Review of Budget Hotels on Cambodia's Islands and Beaches

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Where We Slept is our hotel roundup from our time on the road. We hope it helps budget travelers see how far their dollar can go--even though sometimes, it's not far enough!


In Sihanoukville, we stayed at New Sea View Villa right off Serendipity Beach. They had good wifi, free book exchange, and pool tables. They didn't have an AC room our first night so we had to stay in a fan room ($12). The room was fine but leaving the window open meant we heard loud music until 3am. It was pretty bad. Coming back from the islands, we stayed here again, this time in an AC room for $18. With the windows closed, you could hardly hear the music and we slept like rocks.

Koh Rong Samloem Villas, the bungalows associated with EcoSea Dive, go for $25/night and are beautiful. They have full glass doors opening out to the ocean, which means nice views, though hot mornings. If you're looking to save money, you can also pay $5 for a bed in a huge canvas tent. They call it dorms, but it's really more like a tented bungalow, porch and all. We stayed in one of these our last night since all the bungalows were full and were the only ones in our huge tent. If you're diving here, you also get a nice discount on the bungalows!

 
View out of our bungalow at Koh Rong Samloem Villas

In Koh Rong, we stayed at Rising Sun Guesthouse for $7.50/night (minimum two night stay). They didn't have fans so sleeping was a bit hot and, the first night, incredibly loud. There are better options farther down the beach such as Monkey Island and Treehouse, though they're a lot more expensive. The nicest bungalows, AC and all, are at Paradise, and go up to $65/night.

 
sunset on Koh Rong Samloem

In Kep, we stayed at Tree Top Bungalows for $15/night in a bungalow with an ocean view. Mostly, we picked the place for the sunset, but unfortunately, all we got were clouds. Even though this guesthouse was out of town, we didn't find it unmanageable to walk in and out. Transport to your next location will pick you up at the hotel, although booking with them versus directly in town incurs a surcharge.

More Cambodia Islands and Beaches

Interested in seeing the food and beaches of Cambodia without paying for a plane ticket? Check out our coastal Cambodia photo tour.

Have any tips for backpacking coastal Cambodia? Let us know in the comments!