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Sihanoukville town sits in the center of a small peninsula that juts into the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Several fine white sand beaches, easily accessible from the town, line the coast around the peninsula. All of the main beaches are lined with little beach bars and restaurants offering cold drinks, beach umbrellas and chairs, seafood BBQ, evening parties, water sports and more.

Sokha Beach
Occupying all of Sokha Beach, the Sokha Beach Resort offers luxury accommodation, restaurants, bars, water sports, and lots more. Sokha Beach is open to the general public as well as guests of the resort. Sokha is a beautiful beach, about one kilometer long crescent of sand and comparatively wide so that there is plenty of sand left during high tide. The fine white sand is perfectly groomed these days, but the beach is fairly quiet by comparison to nearby Ochheuteal and Serendipity. There are no little seafood shacks on Sokha like the other beaches but a series of grass umbrellas, gazebos and beach bars/restaurants run by the Sokha Beach Resort.
     Ochheuteal and Serendipity Beaches
Ochheuteal Beach, known as ‘UNTAC Beach’ in the early 1990s, is the most popular beach in Sihanouk Ville with little shack-style seafood restaurants and bars lining the almost 2km of the sand’s edge from ‘Serendipity Beach’ to the development area at the south end. Ochheuteal has the full spectrum of beach venues including mid-range hotels and budget guesthouses, beachfront seafood restaurants, all-night party bars and bungalows right on the sand. The beach is long, sandy and narrow, with ‘Serendipity Beach’ at the northern end, a development project at the southern half, and a cluster of mid-range hotels and restaurants near the middle.

The mid-section of Ochheuteal Beach is one of the busiest beach areas in Sihanouk Ville. The area used to cater primarily to upper range tourists, but these days offers a pretty even mix of middle/upper range and budget hotels and guesthouses. Golden Sand and the Seaside Hotel are two of the nicest hotels in this area and Holiday Hotel and Orchidee Guesthouse are old favorites of many. Bungalows and guesthouses in the mid-Ochheuteal area include Sbov Meas Guesthouse, New Christmas Guesthouse, Romny Family Bungalows and a bit farther up the road, the Beachside Molop Por and Markara guesthouses and Jas-mine Hotel.

At Ochheuteal’s extreme northern end, the area commonly known as ‘Serendipity Beach’ is the only beach in Sihanouk Ville to offer bungalows and guesthouse rooms right on the sand as well as on the side of the hill overlooking the ocean. ‘Serendipity’s’ popularity continues to grow, particularly amongst budget and independent travelers. Beach bars and restaurants line the beach and there are often beach parties late into the evening. Serendipity offers several budget and mid-range places including the stylish Malibu Bungalows, Rega Guesthouse and Leng Meng; Cloud 9’s well-known bungalows; the new Cove Bungalows overlooking the sea; the good cooking and beachside rooms at Serenity; and Eden Bar’s budget and mid-range rooms and beachfront bar. There are also now several places between ‘Serendipity’ and the Golden Lion Traffic Circle just a couple of hundred meters from the beach including comfortable mid-range accommodation at Reef Resort and DevaRaja and more budget-friendly digs at Monkey Republic and Mick & Craig’s Sanctuary Bar and Guesthouse. To get to ‘Serendipity Beach’ either walk down from central Ochheuteal or follow Ekareach Street straight through the Golden Lion Traffic Circle, and up and over the hill.
Independence Beach  
Independence Beach gets its name from the the 7-storey The Independence Boutique Resort and Spa (formerly the Independence Hotel) sitting atop the rocky point at the north end of the beach. Generally called ‘Independence Beach,’ many of the locals also refer to this beach as ‘otel bram-pul chann (‘hotel 7-storeys’) and it is labeled ‘7-Chann Beach’ on the in-town street signs.

Independence Beach is, in general, less frequented than other beaches, and sees comparatively few foreign visitors. It’s a good beach to escape some of the hustle and bustle of more touristed beaches like Ochheuteal while still having access to a selection of little beach bars and seafood shacks.

Independence Beach is more than a kilometer long, but the sandy area can be quite narrow, making the beach best when the tide is lower. Grass umbrellas, seafood shacks and drink vendors dot the beach from end to end with a greater concentration toward the southern end where the beach is widest. At the northern end of the beach is the Independence Resort on the hill and a small fresh water lake, which is the source of the Sihanouk Ville’s fresh water (and is rumored to contain crocodiles).
Victory Beach
Victory Beach is really two beaches divided by a rocky point and a small hill. The southern section is known as ‘Hawaii Beach.’ The northern section near Weather Station Hill is known as ‘Victory Beach’ and at the port end of the beach, ‘Port Beach’ and ‘ New Beach.’

‘Victory Beach’ sits at the base of the very popular Weather Station Hill near the Vietnam-Cambodia Monument (‘Victory Monument’). At time of printing, the section of Victory Beach immediately at the base of the Hill was still undergoing a development project including the installation of a full-size retired Antonov AN-24 to be converted into an internet café. The beach is currently still open beach-goers, and just 50 meters up the beach there are several little beachside seafood restaurants offering beach chairs and umbrellas, inner tubes, cold drinks and snacks. A bit further north along Victory Beach, there are a couple of upscale oceanside seafood restaurants and the Holiday Palace Casino and Resort.

Above Victory Beach, Weather Station Hill (a.k.a. Victory Hill, Port Hill, The Hill) is a budget traveler and bar/nightlife area that offers a real variety of places. Budget and backpacker places dominate the side of the Hill above the beach overlooking the ocean and there are several tourist-oriented business on top of the Hill as well, including budget and mid-range guesthouses and hotels, a variety of restaurants and bars, internet, CD shops, and lots more. The top of the Hill also has one of the fastest growing bar and nightlife scenes in town. The main entrance road to the hilltop from Ekareach Street sports several hostess bars and other drinking venues, many staying open into the early morning hours.

‘Hawaii Beach’ is also known as ‘King’s Beach,’ ‘South Channel Beach’ and ‘Lamherkay Beach.’ Like the other major beaches, Hawaii Beach is lined with umbrellas and chairs and little beach shack bars and seafood restaurants, though no where near as densely as Ochheuteal. Like Independence Beach, Hawaii is much less touristed than Ochheuteal and ‘Serendipity.’ Access the beach from the small road at the southern end.

Otres Beach
Otres is the next beach south of Ochheuteal and resembles Ochheuteal in many ways - a three kilometer crescent of near white sand facing the southwest. But Otres is far less touristed than Ochheuteal and almost completely undeveloped by comparison. There are scattered grass umbrellas along the beach and a few thatch roof beach bars and restaurants clustered toward the near end including the Star Bar, Cantina Del Mar, the Daiquiri Hut, and Otres Nautica offering water sports equipment - boats, Hobie Waves, kayaks, etc. Star Bar also offers bungalows on the beach. To get there: The road over the hill from Ochheuteal (through Queen Hill Resort on top of the hill) allows easy motorcycle access to Otres but is blocked to cars. By car from Ochheuteal Beach: follow 1 Kanda Street to the end and turn left, cross the bridge and proceed about 1km to the next right turn. Turn and follow the road about 1km to the beach. From downtown, take Omui Street east about 4km to a fork and bear right. At the next opportunity take a left. It is 2km to the beach. It’s a dirt road much of the way.

Other Beaches
These ‘other’ beaches are outside of the town area and are frequented more by fishermen than tourists, though this is slowly changing. Road conditions can be challenging, especially in the wet season.

Ream Beach
Located in the Ream National Park. Though not untouristed, the Ream Beaches see far fewer visitors than Sihanoukville beaches. Take Route 4 to the Airport road 18km north of town. Turn right, go 9km to the ocean. The beach to the right is long and narrow and frequented more by fishermen than tourists. Behind the beach is a mangrove swamp, which attracts a wide variety of tropical birds. The beaches to the left nearer the Naval Base now have a few vendors selling drinks and renting tubes. There is a small $5 per night guesthouse run by the National Park. Check at the park HQ opposite the entrance to the airport.

Prek Treng Beach
Also known as the ‘Hun Sen Beach,’ the Prek Treng Beach a few kilometers north of town is a long, narrow crescent of sand, a bit rocky in parts, offering comparatively warm shallow waters. Due to Prek Treng’s distance from town and complete lack of services (no guesthouses, restaurants, beach chairs, etc.,) the beach is usually deserted. There is a nearby development project promising a busy future for Prek Treng, but at the moment you can have the beach pretty much to yourself. Just remember to bring drinks and snacks as there are very rarely beach vendors available. To get there follow Hun Sen Beach Drive north a few kilometers past the port area. The beach is on the left just past the first bridge and before you reach the oil port.
Sunset Points    
Sihanouk Ville offers several excellent spots to watch sunset. Most people opt for the beaches. Victory is the most ideally oriented beach for sunset. The view from the other beaches is sometimes partially obstructed depending on the time of year. Of the restaurants, Bungalow Village, Chez Claude, Chez Mari-yan, Nika Guesthouse and Mealy Chenda offer some of the best ocean views. Perhaps the best sunset point is at the top of Sihanouk Ville Mountain. The rocks at the top face west offer a beautiful view of the town, port, ocean and islands.