Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ochheuteal Beach
South of the town centre,
Ochheuteal Beach
, the town's longest and busiest strand, is a
3km stretch of fine sand lined with bars and restaurants. The roads behind have a good
selection of hotels and guesthouses, while the sand itself is lined by near-identical beach
bars, prevented from encroaching too far onto the beach by a tiled pedestrian walkway.
That said, their respective beach umbrellas, deck chairs and tables still stretch to the
water. Freshwater showers and toilets cater for the pretty much 24-hour activity.
During the day it's packed with Cambodian families and sun-soaking tourists; by
night, the BBQs are fired up and the cocktails start flowing into the early hours.
5
Serendipity Beach
At the north end of Ochheuteal Beach, the area known as
Serendipity Beach
is lined with
bungalows that wind up the hill. here is no public sand here; the thin sliver, encased by
rocks and boulders, is reserved for patrons of the bungalows. Fortunately most of these
have bars on the rocks just above beach level that make great spots for a sundowner.
Otres Beach
A 6km moto or tuk-tuk ride southeast from the town centre will bring you to
Otres
Beach
, which boasts the whitest and widest stretch of casuarina-shaded sand. This is still
the best bet if you want to escape the crowds and bustle of the beaches in town, although
the number of rustic cabanas, restaurants and bars is mushrooming at an alarming pace.
In 2010, Otres Beach was split into two when 2.5km of beachfront was purged of
resorts for a private development, although at the time of writing, this had yet to
commence. As a general rule, the furthest, easterly strip of sand (
Otres 2
) tends to be
quieter and more intimate than
Otres 1
, a noisier, more backpacker-orientated stretch.
In the absence of beach land, more options have recently begun springing up along
the river estuary, 1km inland of Otres, home to a few chilled-out guesthouses and a
Saturday night market
- an arts space with stalls that hosts live music and parties that
push on until dawn.
Victory Beach and around
Before 2012, when the action shifted to Ochheuteal and then Otres Beach,
Weather
Station Hill
(also known as
Victory Hill
) was prime backpacker territory, densely packed
with sunset-facing guesthouses and late-night hostess bars. The hill itself has an
SIHANOUKVILLE BEACH LIFE
For the Khmer, a visit to Sihanoukville is an excuse for an eating and drinking binge, with a dip
in the sea as a fringe benefit. Their
conservative
nature, coupled with a concern - verging on
paranoia for the women - about maintaining whiteness, means that
shade
is everything.
Accordingly, the most popular beaches have a plethora of beach parasols and deck chairs for
rent at a nominal sum, and men, women and even young people take to the sea fully clothed.
Consequently, many will stare in amazement at foreigners stripped off and baking in the blazing
sun. For women, bikinis are just about acceptable, but going topless is a definite no-no.
You may find yourself almost bullied into buying
massages
, manicures and leg-hair
threading from the women who patrol Ochheuteal Beach, telling you that your nails are
dreadful and must be tended to - men are targeted just as much as women and it takes
nerves of steel not to buckle under their relentless attention. A $5 massage is not bad value,
and usually turns out to be a relaxing experience, but buying bracelets and trinkets from the
children
only encourages them to stay out of school or work late into the evening, so
maintain a firm resolve if you can.
