Leaving Battambang and Siem Reap behind we headed coastwards.
Champa Lodge was on the River Praek Tuek Chhu at Kampot.
The Beach House was at the famous seaside resort of Kep.
And White Sand Ark was at Sok San Beach on the island of Koh Rong.
Kampot – Champa Lodge – 2 days chilling
After a six hour van ride from Battambang we arrived at a dark Kampot.
A tuk tuk driver eagerly agreed a deal to take us to our accommodation, Champa Lodge.
We felt for him as, in the sweltering pitch black, we bumped up and down dirt tracks and failed to find the place.
Eventually, success, when we spotted a wooden sign we should have seen before.
Rightly so, we gave him a bit more money for his efforts and we strode up to the lodge.
We were welcomed by the yapping of two friendly dogs who came bounding from the shadows, and then by our convivial host.
He settled us in to a cosy cabin, complete with a bed, wardrobe, wall-mounted fan and an outdoor bathroom which always feels a bit exotic.
Our days at Champa Lodge were very lazy after the almost constant moving and sightseeing of the previous week and due to one of us having a cold
This accommodation is owned by a Frenchman who knows his food and imports Belgium beer for his guests.
The breakfasts and evening meals were all nicely cooked and presented.
The two friendly dogs thought so too; when we had food they loved us and nestled by our legs as if to say ‘give us a bit, please’.
All we did was set up by the river, read, and watch the fishing boats go by.
We could have kayaked or taken out a boat, but we just relaxed and enjoyed the occasional company of a great Dutch couple over an evening beer.
The most exciting thing was someone felled a tree.
Champa Lodge was great.
There are a few things to do in Kampot if you are feeling active
- Pepper Plantation Visit
- Bokor National Park
- Bokor hill Station
- Phnom Chhngok Cave Temple
- Wat Sampov Pram
- Arcadia Waterpark
Kep – The Beach House – 5 days
It took a taxi ride of only about 45 minutes to get us from Kampot to Kep.
The Beach House is perched on the end of the main drag in this popular little sunny seaside resort.
First thing we did was to get a ride to a local bank and try to change some pounds into local cash.
Sadly for us they didn’t accept our pristine sterling notes, but we were able to use an ATM and withdraw a couple of 100 dollar bills (for a small fee).
The bank was then able to break one of the bills into smaller notes for us. Cash waas needed as not many places take cards and we were heading to an island with no ATMs.
Once again, we settled into a relaxing set of days.
Breakfasts were always good, and we strolled on a clean beach, had a dip in the ocean or simply read by the hotel pool with its rocky waterfall.
At night we had a few cold cans of beer and watched the world go by on the beach road below.
We ate in a local oceanside restaurant as well as a burger bar where a friendly French guy served great food and banter.
Kep Crab Market
In the 1920s, Kep was a favourite seaside retreat for the ruling powers of the colonial French. Nowadays, the French mansions stand abandoned, but the town has seen a resurgence in tourism eager to explore its beaches and perhaps most importantly its amazing seafood! Even Rick Stein has been here
Over the years, Kep has become synonymous with blue crabs, which are pulled straight from the sea and sold in heaps at the market. These crabs have gained fame far beyond the region
This hive of activity was a maelstrom of buying and selling around endless displays of crabs, fish, household goods and clothes.
We enjoyed some fresh crab at an oceanside eatery as a nearby Chinese family devoured an impressive platter of lobsters. Yum yum.
Koh Rong – White Sand Ark – 8 days
The van ride from Kep to the ferry port for Koh Rong was, at times, misery.
Roads in Cambodia are a bit hit and miss, as there are vast stretches of dirt track instead of smooth tarmac.
And the dirt tracks are bumpy enough to knock your fillings out.
After about four hours of bumps and groans we arrived at the ferry and what a relief it was.
We killed some time at a coffee bar before boarding a fast catamaran to the sunbaked island of Koh Rong.
The boat zipped along on the smooth sea and we crossed to the island in no time.
We hopped off the boat and onto a taxi truck which took us to White Sand Ark on Sok San Beach.
This really is a nice little place to stay, sat on a paradise strip of pure white sand caressed by transparent turquoise sea.
It is run by a lovely, young French staff.
It has a Japanese theme, complete with red lanterns and oriental pictures on the wall.
Cambodian staff rake the sand smooth and keep the rooms tidy.
American jazz drifts through the reception.
And Mr Bean films are some of the movies projected onto a white wall at night.
We accessed our room via a steep spiral staircase.
The theme being Japanese, our bed was a mattress on a low plinth.
Falling into bed was easy enough, but getting up was an art that needed some thought.
Breakfast offered a fine array of choices from fruit and muesli to eggs and sausage, pancakes and bread.
To wash it down there was lovely fresh juice and delicious Cambodian chocolate coffee.
We spent yet more days lazing in the hot sun on the loungers provided.
At night we strolled along a sandy lane, where scooter riders dodge youngsters and beach dogs.
We found a nice little local eatery for dinner, as well as a very good pizzeria over a rickety bridge and up a hill.
White Sand Ark was terrific.
The staff couldn’t have looked after it, or us, better.
Watch out for that sun on that pristine beach, though, or you’ll BBQ yourself.