Koh Rong Travel Guide – Visit Koh Rong – Budget Travel In Cambodia

Visit Koh Rong, Cambodia to experience stunning sunsets, luminous plankton and white, sandy beaches. It is the perfect island to enjoy parties that last until sunrise.

After four wonderfully relaxing nights on Koh Rong Sanloem, we took the short speedboat ride to Koh Rong, the livelier of the two islands.

From Koh Rong Sanloem To Koh Rong 

The speedboat from Koh Rong Sanloem to Koh Rong Island costs just $5 and boats leave throughout the day. You will find many of the seafront shops and bars  on both islands selling tickets. Expect to wait; boats are rarely on time.

Arriving In Koh Rong

Most boats will take you to Koh Rong Community Pier. As you pull in, you will immediately notice that there are more bars and restaurants and the place seems busier than Koh Rong Sanloem.

FOOD AND DRINK IN KOH RONG | THINGS TO DO IN KOH RONG

Where To Stay In Koh Rong

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL ACCOMMODATION IN KOH RONG.

These are some of the best budget hostels in Koh Rong, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Nest Beach Club
• Green Ocean Hostel
• Bunnan Bungalows

Villa Koh Rong

We were located in pretty much the exact same spot as we were in Koh Rong Sanloem. We walked off the pier and up the road opposite and our accommodation, ‘Villa Koh Rong’ was on the left, literally one minute away from the beach. The rooms were a decent size and the beds were comfortable enough but with bizarre bedding. I think they thought we were both 8-year-old girls! The bathroom was fine and the WiFi worked well. There was a nice communal area where we could relax. It was fairly new so there were not lots of reviews online but I can recommend it for a short stay in Koh Rong.

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Food And Drink In Koh Rong

There were many places to eat and drink on the island offering Khmer and western food. There were also Indian and Thai restaurants, and BBQs on the beach.

Alley Cinema & Social Club

We only came for a beer but it seemed like a cool place where everyone knew each other. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed and they were showing live sports. They also host movie nights here but there was no information available on any upcoming events during our visit. Map.

BBQ

As the sun sets, a number of BBQs appear outside a lot of the restaurants on Koh Rong beach. We went to a restaurant opposite the White Rose (I can’t remember the name) and had the BBQ set. Each set was $5. Joanna had baracuda fish and I had pork steak. It was delicious. All the sides were great too, as was the pepper sauce. Make sure you treat yourself to a BBQ set!

Da Matti – Italian Restaurant & Reggae Bar

It would be very strange if this island did not have at least one reggae bar. A reggae bar and italian restaurant combined, though? We visited for drinks only and the place was empty, unusual for a reggae bar. It didn’t have the same atmosphere as other reggae bars I had visited. There were no working toilets when we visited so we had just one drink and moved on Map.

Eno Cafe

We came here for a good coffee on our last day and then returned in the evening for some Italian food. I’m glad we did! The food was fantastic. We were ready for some pizza but I also fancied the vegetarian ravioli so we bought both and shared. The food was great and the garlic oil was so delicious, I could have gulped it straight from the bottle. The staff were very appreciative of our feedback. Highly recommended. Map.

Khmer Restaurant

We had our first meal on the island here. It was in such a great location so we could eat our food right on the beach. Our meals came with a free beer. My meal was good, though the meat was a little tough. We returned the next day for breakfast which was a little more chaotic. I had a breakfast set which came with drinks, English breakfast and fruit, though I wasn’t expecting my fruit to come on the same plate as the full English. Dragon fruit and beans, anyone? A few people were complaining that the food and drink was cold. Map.

Nice Food II

The menu in this budget restaurant was huge and contained just about everything we could imagine! By this point, I was running out of dollars and, as there was no ATM on the island and only money-exchangers at very bad rates, I was limited in what I could have. In the end, I went for beans on toast which was unusually cheap. Hardly the kind of food I was looking forward to trying in Cambodia but it did the job 🙂 Map.

Rising Sun

I came here a couple of times in the evening to enjoy sitting outside with my feet in the sand, with a cool beer and watching the people go by. We also came for breakfast. It was a nice place with a big vegetarian selection. They also made ‘happy’ biscuits. Map.

White Rose

This was busy every time we passed, due to its prime location. We came here for evening meal and had a curry which was decent without being exceptional. They were playing Christmas songs (in March) which might have spoilt my enjoyment somewhat. Map.

Things To Do In Koh Rong

Like our time on Koh Rong Sanloem, we spent the entire time on Koh Rong relaxing and enjoying the local area. There were diving, snorkelling, high ropes and other extreme sporting activities and there are all night beach parties should that be your thing. We were more than content to eat, have a few beers and be home by midnight 🙂

Koh Toch Beach

Koh Toch is the main beach that you will be dropped off on. It is lined with bars and restaurants but you can bathe on it in areas too. We enjoyed a night time walk and sitting outside the beach hut bars, drinking cold beer and enjoying the sound of the sea just metres away.

Long Set Beach

We walked to the north of Koh Toch beach, through the woods where all the treehouses are and we arrived at Long Set Beach (or 4k beach, as it’s otherwise known). There were not as many bars and it was much quieter. There was not much shade here though so sunscreen is essential!

Police Beach

We only walked through Police Beach on our way to Sok San beach but, in hindsight, we would have been better off staying at Police Beach. In the evening, this was the location for the late night parties that went on to the early hours. During the day, it was a different place. It was like walking into a chill out zone at a music festival. There was plenty of space to relax and get some rest from the night before, either on the small beach or in nice, relaxing shaded areas with soft ambient music. Map.

Sok San Beach

There were motorbikes that offered to take us to Sok San for $5 but we decided to walk. 45 minutes isn’t far, right? It turns out 45 minutes in the sweltering sun is further than you think! Coming back was even worse as we had no water and nowhere to buy any. The beach itself looked amazing on arrival. However, the cleanest parts of the beach were connected to resorts and we were clearly told we were not welcome. The public areas, unfortunately, were covered in litter. This is a real problem in Cambodia and needs addressing. We stayed for a while but it was just too hot. We should have stayed on the much closer and more relaxed Police Beach. Map.

Which Koh Rong Island Is Better?

Like Koh Rong Sonloem, Koh Rong is a beautiful island with golden beaches and the most incredible blue seas. There are many really cool bars and restaurants. If you like to party, this is probably the best choice but if your all-night party days are behind you, don’t let that put you off coming. The party scene is away from most accommodation. Just choose the right place and you will be fine. I loved visiting both islands and could not choose one or the other. My tip? Do both!

For more information, visit https://www.visitkohrong.com/