This is certainly an overdue travel diary post.
If you've been following me on Instagram, you would have known that I've gotten an opportunity to take a short break from my crazy work schedule and join AirAsia's familiarisation trip to visit this charming little city called Sihanoukville in Cambodia. Since then, everyone asking me tonnes of questions like - how was Cambodia? what to do in Sihanoukville? how much you spent in Cambodia? where in the world is Sihanoukville?
Though I'm pretty sure I did not manage to visit all the places in Sihanoukville, I would really hope at least my short getaway travel diary here would give you an idea of Sihanoukville in Cambodia. ;)
09 AUGUST 2017 (WEDNESDAY)
1:00 pm
It was the first flight fly to Cambodia on that day. Although it wasn't my first time to be part of the inaugural AirAsia flight to a new destination, it still excites me as this also means there will be water salutation upon arrival!
The flight journey took us 1 hour 45 minutes and I was actually wondering why we weren't given the arrival/departure form to fill during the flight. It was quite a hassle and horror seeing the queue to get the form upon arriving Sihanoukville International Airport. This whole process actually took us another 30 minutes to an hour just to go through the immigration. Fuuh!
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I was glad to know this lady who originally from
Sihanoukville town itself before arriving the destination itself.
It was interesting to know that they may not speak English,
but they do speak fluent Chinese Mandarin language in Sihanoukville!
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ps. the Thai Green Curry in-flight meal was soso good!
It wasn't spicy at all, which is totally my fave!
Make sure you pre-book your meal to avoid disappointment
and save more! ;)
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3:00 pm
It took us approximately half an hour journey from the airport to Dara Independence Beach Resort & Spa and we were greeted with a refreshing welcome drink.
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Dara Independence Beach Resort & Spa is such a massive resort!
Entering the property vast premises from the winding seaside road, you immerse yourself tropical flora, preserved animal life and serene quietness. You can enjoy strolling along the alleyways and stairways carved into the rocks; they have Independence Beach on one side and the Terrace promenade on the other. There are so much more you can do within the resort itself which I will be sharing in a separate post dedicated to this stunning resort. Meanwhile, do check out Dara Independence Beach Resort & Spa at www.darahotels.asia.
4:00 pm
We finally checked in to our rooms and given some time to rest and refresh ourselves before heading out to get our local sim card and hunt for the local Cambodia noodle.
Off we go!
I find it the only way for you to get around the places in Sihanoukville would be great if your hotel provides free shuttle to the town or motorbike rental would be an alternative option!
Getting a local sim card may not an easy process here, especially if you are not able to converse in their language. Here's a few thing that you need to know before getting a local sim card in Sihanoukville - how many days you will be staying there? which telco will work well at the island whilst you are doing the island hopping? which telco offers the best value for money tourist package?
We're lucky to have a local with us and it definitely helped a lot in term of communication. As we're running out of time for our dinner at Independence, we had to skip the Cambodia noodle agenda and back to our hotel instead.
7:00 pm
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Dinner at Sunset Restaurant.
It was a wonderful dinner at Independence and I've had the best Lobster Bisque ever, so far in my life. I secretly wished I could have a second serving of it! The seafood was extremely fresh and I must say the BBQ crabs were sososo delicious that we wouldn't mind getting our hands dirty for it! It felt like home, as in my home back in KK!
10:00 pm
As much as I wanted to join some of them out to explore the Beach Pub Street, I was totally exhausted after the long day and rather stay in for a warm bath with my favorite Lush bath bomb and bubble bar instead. Knowing how early we had to wake up for the next day activities made me feel like I've made a wise decision too! :p
10 AUGUST 2017 (THURSDAY)
7:30 am
Rise and shine! We got ourselves fully rested for the whole day.
The morning breakfast spread was pretty extensive and I would say we were spoilt with choices! I got myself fried egg with baked beans, a bowl of noodle soup, bacon and sausages, local fruits and few glasses of juices before hop onto the bus for our island hopping fun day ahead.
10:00 am
To be honest I couldn't remember the exact timing we reached this beautiful private beach then and now opened to the public - Sok San Beach Resort. The sun was scorching hot and trust me, all of us got our tan lines within just a few minutes (I am not kidding!).
We were warmly greeted by the resort staff with a refreshing welcome drink and proceeded with the resort tour. I always looking forward to property tour because that way I know I will be able to check out all different types of rooms in the hotel or resort, as well as finding out the specialty of each room too!
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I will be sharing more in-depth about the whole resort and room types in a separate post, stay tuned!
We get to enjoy the sun, sand, and sea while waiting for the snorkeling - the water was crystal clear, and the view was really amazing too! This whole island totally reminds me of the island back in my hometown, Sabah. We spent most of our time trying to capture good photos and soak in the sun.
11:30 AM
The boat ride to snorkeling spot was not too far too! It was so much fun as we got to see those lovely, colorful fish and you just got to be careful with those sea urchins underneath! Nevertheless, we totally enjoyed the entire snorkeling trip!
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After a good 15-30minutes, we were brought back to the island to clean ourselves and enjoy the scrumptious seafood meal! Till today, I've really been missing the fresh and sweet crabs that I've had in Sihanoukville! :(
Sok San Beach Resort is such a wonderful island and I wish we could spend a night there! Well, let's make that happen for the next visit! :D
We were then off to another two different islands - one of them was so happening with shops and bars, I reckon the nightlife is definitely going to be fun and lively; while the another one was more of a chilling type, the vibe was kinda similar to Sok San Beach.
We didn't get to spend much time on the final island due to the weather, it started to rain and we have to get back quick before the sea gets super rough.
5:00 PM
We were given just enough time to refresh and get ready for our dinner at another wonderful hotel - Naia Hotel. Not only we were welcomed greatly by the team, but also served with refreshing passion fruit mojito before proceeded with the hotel tour.
The entire hotel tour here consists of "ooh", "whoaa", "omgggg", "this is so amazing"... Yup, the rooms were uniquely decorated with amazing art accents, it was so beautiful and cozy! Again, I will share more about this hotel in a separate post too!
8:00 PM
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We had the most romantic dinner at Naia. The food was really delicious and the compliments for each course flow naturally throughout the dinner session! You can taste almost all the signature dish here! Twas definitely marked the good ending for the day!
11 AUGUST 2017 (FRIDAY)
9:00 AM
It's our last day in Sihanoukville and I decided to wake up early to enjoy the Ocean Pool at our resort! Morning dip also means less crowd and you could chill whilst enjoying the sea view right in front of you!
11:00 AM
Thankfully, we managed to slot in a quick stop at the market and get to experience the local market in Sihanoukville! It was so crowded and you can easily get almost everything from this market itself!
& it's time to bid goodbye to this wonderful little town of Sihanoukville. ;)
The good news is... AirAsia flies 4x weekly from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanouville, Cambodia where you can enjoy the paradise on the other side of Cambodia! Book your tickets now at www.airasia.com!