Our dreamy stay at Sunset Beach, Koh Rong Samloem

During our trip through South-East Asia, my sister, Lou, and I headed to the far south of Cambodia to spend some time at the beach. That’s how we found ourselves headed to Sunset Beach on Koh Rong Samloem.

I loved my time at Sunset Beach; it felt a world away from the busy cities we had previously visited. Given how much I liked it, I’ve written this blog post to share my experience. I’ve included information about what the beach and wider island is like, as well as my thoughts on the beach and the place we stayed (Robsinson Bungalows). Lastly, I tell you a bit about how to visit yourself.

Where is Koh Rong Samloem?

Koh Rong Samloem is an island in the south of Cambodia.

If you know much about Cambodia, you might have heard of this island’s big sister, Koh Rong – a tropical island which doubles as one of the country’s most popular beach resorts. Think beach parties, boat trips and snorkelling.

Koh Rong Samloem sits a bit to the south of Koh Rong and is much smaller. It’s known for being more chilled out, with less of a party vibe.

The geography of Koh Rong Samloem

Koh Rong Samloem has one main bay, Saracen Bay, which you’ll find on its east side. This is where most resorts are located, as well as most of the docks for the ferries.

However, dotted around the island, you’ll find some smaller bays and beaches. Of note, there’s one local settlement, M’Pai Bay, in the north-west.

There are two main beaches on the western side of the island – Lazy Beach to the south, and Sunset Beach to the north.

The geography of Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach isn’t particularly big. The beach takes less than 10 minutes to walk from one side to the other.

There were four accommodation establishments on the beach during my visit in November 2023; one was also under construction, so there will probably be more in the future. Going from north to south, they are Kamaku Bungalows, Sleeping Sunset, Sunboo Bungalows and Robinson Bungalows, which are all located directly on the sand.

There’s also one activity provider and cafe, Sunset Adventures, located between Sunboo and Robinson.

All the accommodation at Sunset Beach is very rustic, taking the form of bungalows and tents. A couple of them also have dorms, but these are still bungalow style.

Sunset Beach: perfect for sunset

As the name suggests, Sunset Beach is known for its sunsets. That’s because it’s located on the western side of the island: the sun rises over Saracen Bay, in the east, and then sets in the west over Sunset Beach.

There was a pretty good sunset most nights during our stay at the beach. The cloud cover was generally ideal for a sunset, with a few clouds over the horizon and some wisps elsewhere in the sky. On our first night, there was a bit too much cloud over the horizon and the sun just disappeared, but every other night we were quite happy with what we saw!

I loved putting my towel out on the beach just before 6 pm so that I could watch the sun go beneath the horizon and the light levels go down. To do that for almost a week was an absolute dream.

A quiet beach

There are no cars on Koh Rong Samloem. You’ll see motorbikes, tractors and tuk tuk style vehicles with long benches – but as there are no paved roads, these move along inland dirt tracks which look hairy to drive on. In the case of the tractors, they go straight through the water along the beach!

Sunset Beach is a bit different, because you have to hike to get there. After walking from one side of the island to the other, you have to pass along a rocky path through the jungle – for only ten minutes of the journey, but still! It’s definitely not possible with a motorbike…

As Sunset Beach is a bit more difficult to get to than other areas of Koh Rong Samloem, most people don’t end up going there. It keeps the beach fairly quiet, with the majority of people there being residents at the guesthouses on the stretch.

It is so quiet that I ended up feeling a bit possessive over the beach when there were people there. For example, at around 5 pm every day, a boat full of tourists would arrive in time for the sunset. It made sense, but it still got on my nerves.

Similarly, on one of the days, a boat full of backpackers arrived and stayed on our beach, using all the bean bags and hammocks at our guesthouse. We were a bit annoyed as it spoiled the relaxed atmosphere.

Our stay at Robinson Bungalows

I figured I’d tell you a bit more about our particular guesthouse, in case you’re wondering which of the four options would be best for you.

We stayed at Robinson Bungalows, which is the southernmost resort on the beach. I wish I could say we picked it because it was the best place on the stretch. However, in reality, we only booked our stay at Sunset Beach the night before, and Robinson Bungalows was the only place that still had availability.

Robinson Bungalows offers a range of bungalows and tents. For the first four nights we stayed in their cheapest bungalow, which only contains a mattress on a raised platform and has a few chairs outside. For our final night, we moved into a bungalow with a slightly higher price; in return it was significantly bigger, and had windows and plug sockets.

The change between the two bungalows we stayed in was remarkable. I find it so crazy that for just a few more dollars per night, the bungalow can improve so much. In the cheaper bungalow, there wasn’t a light outside or any plugs in the room, but these were present in the next one. I felt like they’d only been missed off to encourage people to upgrade to the next one up.

There was the option to upgrade to a bungalow with its own toilet, but we didn’t take it. Most of the bungalows share toilets which are dotted around the huts; these were mostly okay, but for some reason all the toilet flushes were broken or the top section missing. It was as though there was a shortage of toilet apparatus on Koh Rong Samloem…

Food at Robinson Bungalows

Robinson Bungalows has a restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. During our stay, breakfast cost $4 to $6 (£3 to £4.50), and lunch and dinner cost $5 to $10 (£4 to £7). A beer was $2 (£1.50) and a cocktail $6 (£4.50) (reducing to $1.50 (£1.10) and $4.50 (£3.40), respectively, during happy hour).

The restaurant was on stilts on the hillside above the beach, which gave it a secluded, tranquil feel. We never felt rushed or stressed there. It was the only place on the beach which served Khmer food, so that was nice.

Robinson Bungalows also has a beach bar open in the evenings. We never drank there, although we did make use of their bean bags during the day. We liked the chill ambience and that it felt welcoming to all tourists.

Food elsewhere on Sunset Beach

When visiting Sunset Beach, it’s also possible of course to eat at the other restaurants on the stretch, which are affiliated with their respective guesthouses. We did this several times to try out what else was available.

Although we initially thought the meals at Robinson Bungalows were expensive, it turned out it served the cheapest food on Sunset Beach.

We had a nice dinner at Sunboo. We also went to Kamaku, which serves Spanish food, but to be honest we weren’t that keen. There appears to be quite a few Western locals on the beach which sometimes made us feel unwelcome, as they occupied the time of the bar staff at each establishment.

Ratings

As part of this blog, I give every place I visit a rating so that I can easily compare destinations and decide whether they’re worth a visit. Those are the scores you see at the top of the page!

This is how Sunset Beach, Koh Rong Samloem, rated:

• Accessibility: 2/5 – it’s hard to get to Sunset Beach; you have to hike to get there (on top of a bus and ferry ride). Even if you take a boat, you’ll have to get in and out of the boat in the sea: not the easiest manoeuvre ever.
• Safety: 4/5 – there’s nothing innately unsafe about Sunset Beach. I’ve just marked it down as you’re a long way from medical assistance should you need it.
• Enjoyment: 5/5 – my stay on Sunset Beach is one of my highlights from my South-East Asia trip. I would highly recommend it!
• Value: 3/5 – as you’d expect for a remote place, the accommodation and food options are pretty expensive, never mind the transport costs to get there. For things like accommodation, I’m not sure it’s entirely justified.

Overall: 3.75/5

If you have visited Sunset Beach before, let me know if you agree with these ratings.

How to get to Sunset Beach

There are several steps in getting to Sunset Beach, which I’ve listed below:

1. Getting to Sihanoukville

The only option to get to Koh Rong Samloem is by taking the ferry from Sihanoukville.

Fortunately Sihanoukville is one of the biggest cities in Cambodia and is also its premier beach destination, so it is easy to get there. There are plenty of direct buses from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, costing $10 to $15 (£7.50 to £11), which will drop you off at the port. You can also take the train, although this is longer and less convenient than taking the bus.

Alternatively, you can travel from Kampot, another popular city to the east. I’ve heard that the road between Sihanoukville and Kampot is bumpy and so many people suggest getting the train for this route.

If you’re going to Siem Reap, you can also take a night bus between the two places. We used Larryta, which was the nicest night bus and friendliest bus driver we had on our whole South-East Asia trip. Expect the journey to cost $22 to $28 (£17 to £21).

It’s easiest to book transport through your accommodation. 12go.asia is another option; however, if you have a particular bus company in mind, see if you can book directly, as 12go.asia can work out slightly more expensive once processing fees are added.

2. Getting to Koh Rong Samloem

Once you’re at the port you can get a boat to the island. This is pretty easy; several ferry companies operate routes between the port and islands.

If you want to go to Sunset Beach, you need to get the ferry to Saracen bay on Koh Rong Samloem.

Now, one thing I didn’t know before going: there are multiple jetties on Saracen Bay. Different ferries use different jetties. To go to Sunset Bay, you need to take the ferry which goes to the middle jetty. This is right next to Sunny Bungalows and is in the centre of Saracen Bay. I believe it’s Buva Sea and GVTC that use this jetty, but check when you book.

We booked our ferry with our accommodation, which cost $35 (£26) return. Just make sure it’s going to the right jetty first. We didn’t and ended up at the southernmost jetty, which doubled the 40 minute walk. Don’t be like me!

3. Getting to Sunset Beach

Once you’re on Koh Rong Samloem, getting to the beach is pretty easy. There’s a wide gravel track which stretches westward across the island from the jetty. Just follow that path straight across the island.

Most of the walk is flat, although there isn’t much shade. There’s a slight incline as you have to go over a “mountain” (island code for a short hill), before the track ends and becomes a dirt path through the forest.

Those final ten minutes of the walk can be painful, especially if you’re carrying a backpack in front of you. There are some steep and uneven sections, so being able to see where you’re putting your feet is helpful.

Then, finally, you are there: whoop whoop!

Can’t hike?

If you can’t do the walk to Sunset Beach, it’s also possible to take a boat there. However, these are taxi options which can work out quite expensive if you’re travelling alone. Your accommodation is the best place to go for this option!

What to do on Sunset Beach

There isn’t much to do on Sunset Beach, but that is fine: it’s more a place to relax at than anything else. However, these activities are also options:

1. Diving / snorkelling. We took a dive trip whilst on the island, although the conditions weren’t quite what we were hoping for. There are several dive sites near to Sunset Beach which you could check out.
2. Swimming with bioluminescent plankton. You can see bioluminescent plankton in the water at Sunset Beach during the night time. It’s possible to see them from the shore, and to see them better we went out on a kayaking trip. It was such a magical experience!
3. Other water sports. You can also rent paddle boards and kayaks on the beach during the day, if that’s what takes your fancy.

And of course, any day on Sunset Beach wouldn’t be complete without stopping at 6 pm to watch the sun go down!

Conclusion

I adored my time on Sunset Beach and would thoroughly recommend it. This beach is serene, quiet and dreamy, and the water is perfect for swimming. It’s a bit faffy to get to, but personally I think it’s worth it.

What’s your favourite beach? Let me know in the comments.