port visits, usually along with more stops in Vietnam enroute to or from Bangkok, e.g., Oceania.