The islands off Cambodia’s south coast offer a rare sense of escape, where untouched beaches, vibrant reefs and exclusive resorts evoke the charm of South-East Asia before mass tourism truly arrived. Luxury here is barefoot, blissful and beautifully off-grid.
An indulgent beach break on one of the isolated islands off Cambodia’s coast is the perfect end to any tour of the country.
Forget Thailand or Bali, if you’re looking for the kind of secluded luxury found on South-East Asian islands before the boom in tourism, Cambodia is the place to head to.
With powdery white sands, turquoise waters and emerald rainforest, the islands of the Koh Rong Archipelago are picture-perfect, both on land and underwater.
Play out your Robinson Crusoe fantasies on Koh Krabey, a tiny private island just 15 minutes by speedboat from the mainland.
That islands can be this beautiful yet so little visited is something of a marvel in this day and age.
Encompassing a number of picturesque islands including Koh Ouen and Koh Bong, the Koh Rong Archipelago delivers the kind of off-the-radar experience that many of South-East Asia’s islands offered 30 years ago, prior to a rise in tourism. Silky, sugar-fine beaches stretch for miles and slope gently down into brilliantly blue waters that support brightly coloured corals, delicate seahorses and schools of iridescent fish.
Just off the coast of Koh Rong and easily accessible from Sihanoukville are the two tiny ‘Sweetheart Islands’. Connected by a footbridge, these exquisite little isles form one of the smartest and most romantic hotels in the country, Song Saa Private Island. South of Sihanoukville and just 15 minutes from the mainland is the quiet island of Krabey, a 30-acre private island home to the sensational Six Senses Krabey Island resort, one of the first in the Six Senses stable.
Relax into the slow pace of life on the small island of Koh Russey, or Bamboo Island, a short boat ride off the south coast of Cambodia. Set amidst powder-white sands and lush tropical greenery, JATI retreat is an all-villa hideaway offering refined privacy and expansive ocean views.
Situated on a private island off the south coast of Cambodia, Six Senses Krabey Island is only a short boat ride from the mainland. Surrounded by a lush canopy of trees amid 30 acres of tropical jungle, the resort feels blissfully remote and offers a perfect hillside hideaway.
In the Koh Rong archipelago, a pair of sister islands known as Song Saa, meaning ‘the sweethearts’, provide the setting for this peaceful private retreat.