Sihanouk Ville

Sihanoukville Cambodia

Cambodia's Premier Beach Town

Sihanoukville is Cambodia's premier beach town, sporting miles of white sand beaches, some excellent seafood, a heady party scene, and several nearby tropical islands. The town sits on a peninsula jutting into the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Beaches of fine pearl-white sand line the shore around the peninsula, each offering its own unique character, from the busy and popular Ochheuteal Beach to the secluded chill-out far end of Otres Beach.

The main beaches are lined with thatch roofed seafood shacks and bars offering cold drinks, umbrellas and chairs, BBQ and more.  Sihanoukville is also a town that knows how to party and there’s no shortage of nightspots and beach parties late into the night. Sihanoukville is a place to unwind by the beach, enjoy the fresh seafood, party at the bar and happenings, go boating or scuba diving or use as a jumping off point to the islands.  

Sihanoukville Restaurants and Dining

In Sihanoukville you'll find some of Cambodia's best local food. The town is known for its fresh-caught seafood, often served straight from the ocean. There's a plethora of places to enjoy the local crabs, prawns, ocean fish and squid, from posh eateries to the numerous seafood shacks that line the beaches. At the beaches you'll find excellent value for money on the popular evening BBQs, which usually come with one or two types of seafood, rice or potatoes and a salad. Off-beach, you'll find many restaurants featuring both seafood and international fare clustered in a couple of areas: a few downtown but especially in the Ochheuteal area along Serendipity Beach Road and on Lumhei Phumin Street (23 Tola St.)

Australian, BBQ, Beachside, Coffee/Bakery, Cambodian, Chinese, French, German, Indian, Italian/Pizza, Japanese, Mexican, Russian, Seafood, Scandinavian, Thai, Vegetarian

Sihanoukville Bars, Casinos & Nightlife

Sihanoukville is a town that knows how to party and there’s no shortage of bars and nightspots. Much of the partying is done at the beach bars but there are plenty of off-beach places as well, including a couple of bar plazas near the Golden Lions, a varied string of places along Serendipity Beach Road and something of a proper bar street on Victory Hill with a dozen-plus hostess and sports bars.

If you poke around you’ll find the choice is actually fairly varied: different beach bars to chill or party, clusters of hostess places, a few unique neighborhood pubs and cocktail bars dotting the town, and even a couple of live music venues. And the drinking is still very cheap in Sihanoukville, many places offering 50 cent draft and $1 cans at happy hour and sometimes all day long.

Bar bars	Beach bars	Hostess bars	Casinos area
Poolside bars	Live music	KTV karaoke	Full List of bars

Sihanoukville Beaches

Ochheuteal Beach	Otres Beach	Independence Beach	Victory Beach
Sokha Beach	Prek Treng Beach

Sihanoukville town sits in the center of a small peninsula that juts into the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Several beaches of fine pearl-white sand line the shore around the peninsula, most easily accessible from town, each separated as much by character as the rocky headlands between. The main beaches are lined with thatch roofed seafood shacks and bars offering cold drinks, umbrellas and chairs, BBQ and more. Ochheuteal and Serendipity Beaches are the most popular and the busiest with plenty of nearby hotels, guesthouses, bars and restaurants.

A bit farther from town, Sihanoukville’s out-of-the-way beach Otres continues to grow in popularity, but is still maintaining its relaxed, laid-back vibe.

On the other side of town, Independence Beach, though small, offers a pleasantly tranquil atmosphere and beachside bbq shacks.

Sihanoukville: Boating, Excursions, Cruises

Boating & Fishing	Water Sports	Birdwatching	Ream NP
Bokor Hill Station	Scuba	Islands	Travel Agents

Day trips to nearby islands and party cruises, snorkeling and scuba diving are probably the most popular other-than-the-beach activities around Sihanoukville these days but there are lots of other local fun and adventure possibilities as well - ocean fishing, nature walks and river trips in Ream and Kirirom National Parks, kayaking, water skiing, jet skies, multi-day trips exploring the islands, countryside tours to little fishing villages and secluded beaches, an afternoon at the waterfall, overnighters to Bokor Hill Station, Kep, Kampot and more. Listed below are details on just a few of the possible activities. Ask the listed tour operators for more destinations and activities. Also see Kampot and Kep Points of Interest.

Sihanoukville Scuba Diving

The waters off of Sihanoukville and the nearby islands offer some good scuba diving opportunities.

Coral encrusted rocky reefs surround many of the local islands, supporting abundant hard and soft corals, sponges, anemones and an assortment of fish life including sting rays, moray eels, dolphins and even whales. Experienced divers report that the variety and concentration of marine life along the reefs is impressive.

Good dive sites can be found within a two hour boat trip of town, making for an easy day trip, but the very best sites are 4-6 hours out.

The local waters are warm (consistently between 27-31C) and though visibility can be quite variable, especially during the monsoon season. In the diving season from October to June visibility ranges from 10-25 meters on good days, even at nearby islands such as Koh Rong Samloem - better at more distant sites such as Koh Tang. Most of the dive sites are comparatively shallow (around 15 meters) and gentle currents around the islands allow drift diving over the reefs and outcroppings.

Sihanoukville: Other Things to Do

Cooking Classes	Fitness/Gyms	Massage and Spas	Movie Houses
	Snake House	Horseback Riding	Charitable Orgs

Sihanoukville: Shopping and Markets

Shopping

Markets

DVDs/Uploads

Stores

Books

Sihanoukville is putting on something of a real shopping scene these days. Several shops and souvenir stalls line Serendipity Beach Road - souvenirs, clothing, crafts, downloads, music, NGO shops - some places staying open into the evenings. On the more practical side, plenty of convenience stores dot the area including the new Friend Mart on Victory Hill and even Otres River Village has convenience store now. A larger selection can be found at the downtown supermarkets, Samudera and Orange Mart.