Koh Rong Sanloem Island 🌴

After exploring the temples of Siem Reap, we were ready for a new adventure. Our journey began with a flight to Sihanoukville aboard a propeller plane, which was kind of cool. It actually had more leg room than a budget airline nowadays. We opted to fly to save time and because a 9h sleeper bus was not much cheaper.

Upon our arrival in Sihanoukville, we eagerly hopped into a taxi and made our way to the port. Our destination? The stunning Koh Rong Sanloem, a hidden gem in the Gulf of Thailand. The only way to get to the island is by speedboat. A ticket cost around 15 dollar. Sihanoukville used to be a fishing town but has recently seen a lot of Chinese investments, with many casinos and hotels being built. We had some spare time
Before our boat was supposed to go, so we enjoyed a toasty and a cold drink at 7 eleven. The supermarket chain is infamous for their cheap food that they warm up for you, especially in Thailand. Our beverage of choice that we have loved since Vietnam is the Japanese sports drink Pocari sweat.

The speedboat actually left only 15 minutes late and we had seats, a win in our book , after reading some very mixed reviews online.

Koh Rong is the bigger and busier of the two islands, which was that first stop, from a distance you could already see the beautiful and empty beaches. We were excited that “ our” bay, Saracen bay, was the next stop.
We were surprised to see it so empty, and we’re happy that our hotel sent a small diesel powered boat for pick up. You do get your feet wet, but that is part of the experience, and it’s better than carrying our luggage for a long walks up the beach.
With big smiles on our faces we made our way along the bay, ready for some island times

Our home for the upcoming days was the Sol Beach Resort, where we had booked a beachfront villa. The moment we set foot in our villa, it felt like stepping into a lonely island paradise. Very surreal and special to sit on our bed and have a beach view. Exactly what we had wished for. Only one other bungalow was rented out, so it was like our little paradise. Got to love off season traveling. Empty beach and ocean were waiting for us. The sand is white ( for the most part) and very soft and fine like powder. The ocean is very warm, and quite shallow so you can walk out far and enjoy a spectacular sunset view. A pinch me moment.

As the day unfolded, we indulged in a delicious meal, and enjoyed our first evening at the island. A formula one race later it was time to sleep.

The following day brought more relaxation. We decided to extend our stay at the Sol Beach Resort because, quite simply, we couldn't bear to leave this paradise just yet. Initially we had thought to maybe switch accommodation for another two nights, keep our options open due to mixed reviews regarding what bay is best and it being a bit expensive . In the end we decided that while Saracen bay is not the most beautiful of the island, all other options would require moving out luggage during a 30 min walk across the island. And while our cabin was a bit expensive everything on the island was quite inexpensive and we really loved our once in a lifetime view and the luxury of 24h generator run electricity, sleeping with AC and having warm water. A unique deal to have an “ affordable” beach bungalow with all those features. Usually it’s either “ basic bamboo bungalow with maybe a fan if you’re lucky ” or “ luxury resort” . A much better compromise for us was to just have our bungalow as a home base and do a day trip to “ lazy beach”

A relaxing morning led us to a charming vegan restaurant for lunch.

Koh Rong Saloem, a tranquil island, is known for its pristine beaches and coral reefs. In reality the water was not so clear and blue everywhere, because they pump sewage directly into the ocean, not so nice but there’s little alternative as the island is not very developed. There was quite some trash around, like on any beach in SE Asia, and there’s some run down resorts and others under Chinese construction. The whole island was supposed to be sold to Chinese developers with roads being underway to be build, but things seem to be on pause, we were happy to have seen it how it is now a relatively raw island. At the same time we see how some more investment into the island might not be so bad.Read more