It would be tough to top Koh Rong, which turned out to be a relatively untouched, unspoiled slice of paradise. But the neighbouring Koh Rong Samloem is much smaller, less built up and more disconnected from the world wide web – with two popular areas of attraction and an incredible aquatic phenomenon.
Three of us boarded the $5 boat, once again basking in the sun on the top deck. After about 30 minutes Saracen Bay (the first attraction) came into sight, but we slowed to a stop as smaller boat came to intercept us. An Irish girl boarded and started to round up those staying in Mad Monkey (the second attraction).
You may be aware of the popular chain around South East Asia, but this one is pretty remote; with its own private beach and absolutely no wifi or signal of any sort. They operate a pay-on-departure bar tab policy and other travellers had been quick to tell us tales of how promiscuous it can get.
Three of us boarded the $5 boat, once again basking in the sun on the top deck. After about 30 minutes Saracen Bay (the first attraction) came into sight, but we slowed to a stop as smaller boat came to intercept us. An Irish girl boarded and started to round up those staying in Mad Monkey (the second attraction).
You may be aware of the popular chain around South East Asia, but this one is pretty remote; with its own private beach and absolutely no wifi or signal of any sort. They operate a pay-on-departure bar tab policy and other travellers had been quick to tell us tales of how promiscuous it can get.
But we were carrying on towards the main pier where our own hostel, Onederz, had sent a small speedboat to greet us at the dock.
Koh Rong Samloem has just a few hundred residents, keeping it tranquil and clean. Yet there was a token building labelled ‘casino’ near the pier, without much fanfare around it, a possible sign of the Chinese-Sihanoukville influence starting to encroach on the island.
Resorts, bars and restaurants are all stretched along the golden beach, with nothing too busy or too clustered. Onederz was about half a mile along, with plenty of deck chairs and seats laid out in front. The open reception area had plenty of space for lounging too – a clear relaxed vibe from the get go.
Koh Rong Samloem has just a few hundred residents, keeping it tranquil and clean. Yet there was a token building labelled ‘casino’ near the pier, without much fanfare around it, a possible sign of the Chinese-Sihanoukville influence starting to encroach on the island.
Resorts, bars and restaurants are all stretched along the golden beach, with nothing too busy or too clustered. Onederz was about half a mile along, with plenty of deck chairs and seats laid out in front. The open reception area had plenty of space for lounging too – a clear relaxed vibe from the get go.
It was $11 per night, we booked three. The eight-bed dorm room was really clean and far better than many we’d stayed in so far, particularly impressive in such a remote place. The cleanliness of the bathroom was even more so, and it was well equipped. No cold, dribbling shower to be found.
Rumours about the wifi were only slightly exaggerated, it didn’t take long for it to cut out completely. It would remain mostly off, save for the occasional message getting through, unless you waited until 3am when everyone slept. Frequent power cuts mean there’s no choice but to embrace the lack of technology. And I can’t think of many better places to do that.
In the back of the hostel are plenty of hammocks and comfy areas, with board games, a dartboard and table tennis to pass the time; especially since we’re a competitive bunch. I might not have had much luck in the table tennis tournament, but I was in formidable form at chess.
Rumours about the wifi were only slightly exaggerated, it didn’t take long for it to cut out completely. It would remain mostly off, save for the occasional message getting through, unless you waited until 3am when everyone slept. Frequent power cuts mean there’s no choice but to embrace the lack of technology. And I can’t think of many better places to do that.
In the back of the hostel are plenty of hammocks and comfy areas, with board games, a dartboard and table tennis to pass the time; especially since we’re a competitive bunch. I might not have had much luck in the table tennis tournament, but I was in formidable form at chess.
Most of our time was spent sunbathing, swimming, reading, or blissfully doing nothing at all. There was always space to sit or sprawl, with crystal clear sea and sand, free from the random junk we encountered on Koh Rong. Plus, there were plenty of swings - which hipsters or ‘influencer’ types will tell you are the best way to find yourself.
Another highlight of this beach was the abundance of friendly dogs, including the pack based near our hostel; led by a Golden Retriever, who we called Colin.
Another highlight of this beach was the abundance of friendly dogs, including the pack based near our hostel; led by a Golden Retriever, who we called Colin.
Two yappy dogs in the pack did often fight which each other, or the rival gang of dogs from down the beach. And sometimes these altercations would disrupt the chill of being in the hammocks, as they dived under, over and around them barking and splashing.
Luckily Colin was usually on hand to dispel and calm the nonsense. His leadership won the affections of a female retriever, his love interest, Colleen. Colin and Colleen would appear sporadically during the day but would spend the evenings sat with us, or on us, looking for a fuss.
Luckily Colin was usually on hand to dispel and calm the nonsense. His leadership won the affections of a female retriever, his love interest, Colleen. Colin and Colleen would appear sporadically during the day but would spend the evenings sat with us, or on us, looking for a fuss.
On our first night, while waiting for the others, we joined in with an eclectic group of travellers who were sharing a bottle of Khmer whisky upstairs in the hostel. It turns out the shop next door sold these for just $5. It wasn’t long until the empty bottles started to stack up and we were on the beach listening to 90s music.
As it was still relatively calm, we moved the party into the sea. While swimming, with just the moon as a guide, I noticed something incredible. As my hands moved through the water, trails of shimmering light flickered everywhere; each stroke disturbed bioluminescent plankton and created mesmerising patterns. We must have stayed out there marvelling for an hour.
When the rest of our group arrived the next day, the hostel had just installed a new beer pump and were offering glasses of Cambodia lager for just 75 cents. The staff delegated most of the pint pouring to a 12-year-old (presumably their son). It was a bit of a shock at first but he did pour a cracking pint, and always looked sharp in a long-sleeve shirt.
As the weather remained glorious for the first few days, we ended up with a simple routine: Grab a beer, lounge on beach, swim, sea hammock, beach football – repeat. The locals would always be exceeding us in any drinking stakes, starting on the beer towers from 10/11am.
As it was still relatively calm, we moved the party into the sea. While swimming, with just the moon as a guide, I noticed something incredible. As my hands moved through the water, trails of shimmering light flickered everywhere; each stroke disturbed bioluminescent plankton and created mesmerising patterns. We must have stayed out there marvelling for an hour.
When the rest of our group arrived the next day, the hostel had just installed a new beer pump and were offering glasses of Cambodia lager for just 75 cents. The staff delegated most of the pint pouring to a 12-year-old (presumably their son). It was a bit of a shock at first but he did pour a cracking pint, and always looked sharp in a long-sleeve shirt.
As the weather remained glorious for the first few days, we ended up with a simple routine: Grab a beer, lounge on beach, swim, sea hammock, beach football – repeat. The locals would always be exceeding us in any drinking stakes, starting on the beer towers from 10/11am.
During the lounging stage, one friend managed to discover the identity of an earworm that had been plaguing him since Siem Reap. With some vague humming a couple from Blackpool interrupted with its name: Fatima Yamiha – What’s a girl to do. An absolute bopper that will forever remind me of this island.
We did some exploring of the Saracen Bay area, but it didn’t take long. All said the whole island is only 9.5 square miles.
On an evening venture along the beach we found Octopussy Bar, which hosted a pub quiz. We split into two teams to up the ante, with mine coming second to an Irish family by one point. Who knew McDonalds was the world’s biggest supplier of toys? Well, the Irish family did.
Octopussy also held film nights, and we decided to drop in for a screening of Venom. “Is it legal?” asked one punter with his tongue-in-cheek. “Is it f*ck!” responded the owner, himself a character from the north of England, to rapturous laughter.
We did some exploring of the Saracen Bay area, but it didn’t take long. All said the whole island is only 9.5 square miles.
On an evening venture along the beach we found Octopussy Bar, which hosted a pub quiz. We split into two teams to up the ante, with mine coming second to an Irish family by one point. Who knew McDonalds was the world’s biggest supplier of toys? Well, the Irish family did.
Octopussy also held film nights, and we decided to drop in for a screening of Venom. “Is it legal?” asked one punter with his tongue-in-cheek. “Is it f*ck!” responded the owner, himself a character from the north of England, to rapturous laughter.
Slightly further inland we found a funky UV place called Jungle Republic Bar. The sandy path there was sketchy and barely lit, and some others said a snake had been knocking about the area not long since. Definitely not worth getting bitten over, as cool as it may be.
I was thoroughly enjoying my time on the island, but couldn’t help but feel it would be the perfect place to come as a couple. It’s the ideal escape from the dangerous and distracting pitfalls of modern dating; plus the scenery and restaurants give off something of a romantic vibe, with comfortable seats on the beach and ambient music – often live.
Most of the places do a seafood barbeque, lovely and fresh, but not as plentiful as I was expecting. Still ridiculously cheap (in the region of $12 each) when compared to home. If seafood isn't your bag then plenty of the menus include stone baked pizza; to which we added a dash of Tabasco, as customary on Cambodian pizzas, of course.
I don’t recall specific names of the restaurants, though I do of one for the wrong reasons. A bungalow resort called Green Blue, with a French chef, made everyone wait for 30-40 minutes for a disappointing full English breakfast. Then I had to wait another 30 for the Spaghetti Bolognese I ordered. I can’t knock the quality to be fair, just perplexed it would take a European so long to cook such a simple dish.
I was thoroughly enjoying my time on the island, but couldn’t help but feel it would be the perfect place to come as a couple. It’s the ideal escape from the dangerous and distracting pitfalls of modern dating; plus the scenery and restaurants give off something of a romantic vibe, with comfortable seats on the beach and ambient music – often live.
Most of the places do a seafood barbeque, lovely and fresh, but not as plentiful as I was expecting. Still ridiculously cheap (in the region of $12 each) when compared to home. If seafood isn't your bag then plenty of the menus include stone baked pizza; to which we added a dash of Tabasco, as customary on Cambodian pizzas, of course.
I don’t recall specific names of the restaurants, though I do of one for the wrong reasons. A bungalow resort called Green Blue, with a French chef, made everyone wait for 30-40 minutes for a disappointing full English breakfast. Then I had to wait another 30 for the Spaghetti Bolognese I ordered. I can’t knock the quality to be fair, just perplexed it would take a European so long to cook such a simple dish.
We didn’t solely eat spin offs of Western food. Our hostel served plenty of Cambodian dishes, though the cuisine can be pretty watery and doesn't really stack up to other parts of Asia. But amok and beef lok lak are palatable enough for the odd meal.
Our original plan was to spend a few days in Koh Rong Samloem before heading to Vietnam, to coincide with them reaching the final of the ASEAN Championship. Sadly, we underestimated the length of time needed to get a 30-day visa – a Canadian girl told us it would be three working days (assuming the same for UK nationals).
It was at this stage the weather took a turn. Heavy storms thrashed the island, along with most of the hostel’s common areas, and choppy waves swept up most of the beach. The power cuts became more frequent, further aggravating the wifi issues. We fought tireless to connect using the hostel’s desktop computer, but it was 5.30am by the time we completed the applications.
There’s a lot of hoax visa websites out there by the way, so my advice would be to use the links listed on the UK Gov website. Oh, and plan this way before you arrive to these islands.
Our original plan was to spend a few days in Koh Rong Samloem before heading to Vietnam, to coincide with them reaching the final of the ASEAN Championship. Sadly, we underestimated the length of time needed to get a 30-day visa – a Canadian girl told us it would be three working days (assuming the same for UK nationals).
It was at this stage the weather took a turn. Heavy storms thrashed the island, along with most of the hostel’s common areas, and choppy waves swept up most of the beach. The power cuts became more frequent, further aggravating the wifi issues. We fought tireless to connect using the hostel’s desktop computer, but it was 5.30am by the time we completed the applications.
There’s a lot of hoax visa websites out there by the way, so my advice would be to use the links listed on the UK Gov website. Oh, and plan this way before you arrive to these islands.
We were left in limbo, extending our stay one day at a time. Four of us had applied for visas, but as we approached close of play on the Friday only two had been accepted. It was a pain to research the working hours of Vietnamese government officials on such limited connectivity.
Cash started to become scarce, as there isn’t a single ATM on the island. Eventually one of the swankier resorts did agree to give cash back, after some rigmarole requiring passports and verification, at a shoddy exchange rate.
But I suppose there are worst places to be stuck – and we were lucky to have met some excellent company to spend it with, including a guy we’ll refer to as ‘Woke Johnny’. Retrospective nicknames are definitely a comedic highlight of travelling.
Even the occasional torrential downpour didn’t stop us enjoying the evenings with a bottle of corner-shop-special whisky. It didn’t stop the hostel bar staff from sending the 12-year-old to the uncovered beer pump to pour us pints either. The poor kid’s suave shirts got absolutely drenched.
Since we’d still not heard about the visas by our sixth day on the island, we decided to head back to the mainland and closer to the Vietnam border. A place called Kampot came well recommended, so we booked travel through the hostel. I was ready to move on but somewhat sad to be, I’ve never found a place quite so relaxing.
And this would be the end of our fellowship, with three of the group opting not to come to Vietnam. They’d be checking out the debauched Mad Monkey instead.
In retrospect the unplanned extra stay was a godsend, a true taste of paradise and one of my favourite destinations - of the whole trip. The fluorescent phenomenon of night-time swimming is something I’ll remember forever. So, do two Rongs make a right? Absolutely.
And this would be the end of our fellowship, with three of the group opting not to come to Vietnam. They’d be checking out the debauched Mad Monkey instead.
In retrospect the unplanned extra stay was a godsend, a true taste of paradise and one of my favourite destinations - of the whole trip. The fluorescent phenomenon of night-time swimming is something I’ll remember forever. So, do two Rongs make a right? Absolutely.