The most popular of all of Cambodia’s Islands, Koh Rong offers both nightlife and natural beauty.
Located just a short ferry ride from Sihanoukville, Koh Rong Island is Cambodia’s true island paradise. With its white sandy beaches, calm turquoise waters and beach hut restaurants, you can see why Koh Rong has recently become a top tourist and back packers destination.
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Koh Toch Beach
Many tourists get off the ferry at Koh Toch. The main beachside strip that is a bottleneck of back-to-back backpacker crash pads, restaurants and hole-in-the-wall bars blasting competing music. Koh Rong (particularly Koh Toch Beach) is a vital stop on any Southeast Asia party itinerary.
The ferry over will cost you $22 USD return for a ticket. You can buy online or at the ferry stands at the port where you board the ferry. At Koh Rong the beach front is filled with hostels and beach bungalows so there is no shortage of accommodation. We stayed at Koh Rong Boutique hostel for $40 AUD a night.
Long Beach
We only had 1 night on the island and we wanted to see as much as we could. On the South West side of the island is where you will find the best known Long beach, normally accessible by boat taxi we got there by hiring scooters off the locals. The road to Long beach was basically a newly dug out gravel track. It was worth the bumpy 20 min ride, the crystal clear waters and beautiful white sand beaches were stunning. It was a secret quite treasure, all to ourselves. It is the best beach to fly the drone and watch the sunset. Another one to add to your list is the Bioluminescent Plankton, there are tours that take you out at 5:30 pm in the afternoon. We didn’t get time to do it but its on my list when i come back.
Night life
Koh Rong has developed a massive nightlife scene where the bars will be open until early hours dishing up potent cocktails and beers. After dark provides numerous opportunity for a hangover.
Vagabonds is a stoner hangout in Koh Toch Beach that offers cheap drinks, a laid-back vibe, and lots of dreadlocks. They even host a free-beer happy hour, which defies the laws of finance, but who are we to question the economics of having a good time?
Island Boys is another backpacker favorite, with a two-for-one cocktail happy hour and themed party nights. If you rent a room there, you’re entitled to a free-beer happy hour. Watch our for the flying darts.
Bong’s is a favorite with Koh Rong expats and long-term visitors. They offer great value boozing, with two happy hours every day, from 12 to 2 p.m. and again from 4 to 8 p.m. The happiness includes $0.75 draft beer, spirits and mixers for $2, shots for $1, and cocktails for $2.50.
Paradise Bungalows has the best wine selection on the island, and if you’re looking for something a bit more sedate (and dare I say, adult) than the backpacker joints, this is the place to go. Their restaurant and bar have beautiful views so it’s a nice place to start your evening with a sundowner.
Monkey Island has a happy hour two-for-one cocktail special from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The drinks are strong to begin with, so if you’re looking to get drunk before dinnertime, this is the way to do it. The drinks are cheap and the bar is popular, but these days they usually close down by midnight, when the crowds tend to move closer to Koh Toch Village.
Rising from the ashes of the late, infamous Mango Lounge, Q Bar is the newest incarnation under new ownership. They’ve kept the formula the same: a dark, bare room reminiscent of a squat with live DJs every night of the week playing trance and minimal, and drugs sold over the counter.
The Dragon Den Pub is Koh Rong’s first serious bar. What do we mean when we say serious? While most bars on Koh Rong restrict themselves to serving cheap Klang beer and buckets of toxic Mekong whiskey, Dragon Den boasts the largest selection of beer on Koh Rong, including imported wheat beers and Five Men Fresh Beer — a very nice beer brewed in Sihanoukville — on tap for just $1. Best of all, they have their own microbrew creations.
