Where To Stay In Koh Rong

Monkey Island
Doing what they do best, Monkey Island is the work of Sihanoukville’s Monkey Republic, and attracts a similar, youngish crowd looking for a party and the chance to meet other travellers.

Nineteen bungalows are scattered on and behind a picture-perfect white-sand beach. They can take either three or four sleepers, all have fans and mosquito nets, and private balconies. They also have fire extinguishers – the only ones we saw on the island – and large safety boxes. The bungalow walls are made in a traditional method using layers of thatch. A generator runs from dusk till 23:00ish nightly, but by then it has cooled down enough that fans are superfluous, except for a couple of particularly hot spells during the year.

Monkey Island’s big shady bar and restaurant looking out to sea is a social hub -- it was designed for socialising and they’ve even got a few bartenders with fire-spinning skills to keep the party lively. The restaurant serves a variety of delicious Western and Khmer dishes but their Thai food is exceptional, especially given the remoteness of the island. Food and drink prices are quite low -- drinks are at the same prices you’ll find on the mainland. Staff are very friendly and professional. Snorkelling gear is available to rent for $2.50. The property is in about the middle of the beach – neither crammed amid the tightly packed guesthouses, nor at the far stretch where accommodation is more spaced out and quiet.