Since writing this post in 2012, Sihanoukville (including, sadly, Otres Beach) has seen massive tourism development. Hundreds of casinos and hotels have been built, locals have been priced out of everything from accommodation to food, and whatever charms the nearby beaches once held have disappeared under a sea of concrete and plastic waste. I’m leaving this post on the site as a historical record, but please don’t rely on it for planning your own trip!
When people talk about Cambodia’s beaches, they seem to use words like undiscovered and untouched. Visions of white sand and gently swaying palm trees spring to mind. A cheaper, quieter alternative to Thailand, perhaps.
And, well, then you turn up in Sihanoukville.
If you’re particularly unlucky, you’ll be on a bus from Phnom Penh or Siem Reap that arrives at the main station. About 10 minutes out of town, it’s home to the worst tuk-tuk mafia in the country. You can negotiate until you’re blue in the face, but you’ll likely pay the going rate regardless … and then once you arrive somewhere near Serendipity beach, wonder why you even bothered.
This, the western end of Ochheuteal beach, is less than lovely. Child beggars, backpackers and sexpats vie for space on the narrow strip of dirty sand, picking their way between the discarded needles and styrofoam. Optimistically-named beach bars lie every few feet, bored staff promising (warm) beer for fifty cents.
A street or two back from the water lies a motley selection of guesthouses and hostels. Hung-over teenagers subdue their headaches with a whiskey bucket for breakfast, victims of another all-night party. Moto drivers offer rides to the few people that might want to go somewhere, and bags of weed to the rest.
Unless that’s your thing, there’s not much to redeem Sihanoukvlle really … until you go to Otres.
It’s only a few kilometres, although of course every tuk-tuk driver will tell you that it is, in fact, a ‘long way’. Backpackers quickly give way to cows along the potholed route. A dirt road runs along the beach, with a few dozen guesthouses offering basic bungalows.
You’re unlikely to get much more than a fan and cold water shower, unless you opt for the high-end places at the far end of the beach. Everything is more costly than back in town, food options are limited, and there really isn’t that much to do.
Have I put you off yet?
I kind of hope so. You see, like many of the best parts of Cambodia, Otres beach is under threat from commercial development. Many of the guesthouses and restaurants beside the sand were bulldozed a few years ago in preparation for a resort that may one day get built, and the rest recently barely managed a stay of execution.
As a result, it’s often hard to get a room here at all. Rainy season has just finished, yet I’m already hearing reports that, some days, ‘the beach is full’.
We turned up at Otres based solely on the Travelfish write-up. Apprehensive about the “charms” of Sihanoukville, the plan was to only stay for a couple of days before moving on. A week and a half later, we grudgingly checked out of Papa Pippo’s.
There is a vibe on Otres that you don’t find on Serendipity. A pride, perhaps. The guesthouses clean up their little piece of beach each morning. Other than right at the end, there is barely a flip-flop or plastic bag to be seen. While some of the bars play decent dance music, laid-back jazz and Bob Marley dominate. Either way, everything other than the local dogs is quiet by midnight.
Whether that remains the case in high season, I don’t know – but it wouldn’t surprise me.
The days had settled into a deliciously lazy routine. Wake up, open the door, walk ten metres into the flat ocean. Eat breakfast, work for a while, walk ten metres into the flat ocean. Have lunch, lie on the sun loungers with a book … and walk ten metres into the flat ocean.
Add a few beers as the sun goes down. Rinse and repeat.
For us, Otres was perfect. Beautiful beach. Warm, clear water. Just enough going on to not go stir-crazy, but small enough not to attract hordes of wasted backpackers. There were a few kids selling fruit or bracelets on the beach, but they were more interested in chatting than making a sale.
The power works most of the time, and even the internet is surprisingly fast. If there’s a better place to stop and chill out for a while, I’m struggling to think of it right now.
Get there before the builders do.
Sihanoukville town image via ND Strupler