Wikitravel: Sihanouk Ville (Kompong Som)

Stopped over in the Golden Castle again, right by the „Lion Roundabout“. This time I had the large suite, haggled them down to 45 US dollars (50). The room was even equipped with a sauna… Ok for those who need such a thing. The whirlpool was a load of crap, not enough water pressure, apart from that, great!

I really enjoyed things in Sihanouk Ville. The town is up and coming… It hadn’t really been necessary to take a girl along though, there are enough possibilities there. The “Wooden plank brothels” down at the harbour (next to the Khmer disco BIBA) were all open, also the Blue Mountain with the Viet-knocking-shops as well. There is something new (was new to me) called the “Victory Hill”, a short street with about 20 bars and restaurants. There is a “short time hotel” nearby (good rooms, five US dollars). Not bad!

The town’s main attraction for me, is its vast extent and the beaches. Motorbike hire (3-5 US dollars per day), girl on the pillion seat, ride around, a trip down to the beaches, a quick shag in the water. A holiday feeling like being on an island!

Beaches:

These are the main beaches I visited: Victory and Independence Beach (lots of beach stalls, small restaurants, deckchairs etc).

Ochheuteal Beach, apart from a decent infrastructure, there are also many hotels. There are also some more lonely beaches a bit further outside of town, but without any infrastructure.

Victory and Independence Beach: Simple huts, the people here are poor, and are happy when someone turns up to spend the afternoon there. There are cold drinks and a humble number of dishes on offer. No jet skies, instead one is able to hire blow-up rubber tubes for a few cents. Female beach peddlers offer fresh fruit and all sorts of sweets and crisps etc. Ready grilled giant shrimps in tasty pepper marinade are also on sale, five for a dollar. It is also possible to have ones fingernails manicured, or get a massage if required. By the way, three of the rotten deckchairs collapsed under me, I probably weight as much as two Khmer men…