Koh Rong is a small island in the gulf of Thailand, about 25 km off the main land from Sihanoukville. It is well known for being a relaxing beach destination as well as a party spot. No matter your goal, this is one of the best places to visit in Cambodia! We recommend spending 3-4 days here at minimum to truly enjoy the variety of beaches and optimally explore the whole island. It’s often hard to know where to stay at a place you haven’t been before. Here is a quick guide to best places to stay on Koh Rong!
Getting to Koh Rong
When planning your trip, it’s important to know how to get to where you want to go. Koh Rong being a small island means there really is only one way to arrive and leave, by ferry. Many people fly into Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, upon their arrival. From there it is roughly 3.5 hours to get to Sihanoukville to board the ferry. The ferry is then around 45 minutes. In total it will cost less than $50.
A second option is taking a flight directly to Sihanoukville. Depending on your plans before Koh Rong this could make more sense. It is an international airport.
We recommend using Expedia, 12Go, or Rome2Rio to book your transportation. Ensure that you are taking the ferry to Koh Rong, not to Koh Rong Sanloem. That is the island next door.
Best Places to Stay By Area
An important factor to consider is where on the island you want to be. Within that is considering if you want to be able to easily explore the island or stay primarily in one area. If you are comfortable riding a motorbike it is highly recommended to rent one during your stay. We will discuss that more based on where you choose to stay.
Koh Touch Beach
The best place to stay is by Koh Touch beach. The ferry will drop you here and it is the main hub of shops and restaurants. It is perfect to not have to transport your luggage very far. It is also very easy to book boat tours and rent a motorbike in this area. It provides walking access to LongSet Beach as well as the home base for the pub crawl that happens weekly. We chose to rent a bike and explore the island during the day. Then you can just walk this beach in the evening for dinner, drinks, party vibes. It’s where a lot of backpackers stay so if you are super social this is perfect.
Here is the list of best places to stay on Koh Touch Beach:
- Happy Elephant (Where we stayed, less than $30 a night)
- The Lost Boys ($10-20 a night)
- The Vagabonds ($8-15 a night)
- Tree House Bungalows ($50-150)
Pagoda Beach Stay
We stumbled upon these resorts when trying to explore Pagoda Beach. The beach access is only through the resorts but it is a huge beach that is very clean with super clear water. The beach is wide with plenty of space and feels pretty much like a private beach. The resorts are on the nicer side and have restaurants included.
At the Secret Garden, it is also possible to rent an ATV for getting around the island. If you are not as comfortable on a motorbike on pretty rough terrain, this is a great option!
Other Places to Stay on the Island
The island is decent size so there are quite a few areas to stay. If you are looking for a super cheap spot check out tent camping on Coconut Beach. At only $5 a night, you will be saving a lot of money but also will be further away from most amenities the island offers. Lonely Beach also has a few places to stay. This isn’t our recommendation because there is no road access so it is walking pretty far with your bags. The beach is not great either.
General Recommendations for Best Places to Stay
When doing your research and booking a room, ensure it is on the correct island! The other island is called Koh Rong Sanloem and generally places will come up for each in your search. They are actively working on improving the island so expect to contiuously find new places to stay on island and new activities! During our visit there still was no hospital or ATM. Bring extra cash and any medicine you might need. They take US dollars and Cambodian Riel.
Aside from a motorbike or ATV, there is maybe two tuk tuks on island so expect minimal transportation options. Taking a boat tour is a great way to visit different parts of the island.
***Hot tip: Check if you hotel has any coupons for the restaurants and if they do discounts on motorbike rentals.***
We hope you found this article helpful! Let us know all about your trip in the comments below!!! Check out these other posts as well to learn more about Cambodia!
Here are some great guided tour options to take the stress out of planning!
