Sihanoukville Cambodia

For you that are looking for a more well out of the way place. Sihanoukville is the big beach resort of Cambodia and it is three hours south of Phnom Penh. In recent history Sihanoukville has attracted a great deal Australians French Americans and other who have opened up tons of hotels and bars. It has four big casinos that Thais and Singaporeans love to visit.

The road to Sihanoukville is, well ok.

Getting there from Bangkok or Phnom Penh
By Boat : Bangkok / Trat by bus. Trat / Klong Yay / Hat Lèk by public taxi, crossing the border, (A Cambodian visa good for 1 month costs 25$ at the customs desk in Hat Lèk). A fast boat to Sihanoukville leaves Koh Kong at 8 am every morning and costs 15$ one way. The boat arrives in Sihanoukville around 11 am. The boat turns back at 12 am from the Sihanoukville-Koh Kong terminal situated behind the port.

By Taxi :
From the Central Market in Phnom Penh. Cost is $40. They depart between 5.30 am and 5 pm. The journey takes about 3 hours. In Sihanoukville taxis leave from the Post office car park situated in front of the Market. The cost is 5 to 7$ per person or 40 to 50$ per car.

By Train : Trains depart every 2 days at 6 am. It is a long 13 hour journey to and from Phnom Penh.

By Aircon Buses:
Reserved seats cost between 4$. The trip takes about 3h30 and includes
First get oriented –Do this by going to one of four expat bars and asking question. They are

The Angkor Arms on Eykaryeth bvd,face buses station says it is a Brit pub but is owned, and run, by a Dutchman called Burt. This is the only bar with aircon, and that is about it’s main attraction. http://www.sihanoukvil.net/angkorarms_bar.html

Small World Pub almost next door is a good little operation with clean interior and the manager, Suravona is from Sri Lanka, very nice guy very helpful he keeps his place clean and neat..

The Moonshine bar is bit of a hole in the wall, on the other side of the Angkor Arms, and has a few freelancers hanging around. The bar would need a great deal more action to get its customers drunk enough to appreciate the girls on offer.

Directly opposite, the Moonshine, is Mick and Craig’s friendly café/bar, which is open 24 hours and is use as a sort of gather place. all day and therefore used as hangout by bored afternoon drinkers.

Next get a Hotel
I would suggest you ask in the bars above -- but lots of them downtown. The beaches are, about a mile from downtown. There are a few hotels on the beach and they appear to be a cut above the town centre hotels. The problem with the beach is that transport to Downtown. There are plenty of small hotels in the center and these are cheaper than the hotels at the beach. The main street is Eykaryeth bvd has maybe 20 hotels all about $10 15 per night.I stayed at the http://www.sihanoukvil.net/mariyan.html

See picture below that cost about $20 really nice place run by French and has great little restaurant was hombre friendly on the beach.

Biba discotheque and massage is next to the port. This massage parlor 20 30 ladies dancing and another 20 or more that offer “massage”. Get this the massage is $4. To get the Massage walk straight through to the back past the rest rooms ther are massage rooms and a reception area. You watch the ladies dance “dancing massage.” Pick a number and a one hour massage is $4 all night is $20

Just off Omui road is a narrow unmarked street with small rickety homes of waving ladies on either side Also at the top of Sopheakmongkol East road is a Vietnamese operated massage parlor.

K2
Great report. Good to hear from you again!

I just gotta ask; Four bucks? That's it? Are you serious??

Drop me an email the next time you're through my area and we'll hook up.
DonGringo@hotmail.com

Thanks K2,
I've been wanting some first hand info on this place, sounds like it could be a nice little side trip while in LoS. More about the girls please! Is one Massage Parlor it? www.canbypublications.com has a nice section on Sihanoukvil. Maps, hotel links, and the likes, but it's not the type of website that mentions girls. They hint a bit and talk about a couple of disco's and nite clubs. What's up with that seen? Anything like Martini's or Sharkey's to be found?

Thanks / McDIJJ

Sihanoukville is a much quieter place much calmer and more well expate beach hippie. The four bars I mentioned are somewhat like Sharky’s more so than Martini's in that they have that expate flavor all owned by Australian Germans British French the sort of place you sit and ask “where the best is to be found” from the local hangers. Do this while drinking a cold one and getting a hand job (sample) you know the place. Yes the back room at the with the Biba “dancing massage” was $4 with at least 20 or so to choose from. The “dancing massage” was dancing only during the selection process other wise the normal full service massage 4 Bucks. Cambodia is inexpensive and when you leave PP even less so. But the place to go is still Ankor Watt (the temple complex) -- god that is wonderful.

Jailhouse Cafe, you guessed it on Jailhouse street, off of Eykaryeth Bvd next door to the police station and protected (owned by the chief of police)nice guy. The Sihanoukville Jail house is about 40 yards away sort of all in one. Typicaly Cambodian "Café". with cable tv, loud music, garden atmosphere,coffee, tea, soft drinks, beers,and Cambodian hard alcohol named "sra". Ask for "Hope sra!" Than kiss your ass Leheigh( good-by) cheap place GREAT PROTECTION Nice folks. Less expateish.

I just read your report it was great thanks. But I could sense your frustration. I see this a lot and thankfully you have this board to give you some idea of what is what on such things as prices. I don’t mean to be well preachy but here are some thoughts.

Your very best bet is having a good reliable contact I found out about a number of good guides in Costa Rica from the board mine was Orlando he was wonderful so helpful.

If you do not have that than the real key is good intelligence and good on the spot contact development. The very best investment is to buy a beer for the expates that hangs out as a regular in the area. Get the name of a good driver or guide -- in the case of Cambodia you can get this from someone like the owners of the Walkabout or in S-Ville any of the 4 expate bars will do. My first trip to Cambodia I went to the foreign correspondents club bought a few beers and got the “lay” of the land. In Seim Reap I got a driver for a day for $25. Gave him $10 and challenged him to get as much pussy as he could for this amount of money and I would tag along and see. It was amazing to see how much a Cambodian can get for 10 and it opens up your world.

OMG K2...let me get this straight...you actually challenged a local driver to see how much pussy he could get for the price of one drink at my local titty bar...and, it worked...?

I'm blown away by what a regular guy like me can learn on this board. K2, you are the man!!! Thanks bro!

DonGringo, having shown K2climbed2 around the TJ Zona Norte, I can definitely vouch for the fact that he is very quick to find ways to acclimate himself to a new locale, and more than considerate of his guides. This story does not surprise me at all.

Hippie..a word of caution....watch your back if you ever go out with k2 again...you would be very surprised if you knew more about this guy

Ezy, why the heck would you say a thing like that? I found him to be an extremely nice, intelligent, generous guy.

I'll answer that Hippie. A man who does not keep his word to potential friends, has no honor. That is my personal experience with him, I'm not speaking for Ezy.

EZE