Christmas: Sihanoukville and Koh Rong Samloem

Our main reason for visiting Sihanoukville was to get to Koh Rong Somloem, where we had booked a beach bungalow for Christmas. Our journey from Phnom Penh started terribly, as we had misunderstood that 07:30 on our bus ticket actually meant 06:30. On this occasion, it really was important to read the small print. Anyway, only a few hours behind schedule, we arrived in Sihanoukville. Once there, we settled into holiday mode. We swam in the pool, ran in the evening sun, spent a day at the beach and acquired a penchant for mango (Fionnuala) and banana (Graham) shakes. Our accommodation was only five minutes from Serendipity Beach, which was an excellent location.

On the day we left Sihanoukville for Koh Rong Samloem, we collected our laundry, checked that our Cambodian SIM cards worked and made sure we had enough cash for a week without card payments or ATMs. We boarded the afternoon Speed Ferry Cambodia, and an hour later we reached our destination. Our accommodation on the island was at EcoSea Bungalows. The bungalow itself was basic, but the view of the sea and the nearby island of Koh Koun was stunning.

Our time on Koh Rong Samloem was spent swimming in the sea, sleeping on the beach , lying in the hammocks on our veranda and reading the pile of books we had gathered for our Christmas getaway. The restaurant at EcoSea was good, and we ate there several times. When we wanted a change, we walked fifteen minutes along the beach to M’Pay Bay, a village including a mix of Cambodian and Western bars and restaurants. Our favourite restaurant was called Queen Touch, which seemed to be run by a 14 year old Cambodian boy who spoke excellent English, entertained customers and even took part in local fire shows. On Christmas Eve, EcoSea held a Christmas barbecue. The food was really good, and the ‘free flow’ sangria wasn’t bad either.

After seven nights on Koh Rong Samloem, it was time to leave. On the morning of our departure, the waves were the biggest we had seen them and the ferry was running late. We waited on the wooden pier for the ferry to arrive, wondering how we we going to get onboard if it rocked like the nearby dive boats. The ferry crew threw ropes around the large post at the end of the pier, but the post gave way and the ferry drifted away. By this point, several people had alighted the ferry without their luggage, one rucksack had been removed from the boat without its owner, and Alin, EcoSea’s manager, was standing in the doorway of the ferry looking back at the pier he had stood on a minute earlier. We just stood and watched.

The remaining ferry passengers, luggage and Alin were dropped off in M’Pay Bay, from where they could walk back to EcoSea. We had to wait around for the afternoon ferry back to Sihanoukville, but there are worse places to be stranded. Back in Sihanoukville, we had a day and a half to reacquaint ourselves with WiFi, roads and hot showers before we set off for New Year in Siem Reap.

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