Winter 2012 in Sunny SihanoukVille, Cambodia.

Winter starts in November in SihanoukVille, and it's a happy time of year.  The rainy season has ended, temperatures are cool for the next several month, (25+ degrees Celsius) and the party begins once again.

A few new places opened up here the last few months, including:

• @Home Guesthouse - on Serendipity Beach Road
• Austria Master Baker - and he really is, downtown
• Black Puppy Guesthouse - on Victory Hill
• Bongo Lounge & Guesthouse - on Victory Hill
• Bum Ochsen - Restaurant and Butcher on Victory Hill
• Butterfly Bar - at The New Night Market
• Cosmopolitan - Food & Drink on Ocheteaul Beach
• Crusoe Island - on Koh Ta Kiev Island.  Beachside Bungalows.
• Delirium Cafe - at the New Night Market
• Drunk Joker - a Russian Bar and restaurant on Ocheteaul Beach
• Food Point - a MoMo production near Serendipity Beach
• Fun Buggy - Mini cars drivin on the beach and through the jungle
• Happening by Chayada- A Khmer noodle restaurant downtown.
• Havana Bar - a little bit of Cuba at The New Night Market
• Healthy Food - or in Khmer language, Monk Food
• Indigo Otres - Beach Restaurant on Otres Beach of course
• Jee Boom - Singapore Indian food at Pim's Plaza off Ocheteaul Beach
• Ji Hong Chinese Market - downtown
• Kermit's Kitchen - Belgium bar at The New Night Market
• Let Us Create Cambodian Kids' Art Gallery - Serendipity Beach Road
• Malina Bar - Russian bar on Victory Hill
• Manoha Restaurant - Reopened French and Khmer food on Serendipity Beach Road
• Mekong Tours - Tour specialist for Vietnam travel
• Modern Nomads - Downtown guesthouse with Mongolian Food
• Mom's Bar - at The New Night Market
• Nap House - Reopened on Serendipity Beach
• Paddy Malones - Irish Bar at Pim's Plaza on Ocheteaul Beach
• People's Restaurant - Downtown Russian food
• Palm Beach - Bungalows on Koh Rong Island
• Passion Fruit - Italian food and Ice Cream on Serendipity Beach Road
• Punto Pasta Pizza - Italian Restaurant in The New Night Market
• Ramba Cafe - Home cooked Russian food at both Ocheteaul and Serendipity Beaches
• Red Pepper - The Best Pizza in Town at Ocheteaul Beach
• Red Sky Bar - nighttime hangout on Serendipity Beach Road
• Sakal Guesthouse - on Serendipity Beach Road.  Sister of Sakal Bungalows
• Sarpino's Pizzeria - from the famous Sarpino's in Phnom Penh
• SihanoukVille Music Store - Musical instrument at Pim's Plaza on Ocheteaul
• Sophea Restaurant - around the Golden Lions Circle
• The Gastronomy Shop - Popcorn and Russian food downtown
• Zana Beach Guesthouse - Ocheteaul Beach.  Sister of Zana House.

Victory Beach

and by the time this blog uploads, they'll be about 3 more new places at The New Night Market by the Golden Lions Circle.

Several new Island bungalow places have opened since this time last year on Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem, and Koh Ta Kiev Islands.  These book out fast, so try to make reservations (which isn't always possible on the island).

We have a new Facebook page SihanoukVille-Cambodia, with a couple hundred photo albums from the many beaches, islands, hotels and restaurants here.  Or you can look at the 300 videos of SihanoukVille on YouTube.

There is also a mobile version of the SihanoukVille website, but the main SihanoukVille site is getting over 1,000 visits a day.

Start planning a few days or a few weeks in Sunny SihanoukVille, Cambodia now, before it's too late.

See You Soon!

Also, hat's off for King Father Norodom Sihanouk, namesake of SihanoukVille, on his passing away this week at the age of 89.  We'll miss you!

Summer 2012 in SihanoukVille, Cambodia.

Summer 2012 in SihanoukVille has been a hot one.  Great beach days with ocassional light rains.  Khmer New Year in April was a blast, with the town filling up for 2 weeks of beachside fun.

A couple ships came to visit us here.  The USS Blue Ridge stopped by for a few days of R&R

• 2NE1 - a Korean, Japanese, Thai restaurant at Ocheteaul Beach
• Adventure Charters - Boat tours around Koh Ta Kiev Island
• Bzone Bar - A boys bar around Ocheteaul Beach
• Family Bungalows - a guesthouse at Serendipity Beach
• Four Rest - Bungalows right on the beach at Otres
• Nana Guesthouse - around the Golden Lions Circle
• Otres Orchid House - Bamboo houses at Otres Beach
• The Secret Garden - Otres Beach's first luxury villas with swimming pool
• The Mango Rooms - right on Serendipity Beach

SihanoukVille's neighbor, Bokor Mountain national park has opened it's first hotel at the peak.  The road to the top is finished (and free to go up), and several new world class hotels are under construction (as well as golf course and casino).

As usual, you can see videos of most places on the SihanoukVille Channel on YouTube.

Waiting for your visit!

Rainy Season? in SihanoukVille, Cambodia. 2012

We love the rain here in SihanoukVille.  Especially when it's sunny and warm everyday (and no rain).
The last 2 weeks here have seen perfect days, everyday.  It was a great time to have the Pacific Partnership 2012 and USNS Mercy to arrive in town for 2 weeks.

The town has been fairly busy all July and August with the great weather.  SihanoukVille's Islands, especially Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem were filled to capacity most days.

A few new businesses opened up in the last few months, including....

• 2NE1 - Korean and Asian restaurant on Ocheteaul Beach
• Bad Panda - Bagels, Attitude and Donuts next to Maybe Later
• Barracuda Blues - Guesthouse on Victory Hill
• Black Coffee Restaurant - Real Cambodian Coffee (and volleyball and pool)
• Cafe Amigo - SihanoukVille's first Estonian Mexican restaurant
• Cafe Noir  - Best coffee in town, right on the beach
• Chan Mony Bungalows - Otres Village riverside bungalows
• Family Bungalow - new guesthouse on Serendipity Beach Road
• Four Rest - Otres Beach Bungalows and bar
• Freelance Bar - Downtown Bar and Guesthouse
• Gas & Surf - Ride big bikes in the day, Spanish food on Ocheteaul at night
• Girlly Bar - SihanoukVille's only all you can eat Indian, sports bar, and happy pizza
• Harbor Lights Palace - Victory Hill resort
• L'Osteria di Gino - Italian restaurant and guesthouse
• Lonely Beach - Koh Rong Island bungalows
•  Maybe Later - Tacos and Attitude, next to Bad Panda,  Serendipity Beach
• Mekong Tours - Tours in Vietnam
• Mushroom Beach Point - Mushroom Point's beach-side sister.  Otres Beach.
• Phka Champey Guesthouse - Rooms and a pool off Ocheteaul Beach
• Phnom Meas Guesthouse - Gardens, restaurants and bungalows on SihanoukVille Mountain
• Robinson Bungalows - Koh Rong Samloem Island bungalows
• Song Saa Private Island - Private Island, with private mansions with swimming pools
• The Last Resort - Rock and Roll bar off Ocheteaul Beach
• Ung Wisal Guesthouse - Guesthouse, sauna and gym downtown
  

 Also, check out the new SihanoukVille-Cambodia.com mobile website as the main website was getting over 5,000 visitors a month from mobile devices.

And approaching 500,000 views, is the SihanoukVille page on YouTube

And with over 50,000,000 photo views, including the ones on the SihanoukVille website, you can check out the SihanoukVille photo albums on Google.

We're having a great time here, swimming, eating, drinking, diving, island hopping, and more.  Hope to see you here soon!

Cheers!

SihanoukVille, Cambodia Spring 2012!

Nothing new in SihanoukVille, Cambodia.....  Really!

We just finished the First Angkor Beer SihanoukVille International Half Marathon, and it was a great success.  Over 1,000 contestants from more than 20 countries.  See you back next year!

Filming finished on Koh Rong Island for a survivor series, and Discovery Channel is in town filming a project.

The Annual SihanoukVille Parade great fun as always. 

Weather's been great, between hot and not too hot, with an occasional rain.

A few new places opened:

• Au Plat du Jour - French restaurant near the market.  But we just call it Plate of the Day.
• Au Delices de Lutin - Another French restaurant on Ocheteaul Beach.
• Cambodia Diving Group - with Cambodia's fastest speedboat to the islands
• Carpe Diem Guesthouse - in back of Otres Beach in the middle of a rice field
• Don Bosco Hotel School - has reopened
• Everything is Everything Bungalows - and beach bar on Otres Beach
• Liming Guesthouse - downtown
• Mi Casa Guesthouse - and Tapas, a Freax Production around the Golden Lion Circle
• Mushroom Beach Point - Like Mushroom Point, but right on Otres Beach
• New York Diner - on Ocheteaul Beach, with a real New York City chef. 
• Phka Champey Guesthouse - on the third street from Ocheteaul Beach, with a pool
• Sisters All Day Breakfast - in 3 locations around Ocheteaul Beach
• Slumdog Curry - in Utopia Plaza.  All Veg of course.
• Terrace Restaurant - on Karaoke Street.  But it's actually very quiet there.

Next, we're waiting for Khmer New Years celebration in the middle of April, a visit from the USNS MERCY hospital ship, and possibly a long weekend for President Obama when he comes to Cambodia for the ASEAN meeting.

The Cambodian Islands are mostly booked up for this season, and are filling up fast for 2012 / 2013 season.

And that's it!  Nothing much really new, the party just continues.

See You Soon!

Happy 2012 from Sunny SihanoukVille, Cambodia!

2012 started out with a BANG.  The first Cambodia Sea Festival was held at Ocheteaul Beach, and an extra 30,000 people came for the celebration.  The government set up tents with mats on the floor, to handle the extra crowd.

Jet Ski races, boxing, horse racing, international food festival, concerts and dancing, and lots of free beer!  The weather was great, the beach was packed.

Dozens of new tourist places opened up in town in time for the festivities, including:
* Adventure Charters Cambodia - Boat tours around Koh Ta Kiev Island
* Banana Beach Bungalows - and Khmer Restaurant on Otres Beach.
* Blame Canada - But don't blame me.  Beach Bar on Otres Beach.
* Blue Orchid Guesthouse - On the river between Otres and Ocheteaul Beaches.
* Cambodia Travel Agency - on Serendipity Beach Road.
* Chill-axn - Chillin' and Relaxin' at this new guesthouse and restaurant on Victory Hill.
*Frogman Diving (again) -inside Hibiscus Guesthouse,  Serendipity Beach Road.
* Lovely Beach Bungalows - on Otres Beach
* Oocha Beach Bar - on Otres Beach
* Papa Pippo Bungalows - and Italian Restaurant on Otres Beach
* Space Cat - Bar on Victory Hill
* Wonderland - Rooms and Restaurant on Otres Beach
* Zen Lounge - Restaurant and Rooms on Otres Beach
* Dam It All Beach Bar - and Tacos on Otres Beach
* Moonlight Rock Guesthouse - You guessed it!  Otres Beach.
and you can see some new island places on the Koh Rong Samloem website

In other news, Otres Beach has grown quite a lot, for the better.  It's a bit more crowded, but still quite quiet (especially in the 1 kilometer garden area).

Lots of these places can be viewed on YouTube on the SihanokVille page.

Stop by SihanoukVille for a visit you won't forget.

See You Soon!