Like they always do, the backpackers led the way to the next best holiday spot, the white sand beaches of south western Cambodia. They did it in Goa, in Bali and Phuket. Now they have done their bit to show us a wonderful new place to truly relax.

So where is south western Cambodia, I hear you say? Well Cambodia is part of the dynamic region of Indochina in the heart of South East Asia. Sitting between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the capital Phnom Penh, (nom pen), is serviced daily by all the regional carriers. The capital itself is fascinating in itself, but for me it serves as the gateway to the coastal town of Sihanoukville; about 3 hrs down a sealed road.

Sihanoukville is where the beaches are, and the nations only deepwater port, but hey, its the beaches that will grab ya! The sand is white, the waves are turquoise and beer is $1 a can. A clean and comfortable room you can smell the sea from will set you back about $15, with 3 meals costing only around $12 more.

Have a look at the link in the resource box at the bottom. It will take you to the site of a great little guesthouse in Sihanoukville, (The Ochheuteal Guesthouse), with plenty of pics to browse.

Ok, you are interested in this town of Sihanoukville, so how do you get here? Well again, you can shortcut to the Ochheuteal Guesthouse link and check out the faq page, which will answer most of your questions. Anyway, if you are coming from the northern hemisphere the easiest way is to transit through either Bangkok Thailand or Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. From the southern hemisphere, Singapore is your best bet. All of these are only a short flight away from Phnom Penh airport. Even better, all of these hubs are serviced by the budget carriers like Air Asia and Value Air. If you would like to hit the salty stuff right away, grab a car and driver for around $35 or a bus for about $5, and before you can blink, you will be there.

This place, like the rest of the tropics, has basically got two seasons, the wet and the dry. The dry season is understandably the peak time and runs from mid October to the mid April. The days are almost dry and sunny and the nights are balmy. In the remainder of the year, you can expect steady rainfall more days than not. A great time for even cheaper prices with less people around as well.

Are you worried about getting malaria or standing on a landmine? Relax, there is no malaria in the region and you have more chance of standing on the moon than a landmine these days.

All in all Sihanoukville Cambodia is a wonderful place for beach lovers everywhere. Come and experience it before the rest of the world!




By: Nick Wood