Sihanouk Ville is the closest thing you get to the Costa del Cambodia, but fear not, development here is light years behind most Thai resorts, let along Spain. The charmless town is fortunate enough to be hemmed in on all sides by palm-fringed, squeaky, white-sand beaches and undeveloped tropical islands. Visitors numbers have skyrocketed in the past few years and the coast here is set for a facelift, particularly if the much vaunted flights to Siem Reap actually take off.

Named in the honour of the then-king, the town was hacked out of the jungle in the late 1950s to create the country’s first and only deep-water port; the USA provided the money for NH4 linking Sihanouk Ville to Phnom Penh. During 1960s, it experienced a mini tourism boom and some large hotels were constructed, but Kep remained the most popular beach resort. With the overthrow of Sihanouk in 970, the town’s name was changed to Kampong Som and didn’t revert back to Sihanouk Ville until 1993. Cambodians refer to the town by both names – royalists preferring to use Sihanouk Ville, and old-guard former communists choosing Kampong Som.

The big attractions around here are the four beaches ringing the headland. None of them quality as the region’s finest, but on weekdays it is still possible to have stretches of the beach to yourself. However, as traveler numbers increase, this seclusion is unlikely to last. Sihanouk Ville is extremely popular on weekends with well-to-do Khmers heading south from Phnom Penh. Beyond the immediate beaches surrounding the town are the virtually empty beaches of Ream National Park and Otres, and a dozen more islands that see less than 0.1% of the visitors received by their counterparts in Thailand.

The battle continues for the heart and soul of Sihanouk Ville. Some Cambodian businessmen and their associates from neighbouring countries want to turn the town into a concrete casino town of mega resorts, while some expats from nearby Pattaya want to turn it into a sort of sex, sea and sun go-go resort. On the other side, younger expats are hoping to make a new Ko Pha Ngan on Cambodia’s southern coast with the birth of SerendipityBeach, while other investors rub their hand and hope for Ko Samui gold rush and pleasant garden bungalows set among swaying palms. Whoever wins out in the end, it’s certain that Sihanouk Ville is evolving fast. Like Siem Reap, this is another place in Cambodia that doesn’t stay still.

Beaches, Sihanouk Ville
The beaches at Sihanouk Ville are in state of flux, as developers move into cash in on the tourism boom. The best all-rounder is Ocheuteal Beach; the northern end has emerged as quite a popular traveler hang-out nicknamed Serendipity Bach, while further south it is popular with Khmers and midrange tourists staying in the nearby hotels. SerendipityBeach is a cool place to chill out with a drink, but it gets every crowded these days and has rocky waters. It may also be given a new name by the time you read this, because, as we write, there is a comical court case unfolding about the right to the name. Chuck, the American who coined the name, claims he owns rights to it and issuing anyone who uses it in their marketing! Lining the back of Oecheuteal are pine trees, which provide useful shade in the heat of the day. The sand stretches on southwards for a couple of kilometers and it’s worth trekking down here if you want bit of privacy. A new resort is slowly under construction in the central part of the beach.

Just around a small headland at the southern end f Ocheuteal Beach is Otres Beach, a seemingly infinite strip of empty white sand. Government officials are eagerly dividing up land behind the beach, but for now there are still no bungalows and fewer visitors make it here than to other beaches around town. Sokha beach is perhaps the prettiest and most popular beach at Sihanouk Ville, but it has been privatized with the opening of the huge Sokha Beach Resort. Guests get to enjoy the privacy, but for everyone else, the small slither of beach at the eastern end isn’t enough. Victory Beach was the original backpacker beach and remains a favourite with budget travelers due to its proximity of Sihanouk Villes’s most popular guesthouses. It’s arguably the least appealing of all the beaches, as the port is located at its northern end – hardly making for the perfect tropical moment – and the beach itself it narrow and scruffy. South from here, around a small headland, is another small stretch of sand, usually also known as Victory Beach, but also signposted as Lamherkay Beach, after the old hotel near here.

Further south on the western tip of Sihanouk Ville’s headland is tiny Koh Pos Beach, which has been taken over by Treasure Island Restaurant. This is nice, shady beach, but with rough waters. Finally, there is IndependentBeach running southeast from here – it’s a good stretch of clean sand, but lacks shade and facilities. Above the northern end of the beach is the old Independence Hotel, soon to reopen its doors as a four star hotel after extensive renovations.

Islands, Sihanouk Ville
There are more than a dozen of islands off the coast of Sihanouk Ville; all are extremely undeveloped by the standards of the neighbouring Thailand. Only Koh Russei (Bamboo Island) has some basic bungalows. Most of the islands nearer town are small, rocky and far from ideal for anything but limited snorkeling. Further afield are the large islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanlom. Both are surrounded by blissfully empty, beautiful beaches and have freshwater sources, suggesting they will be a major focus for future development. Koh Rong Sanlom includes a large heart-shape bay with some shellfish cultivation, as well as some good beaches on its north coast. Koh Rong has a fantastic beach on the southwestern coast, stretching for 5km or more without a beach hut in sight. There are other good beaches around this huge island, and there’s bustling finishing community on the southeast with basic supplies available, plus fresh fish and crab.

Nearer the coast and to the south of Sihanouk Ville are several smaller islands that are an option if the open waters to Koh Rong are too choppy. Koh Khteah is the nearest, but very small, while Koh Ta Khiev has the better beaches, but is near Cambodian’s navy headquarters.

Ream National Park, Sihanouk Ville
Ream National Park is also known as Preah Sihanouk National Park, was established in 1993 as a 210 sq km protected area and is home to many animal and bird species and an expanse of mangrove swamp and forests. The Ream National Park has boats that can transport visitors along the river to untouched beaches. Along the estuary you may see monkeys, eagles and even dolphins or porpoises, and from the empty sands on the coast it is possible to explore some nearby creeks that disappear into the forest.

Boat trips through the Ream National Park are both adventurous and educational, providing you get an English-speaking ranger. The income generates should ensure that the rangers protect the park instead of selling its firewood or poaching its wildlife to make a living.

Kbal Chhay Waterfall, Sihanouk Ville
Kbal Chhay Waterfalls is a must see while visiting the Tourist Attractions in Sihanoukville. Kbal Chhay Waterfalls, Sihanoukville was used as the water source for the town of Sihanoukville. Kbal Chhay was made a developing zone in 1997. The waterfalls are magnificent with lush forests surrounding it.

There are a lot of more places beside where are in the above description to be visited...