SihanoukVille (Westport) 2020.

May 2020, and SihanoukVille is still  here!

in 2006, SihanoukVille was still here as well.

 

The town (city) is empty now, due to Coronavirus, the ban on On-line gambling, and road construction.

 

We hope it will be full, soon.

 

 

The city's change a bit since the old days (2017)

 

It's all a construction zone now, with skyscrapers all over town.  The roads are all torn up due to the construction and are all being rebuilt from the ground (or 2 meters below the ground) up.

 

 

Electricity, water, internet and a few other things are in short supply. 

Not a great vacation spot at the moment.

But maybe in the near future???

Oh.  And the city is now known as Westport, the Chinese name for the city.

SihanoukVille, Cambodia. 2018!

THE year of the casinos continues.....

Last year, SihanoukVille gained about 20 new  casinos in town, and in 2018 already, we have about another 10 new ones.

The town is filled with construction of hi-rises, low-rises, apartments, houses, shops, offices, swimming pools, casinos, hotels, markets, and lots of Chinese restaurants!

Visitors from China and Malaysia ($30+ direct flight round trips from SihanoukVille to Kuala Lumpur) have gone up 1,000% or more.  The Islands of SihanoukVille have really boomed this past year, and the number of new speedboat ferries has increased as well.  SihanoukVille also boasts 11 Indonesian restaurants, but we thinks this is mainly for the Indonesian casino workers here.

The roads from the increased use are being repaired almost as fast as they break down.  And the tourists are coming in even greater numbers.

Many new hotels and restaurants and markets have been built, but many of the older hotels and restaurants have been repurposed or changed into Chinese establishments.

Otres Village has been the fasted growing Western area of town, with dozens of new restaurants, hotels, bars and "Artsy" establishments popping up, or moving from other parts of town.

Otres Beach, especially "Far O" Otres has gone upscale with new hotels and beach bars.  And off the second road from Otres Beach, there appears to be a big project starting, with over 17 cranes up already.  The Road from Otres Village (or from Route 4) is open to Otres 3, and almost all the way to the SihanoukVille Airport.

Victory Hill, now renamed Chinatown on the Hill has maybe the most Chinese places, but also Downtown in Chinatown and Ocheteaul Beach and Victory Beach and Independence Beach have become very popular with Chinese oriented businesses.

The Casinos, which mainly cater to Chinese gamblers, are located Downtown, the Victory Hill area, and Ocheteaul / Serendipity Beach area, with more coming to the Sokha Beach and Independence Beach areas.  (also, a casino ship, and a national park casino)

The Islands, mainly Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, have been adding on new hotels and bungalows and restaurants at breakneck speed, and a few other islands, like Koh Rusey and Koh Ta Kiev (and a few others) are starting or completing major housing and hotels project.....  You can still find some budget places on the islands though.

The SihanoukVille airport has gotten quite busy, with new flights from Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap coming on line, but we're still waiting on Bangkok and New York.  However, the public airport bus that was $6 has stopped, and it now cost $20+ to get to or from the airport.

It's an exciting time to be in SihanoukVille!  Come see for yourself, Today!

And the Party Continues....... SihanoukVille, Cambodia. 2017.

And the party continues.

     SihanoukVille never sleeps now.  Hundreds of new hotels, and several new casinos.  And more on the way.  The busiest place in town is the Serendipity Beach Pier, where thousands of people a day take a ride to or from SihanoukVille's Islands of Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem, or many of the day trips to the smaller islands.


     While there are many more hotels since the last blog post, there are also many fewer hotels....  Tour groups (most if not all Chinese owned), have bought several hotels and entire apartment buildings exclusively for their own customers.  And as you might guess, on the mainland, the casinos are doing very well.

     There are also several new large scale construction projects ongoing, for hotel / casino / condo / shopping centers around town and on the beaches.  Up to 1,400 rooms in these hotel / condos!



   The Islands are doing very well also.  Over 150 hotels (bungalows, resorts, dorms etc..) on the islands, with more every week.


    Otres Beach, and Otres Village are also doing very well.  They're even making a 4th Otres Beach (and 5th), probably going out to the SihanoukVille Airport soon.  And Otres Village is extending up towards the top of the hill with a rumored golf course going in.


     Flight are now arriving from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) every day, and overseas flights from China, Vietnam, and soon other Asian countries (think the countries of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur) will soon be starting up.


     On Otres Beach, "The Long Beach" has become very popular, a kilometer plus of only sand, trees and gardens with no commercial activity.  Just free beach.   And also on Ocheteaul Beach, a kilometer section has opened up with only trees and a bike path.


    Many exciting things going on in Sunny SihanoukVille now.  It's a great time to be here, and it's going to get even better real soon.

                                       See you on the beach!!!