After visiting the city of Siem Reap and exploring the mysteries of the Angkor Wat temples it was time to hit the beach. After Angkor Wat we definitely found new Cambodia’s gem – Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem.

Most of you probably have not heard about these two places. And this is exactly why you should visit it now 🙂 The two islands feel like paradise on Earth and in contrast to some of Thai places like Koh Samui or Krabi, they are not crowded. Think Koh Phi Phi 20 years ago.

Both islands are tiny and since not that developed are the best place to relax, snorkel and just chill. Both are also a great place to see blue luminous plankton!! You don’t have to do a tour, just find a dark part of the beach, the only factor to see it or not is that there is no lights, so it’s difficult to see it when full moon. So beautiful and amazing! We loved our night swims surrounded by blue waves!

Getting there

You’ll probably fly in Sihkanouville, a city on Cambodia’s southern coast.

To get to Koh Rong Samloem you need to go to the ferry terminal which is about 30-45 minutes from the airport. Taxi rates are fixed and cost $20 per car. We spent a few hours in Sihkanouville while waiting for the ferry but don’t if you don’t have to. The city is dirty and smelly and is one of the places you can easily skip.

If you are visiting Sok San Beach on Koh Rong take the direct speed boat which is the best option, it will cost you $50 return.

Most people decide to either visit Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloem but we did both. So we can make a great comparison for you guys 🙂

So which one is the right for you?

Koh Rong Samloem

To Koh Rong Samloem

To get to Koh Rong Samloem you need to take a ferry. The ferry ride takes about 45 minutes and stops at 2 points on the island. There are 4 companies providing the transfer with the ride costing around $20 return in all cases. Make sure you take the one which drops you off at the pier closest to your hotel. Let them know when you are coming so that they can help with luggage since the island has no roads. Otherwise you can find yourself dragging large suitcases on the sandy beach making it a painful experience.

We stayed at the Saracay bay which is one of the dreamiest beaches we’ve seen. From what we’ve seen the beach is much nicer than the one up north.

Sky Beach Resort

Our resort was called Sky Beach Resort right next to Paradise pier. There are only 3 bungalows, 2 of them a few footsteps from the beach. You can take paddle boards (free of charge) but most of the day we spent lying on the comfy sun bed though reading books and planning our next adventures. Despite facing East the skies turned pink every night.

Lazy Beach

Lazy Beach is across the other side of Saracay bay and is a 20-30 minutes walk. It’s a nice spot to watch the sunset or to change the scenery a bit.

Koh Rong

To Koh Rong

We heard that Koh Rong is supposed to be more crowded than Samloem but this does not hold true for the most beautiful beach Sok San Beach.

To get to Sok San Beach it’s best to use the direct speedboat transfer from Sihkanouville directly to the pier of Sok San Beach Resort. The regular ferry from Sihkanouville goes to Koh Rong is cheaper but does not drop off at Sok San Beach so keep in mind extra costs and time for boat taxis for the transfer to Sok San Beach.

Sok San Beach

If there is such a thing as the ultimate beach, this is the one. And the best thing – it’s not crowded! Sok San Beach Resort is actually the only resort on a 4 km long white sand beach (like how is that even possible?). So we had the best from both worlds – lying on sun beds, reading books and ordering cocktails or exploring the beach and have it literally all to ourselves.

Sok San Beach Resort

The staff speaks English well and is happy to cater special requests. They do not have many vegan options on the menu but were happy to prepare customized vegan dishes for us.

We really recommend to visit and enjoy this beach while it’s still so not touristic and crowded.

 

So Koh Rong or Koh Rong Samloem?

That was an overview of both locations but now let’s dig into the direct comparison. Please note that on Koh Rong we were only on Sok San Beach and did not visit the touristic Koh Touch beach areas which have really poor ratings and are supposed to be overcrowded. So the ratings for Koh Rong do not involve other areas as Sok San Beach.

Quick roundup of 7 categories: beach, sunset, activities, meeting people, logistics, cleanliness and eating & drinking options.

Beach – Koh Rong

Koh Rong has the ultimate beach – Sok San Beach. We visited 2 nice beaches on Koh Rong Samloem but really nothing can compare to Sok San Beach. Go there before it becomes too touristic and crowded!

Sunset – Koh Rong Samloem

That was really a difficult one to choose but the winner is Koh Rong Samloem. Koh Rong Samloem has nice beaches on both sides of the island (facing West and South East). The sunset was spectacular every night there was spectacular every night. On Koh Rong, Sok San Beach is a bit hidden behind the hills; still beautiful views though but Koh Rong Samloem has the advantage.

Activities – Tie

There are not many differences between the islands. You can find similar tours and activities on both islands – paddle board, kayaking, short treks, plankton watching.. and that’s about it 🙂 Both islands are more for relaxing, finding inner peace and enjoying the beautiful beaches.

Meeting people – Koh Rong Samloem

Both islands are still far away from the crowds of Southern Thailand like on Koh Samui or Krabi. Still more bungalows, more restaurants and bars also means more chance to meet people on Koh Rong Samloem’s main beach.

Logistics – Koh Rong

Both are accessible by ferry though the ferry is more tricky for Koh Rong (have to take taxi boat from Koh Touch beach to Sok San). However, you can get on a speed boat from Sihkanouville straight to Sok San Beach which is pretty awesome and much faster and more comfortable than any ferry. So Koh Rong for logistics.

Cleanliness – Koh Rong

They are both clean and you will rarely find trash on the beach. However, the bungalows and restaurants at Koh Rong Samloem do not have a good sewage system. In some cases sewage goes out on the beach itself before hitting the ocean. It’s not as bad as it sounds but it can be disturbing. Koh Rong’s Sok San Beach has no such problems whatsoever, so Koh Rong is the winner.

Eating & Drinking Options – Koh Rong Samloem

More dining options on Koh Rong Samloem. We loved one Italian restaurant, La Cita where they can prepare vegan pasta for you on request, pizzas are also great. Quality of food on both islands is okay, but nothing too fancy. But since Koh Rong has fewer options, Koh Rong Samloem is the winner here.

3-3, it’s a tie 🙂 Still, I think you got the picture:

Go to Koh Rong Samloem for… nice beaches, awesome sunsets, have more dining options and meeting people

On Koh Rong Samloem you have nice beaches with more bungalows, bars and restaurants. This means that you have more options for eating and drinks and also meeting people.

Go to Koh Rong (Sok San Beach) for… more upscale, remote & quiet, dreamy, clean beach with easy access

At Sok San Beach you will enjoy the best beach, literally have it all to yourself and at the same time have great service.

If you’re still not sure go for both like we did 🙂

After this trip we made our dreams come true and moved to Bali!

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