Must-Visit Picturesque Paradise: Best White Sand Beaches on Koh Rong Island, Cambodia
Koh Rong Island in Cambodia is a surprising heaven in SouthEast Asia. It blew my mind when I discovered there are so many dreamy white sand beaches around the whole island. In this article you will get to know 5 awesome white sand beaches on Koh Rong Island. If you are an ocean lover traveling to SouthEast Asia, don’t miss Koh Rong Island, Cambodia and these white sand beaches.
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- Koh Rong Resort recommendation- Sweet Dreams Koh Rong: wake up to dreamy sea views, sunrise and infinity pool at this modern beachfront gem!
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List of Contents
Beach on West Side of Koh Rong Island
This side of the island is a quieter, more high end area with the most expensive hotel on the island- Royal Sand Hotel. And the road here is very smooth, they even have street lights on this side. The scenery is unbeatable too.
1.Sok San Beach, Koh Rong
When I saw the photos of Sok San Beach before the trip, I was like I must visit this place when I go to Koh Rong Island! However, when we went there, there’s no direct spot to Sok San Beach. Fortunately, we found a little path going towards a paradise-like beach in between Sok San Beach and Royal Sand Hotel.
With its pure white sand, gentle, constant waves, panoramic views of the ocean meeting the sky, breathtaking sunset, and secluded ambiance, we still think that this was the most serene, stunning and dreamy beach we’ve visited on Koh Rong Island, Cambodia. Plus, we went in October, and there was no one at the beach but us. It’s like our big private beach, it feels amazing!
Sok San Beach might not be the closest one to go to from the most vibrant south side of the island, but it is 10000% worth a visit! Don’t miss this one!
Hotel nearby Sok San Beach and Royal Beach: The Royal Sands Koh Rong (luxury resort)
Exact location of the beach: Between Sok San Beach and The Royal Sands Hotel
Closest port: Sok San Port
Beach on South East Side of Koh Rong Island
This side of Koh Rong Island is very convenient and great, as it is close to the most vibrant and party area of the island- Koh Touch Beach, yet it is quiet and clean here.
1. Long Set Beach & 4K Beach, Koh Rong
This beach is a long, wide white sand beach, one side is full of coconut trees and the other side is Casuarina trees.
As the water is crystal clear at Long Set Beach/4K beach, you can also see many fishes when daydreaming here.
If you are looking for snacks, food, drinks, there are also a few restaurants, nice hotels, and a small grocery store here.
The view and vibe is just beautiful, and when the weather is good, you can can see Sihanoukville city from here.
There’s a port here as well, we were actually arrived here, because this is the closest port to the east side of the island where we lived.
Hotels nearby Long Set Beach & 4K beach:
- Long Beach Resort Koh Rong
- Scarlet Sails Resort
- Long Set Resort
- Beach Walk Koh Rong
- Koh Rong Hill Beach Resort
Exact location of Long Set Beach & 4K beach: click here
Closest port: Long Set Ferry Pier
Beach on East Side of Koh Rong Island
East side of Koh Rong is my favourite side to stay for nights, as I find it very convenient to travel to the north, west and south of the island, and this side is more quiet compared to the south and it has high quality hotels & resorts to choose from, it also has beautiful white sand beaches.
1.Pagoda Beach, Koh Rong
At this white sand beach, the water is more calm, which is perfect to do water activities like SUP and kayaking.
Our hotel staff told us that this beach is perfect to witness bioluminescence (the blue sparkling plankton) at night time. If we go kayaking we could see it, but we didn’t do it this time as we were tired from the South East Asia trip. But if you visit Koh Rong Island, it is highly recommended that you check it out!
What’s more? This is on the east side of the island, which means it’s the perfect spot to watch the sunrise on Koh Rong Island! If you will also stay at this side of the island, or simply just want to see the sunrise, you can come to this beach!
Nearby hotel recommendation:
- The Secret Garden Koh Rong
- Sweet Dreams Koh Rong (we stayed here, and I highly recommend it!!!) You can see my detailed review here.
Exact location of Pagoda Beach: click here
Closest port: Long Set Ferry Pier
Beaches on Koh Rong Island that are high on my list for the next visit
1.Coconut Beach (on the east side of the island)
This beach was high on my list of places to go on Koh Rong Island as I’ve seen photos and heard the reward is amazing for coconut trees and beach lovers.
However, it is a bit more hidden beach and harder to get to, as you are supposed to go through a small path.
We were looking for the beach in the evening, and unfortunately we missed the entrance and couldn’t find it, so we ended up not making it there.
Location of Coconut Beach, Koh Rong Island: click here
2.Lonely Beach (on the north side of the island)
Compared to the above beaches, Lonely Beach is a secluded hidden gem on Koh Rong Island also with lots of coconut trees. It is also harder to get to, but from all the photos I’ve seen, it appears to be perfect for the free-spirited and people who are into remote beaches.
I am saving this for the next time I come back to Koh Rong island. If you visit when you go to the island, let me know how you like it:)
Location of Lonely Beach, Koh Rong Island: click here
Are International credit cards accepted on Koh Rong Island? Should I use credit cards or cash?
In general, credit cards are accepted at hotels and big restaurants. I had no problem using my Taiwanese credit card and my Italian friend also had no problem using her Italian card.
However, if you want to pay tips or shop at small vendors and grocery stores, you will need to bring USD (yes, in Cambodia USD is widely used). It’s better to bring $1 and $5 notes, as things in Cambodia are quite cheap.
For transportation tickets such as bus and ferry, you can only pay with cash if you purchase them offline. So, I’d suggest buying them online in advance so you can use a credit card and avoid the need to carry too much cash in USD.
How to get to Koh Rong Island from Siem Reap or Phnom Penh Cambodia?
Either you are going to Koh Rong Island from Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, you need to get to Sihanoukville city first and take a ferry from there.
We took the ferry with Island Speed Ferry Cambodia from Sihanoukville and it was clean, comfortable and a 45 minutes smooth ride. I’d recommend going with them too and booking your tickets in advance here.
As for how to get to Sihanoukville from Siem Reap or from Phnom Penh , you can take day bus, night bus or book a private driver.
For us, we took a night bus (with Giant Ibis) from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville to save daytime hours on transportation, and we still think it was a good idea. The bus was good, clean, with a toilet and we were able to sleep since it had a cabin-style setup, allowing passengers to choose between single cabin or double cabin.
You can check the price and availability for the bus tickets to Sihanoukville from Siem Reap here or here for the tickets from Phnom Penh, where I booked ours. It’s a very convenient and fast way to secure the seats. After booking, you will receive an e-ticket with a QR code via email like this. For a detailed review about the night bus, I will share it here soon.
When is better to visit Koh Rong Island, Cambodia?
The dry season in Koh Rong, Cambodia is from November to May, so If you prefer to avoid rainy days, this is the best time to visit Koh Rong Island.
However, if you prefer a less crowded island and don’t mind a bit of rain or its uncertainty, you can visit in October, as we did. During our stay in Koh Rong, it rained approximately 50% of the time, but the other 50% was sunny and hot.
Why visit Koh Rong Island?
Koh Rong Island is a paradise island where you can find many beautiful white sand beaches around the whole Koh Rong Island.
This island also offers something for everyone. If you enjoy lively parties, head to the Koh Touch area. For those seeking peace and quality moments, the eastern or western parts are ideal.
When choosing accommodations, you will find a wide range of options. From high-quality luxury resorts to mid-priced or budget choices, and even unique accommodations like treehouses.
One more good thing about it is that the main roads here are well developed, makes it easy to explore the island by driving a scooter by ourselves.
What are other things to do on Koh Rong Island?
Other than visiting white sand beaches, there are still many things to do on Koh Rong Island. Such as:
- Visiting waterfall: Koh Rong Waterfall , and Prek Svay Waterfall.
- Going to Prek Ta Sok Eco-Tourism Community Koh Rong for kayaking at the mangrove forest.
- Having a little bit of self care: taking yoga classes, retreat sessions or massages at Beach Walk Koh Rong hotel or The Royal Sands Koh Rong resort.
- Joining snorkeling or diving tour arranged by your hotel.
- Kayaking or trying SUP at The Secret Garden Koh Rong hotel or Sweet Dreams Koh Rong resort or Long Set Resort orBeach Walk Koh Rong hotel.
- Watching bioluminescent plankton.
- Partying at Kah Touch Beach area (this area has more people, stores, bars and nightlife).
- Visiting fisherman’s village: Lototray Fisherman village.
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