(Sokha
Beach, Sihanoukville, Kingdom of Cambodia)
 We didn’t want to spoil our first visit to Sihanoukville, and decided to stay in the best five-star hotel… which was a super easy choice, as there is only one: the large, luxurious, impressive yet amazingly refined and intimate Sokha Beach Resort. Sihanoukville is still a secret paradise to westerners. A popular destination for upper-class Cambodian, with a pinch of Chinese and Russians during the high season, it had been a longtime favorite for backpackers escaping the touristy Bali, Samui or Phuket. If some of them still haunt Serendipity and the cheap guesthouses constituting the vast majority of lodging along that popular beach (which you should avoid for its professional thieves and not that clean water), the happy-few drive directly their Bentley, BMW and Range Rover from Phnom Penh to Sokha Beach Resort. We got the address recommended by the Secretary of State of Tourism and another eminence from another influent ministry, plus many expats well established in Phnom Penh. This is a mouth to ear address, frequented by a returning week-end / holiday clientele. Which is fine; as if you only check the comments in Tripadvisor, some of them don’t invite you to drop your Vuitton bags in this hotel. We experienced it in the peak season, during the peak Easter week-end: which was ideal to check how the staff would interfere with the flood of visitors, and how good/bad would be the pool and beach atmosphere.  The day of our arrival was a Thursday. This is still a period of quite a low occupancy and, as a matter of fact, the check-in process was as smooth as Cambodian silk. A quick and friendly check-in by a multi-lingual staff: all the receptionists and concierge speak quite a good English, and there is a Russian guest-relation officer whose level of English is proficient. We heard a group of French travellers conversing in their idiom with a staff member. This is worth the mention, as outside Phnom Penh, foreign languages are not commonly used; even in comfortable hotels. But Sokha is five star, and you just can expect English-speaking receptionists and waiters in such an high-end hotel. After enjoying our welcome drink (a delicious and refreshing mix-fruits juice), we have been sent to our Ocean Wing Deluxe bedroom. This is the most popular category of rooms, reserved to the regular guests and those, like us, booking in advance (do not hesitate and proceed one month before your visit). We recommend a garden-floor room (with direct access to the landscaped garden, pool and beach) or, if you like the ocean breeze and the sea-view, a 3rd-floor room. Spacious (44 sq.m), classy with an elegant timber floor and high ceiling, contemporaneous Khmer tropical-wood furniture, a king-size bed and a ritzy bathroom equipped with a large handmade bathtub, our room had the same standards as a five- star resort in Thailand or Bali. We liked the top-quality toiletry-kit. We disliked the safe: too small for a laptop… but who comes at Sokha with the serious intention of working? We spend each evening seated in the large balcony, contemplating the sunset over the ocean. Indeed a dreamed room for a dreamed weekend.  Those visiting the resort with their family should opt for the 132 sq.m, two-bedroom Executive Suite. We inspected the 73sq.m 1960’s Deluxe Villas (a group of small leisure houses, once owned by the Royal Family; the King is still a regular guest of the hotel). Ideal for those looking for more intimacy, they can’t beat in term of luxury, style and comfort the Water Chalets: all of them boost more than 100 sq.m of refined atmosphere and decoration, with a fantastic lagoon view. From the exclusive 278 sq.m , two-bedroom Mohori Presidential Chalet you can even observe the picturesque activity of a local fishermen’s village nearby. Tailored made for VIP guests, it has a formal entrance lobby, a spacious living room, a dining area and kitchenette, two open-air shower rooms, two large Jacuzzi, and even a private swimming pool. This is, with the more classic yet classy 308 sq.m Royal Sokha Suite, a favorite for the high-level dignitaries visiting Sihanoukville.  If you don’t want to spend much for a maximum intimacy, we advise a Lake Side Deluxe room (45sq.m), located in the new perimeter of the Resort: 500 meters by complimentary electric-car transportation from the main lobby and restaurants, but close to the beach, it has 112 rooms and a cyclopean, so nicely designed swimming pool which nobody used during our visit. Next stay at Sokha, we shall definitely experience this option. Last but not least, it stands close to the new and well-equipped Fitness Center and pleasant Jasmine SPA (complimentary sauna/steambath with hot/cold tubs, and attractive treatment packages).  Now, we came not only for the hotel, but first of all for the beach… It looks so nice on the pictures. But all resorts worldwide like to show white sand, clean water virgin beaches; once you are on site the impression is almost always deceiving, if not depressing. Even with the best brands. From what we googled, the Sokha beach looked too nice to be true… but, WOW! White powder immaculate sand, pristine water, a pleasant breeze all the time, and lots of beds where to relax without being disturbed by your neighbour’s kids. No children shouting and splashing, but a dreamed place for intimacy, relaxation and romance. Surely one of the most beautiful beaches which we have ever seen in South East Asia, it is considered as the number one in Sihanoukville. Putting aside the dirty and poorly famed Serendipity, Otres and Independence beaches are equally lovely indeed. But they don’t offer the serenity of Sokha… nor the same level of security. This is not a secret: Cambodia is a developing country, where larceny is common. Don’t leave your values, electronics or even clothes unattended on a public beach; gangs of beggars (quite often young orphans) will make you come back almost naked to your hotel. At Sokha Beach, the level of security is such that no intrusion is possible. A friend of ours, once a resident in Sihanoukville, purchased a yearly pass to the Sokha pool and beach: he always left his IPhone and belongings while swimming or having a drink at the bar, and never got even one dollar stolen. This is maybe, besides its dreamed location and luxury, what makes Sokha the best five-star seaside resort in the country.  The clean air of the sea always gives good appetite. Breakfast is served full-buffet style at Champa Café & Bar, with plenty of fresh fruits, a nice Asian corner with the best noodle soups ever, and authentic espresso coffee. The staff was always here to remove our empty plates and propose more coffee: even on Saturday and Sunday, when all the Easter vacationers invaded the hotel. This trendy restaurant, located between the lobby and the pool-side, is the place where the action goes all day long It is always full. F&B is improving a lot with the appointment of Paolo, the new manager who spent a brilliant career as a chef with Royal Caribbean Cruises, Rembrandt Bangkok, Hilton 33 Kuala Lumpur and The Regency Kuwait.  If Champa is chic buffet style, gastronomy is available at Lemongrass. Sokha Beach Resort's premium beachside restaurant, it has an impressive wine cellar, and specializes in high-end Asian cuisine (Khmer of course, with also a lot of Japanese teppanyaki, sushi and sashimi). It opens to the Riviera style, cool Deck Tapas Bar, where we sat for a relaxed yet elegant dinner al fresco, one the beach, with cinematographic view on the sea. Those who don’t like Asian food can order grilled imported steaks and fresh seafood from the tank. We tasted signature dishes like XO Scallops (small tapas, delicious, melting in our mouth), Sea Lobster Laksa (with lots of coconut milk, aromatic herbs and spices), and a yummy Warm Chocolate Tart with Honeycomb & White Chocolate Marquise. All for a bill set under USD 20! Which was also the reasonable price for a double shot of Bas Armagnac Château de Laubade, pairing a cigar Montecristo N°2. The staff was as professional as motivated. Very courteous also: always a kind word, escorting us to the door when we left the restaurant and lot of good manners. This is actually what you expect from a five-star hotel. Everything was fine with Lemongrass and Deck Tapas Bar, indeed.  We also enjoyed the new China House. The design is… quite tacky. Like it or not, what does matter is what you get in your plate, and how you get it. Again, a good mark to Sokha, thanks to the traditional Shark Fins Soup, Rice with Sausage, Pork with Soya and Shitake, fresh Kails (green vegetable with a slightly bitter taste) and the succulent Shrimps with Salted Eggs, or the warmly recommended Garoupa with Soya Sauce (our favorite dish). The bill was twice more expensive compared with Lemongrass. This is a chic Chinese restaurant! Epicureanism is important to the Sino-Khmer and expats visiting Sokha, and the new challenge of the hotel consists of developing an ambitious F&B policy, with new chefs imported from abroad, more staff. We shall see in a few months how it looks and tastes. Though already an excellent and fairly priced gourmet experience. You won’t get ruined by the very local rate applied by the Sokha Beach Resort (starting from approximately USD 120 per night in the high season, plus attractive special offers and extended “happy hours” offers at bars and restaurants), and maybe could you make a profit out of it playing in the adjacent cyclopean casino which, if gambling is not your style, will give you an approach of how enthusiastic Asian people can be when they sit with the whole family in from of a roulette, black-jack, or a simple slot machine This amazing hotel is a one of the luxurious properties of Sokha Group of Hotels Cambodia. SOKHA BEACH RESORT:
Street 2 Thnou Sihanouk Ville, Kingdom of Cambodia
PHONE: +855 34 935 999 FACSIMILE: +855 34 935 888 TOLL-FREE: +65 62 32 51 17 E-MAIL: reservations@sokhahotels.com
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