What was meant to be a 6 hour journey to Koh Rong Samloem turned out to be 12 hours. The mini van journey was extremely hot and tedious and the ferry was not much better either! We arrived at the island around 5pm and we couldn’t quite believe our eyes … we had found paradise. The water was as clear as anything and the sun was just setting making a beautiful sunset.
We stayed at Mad Monkey Hostel which was actually like a resort on a deserted beach on the island. The hostel had lots of bungalows on the beach, a bar/restaurant in the main area and a pier with a bar at the end. We were shown to our room by one of the reps and it was a bungalow that looked right out onto the sea. It was so peaceful. The bungalow room was small but it was perfect for our 2 nights.
The island itself had no WiFi or internet connection so that meant no phone for 3 days. The rooms also had no electricity so that meant no air con and we could only charge our electronics in the communal area. It was like we had gone back 50 years but we absolutely loved the fact we had to connection to the outside world. It was perfect.
On our first night we had dinner (I had fish and chips which were amazing), played drinking games and partied with the rest of the backpackers at the hostel. This is what we pretty much did every night we were on the island and it was a great way to get to know people.
During the days we relaxed on the beach mostly. On one of the days we went on a fishing boat trip around the island. Firstly we went snorkelling in the sea where we saw lots of fish and lovely coral. We then sailed to a fishing spot where he Cambodian men showed us how to fish. The fishing was lots of fun and many people on the trip (apart from me!) managed to catch fish. The fish we caught we actually put on the BBQ and ate. This was one of the tastiest fish I have ever eaten! The water on the fishing trip was so blue and the sand was so white. It was like something out of a film.
We actually decided to stay an extra night on this island because we were loving it so much. We stayed in a dorm with our friends which was quite cramped and extremely hot but so much fun.
That same day as the boat trip we travelled to the other island (Koh Rong). Even though the two islands are so close together it took us 6 hours to get from one to the other because of the amount of ferry changes and waiting around we had to do! However, the waiting around was 100% worth it because oh my godness the island was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The whitest sand, the greenest palm trees and the bluest sea. It was paradise.
We stayed in tiny little bungalows on the beach which were perfect for the type of environment we were in. There was electricity on this island, however still no air con so it was very hot. We spent our time here mostly relaxing after the crazy few days in Koh Rong Samloem. The beach was so lovely to just lie on and it was nice to have a few early nights (even if we were joined by a huge lizard).
Our time on the islands were one of the best things we have done on our travels so far. We had so much fun meeting so many awesome people, drinking far too many buckets and getting to experience the most beautiful beaches ever. The past few days are definitely something that we will remember. Next stop … Siem Reap!
Adventure Awaits... 