Sihanoukville has changed dramatically in recent years, and honesty requires saying that the city centre is not what it once was. The construction boom has transformed much of the waterfront, and the laid-back coastal town that backpackers loved in the 2000s exists now mostly in memory and in the few corners that development has not yet reached. But Sihanoukville is best understood as a transit point to Cambodia’s spectacular southern islands, and in that role it remains essential.
Otres Beach, at the southern end, retains some of the character that once defined the whole coast — a stretch of sand with low-key bars and guesthouses that feel like the old Cambodia. We spent a night here before catching the morning ferry, eating grilled prawns at a beachside shack where the owner caught them himself that afternoon. The sunset from Otres is still one of the best on the Cambodian coast — the sky turns colours I do not have French or English words for, and the fishing boats heading out for the night catch cross the light in silhouette.
The real draw is what leaves from the port. Ferries depart daily to Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem, and the private islands of Song Saa offer one of Southeast Asia’s most extraordinary luxury experiences — overwater villas built from reclaimed wood, a marine reserve, and the kind of silence that only comes with genuine isolation. Ream National Park, just south of the city, provides mangrove kayaking and jungle treks that most visitors never discover. We paddled through mangrove channels so narrow the roots brushed the kayak on both sides, and the birdlife — kingfishers, herons, eagles — was prolific and unafraid.
The seafood along the coast remains excellent and remarkably affordable. We ate crab and prawns at a beachside shack for the price of a sandwich back home, the kind of meal that makes you recalibrate your understanding of value. The fish market near the port is worth visiting at dawn, when the night boats return and the catch is spread on the concrete in glistening piles — squid, mackerel, red snapper, crabs with claws still moving. Use Sihanoukville as a gateway, not a destination, and it will serve you well.
When to go: November to May is dry and best for island hopping. December to February is peak season. Ferries can be cancelled during rough seas in monsoon months (June to October).