Sihanoukville is Cambodia's premier beach destination, popular with locals, backpackers and expats alike. But despite considerable amounts of recent development, the town can still be disappointing for those who come expecting a Thailand-like beach experience. Sadly, when many people think "Cambodia islands" they draw a blank, but nothing could be further from the truth -- Cambodia has some outstanding islands -- and here are some of our favourites.
People tend to be down on the mainland beaches simply because they just aren't very impressive -- and the child beggars and crusty sexpats only add to the feeling of seediness that the place exudes. Luckily, though, Sihanoukville proper can just be a pit stop on a trip to a true beach paradise, with a bevy of gorgeous Cambodian islands on offer, each with excellent (and relatively undeveloped) beaches.
Well and truly off the map just a decade ago, in recent years the islands off the coast of Cambodia have become a tourist destination in their own right with new accommodation being built on nearly all of them, along with a host of bars, restaurants, dive shops and so on. While they're no longer deserted island paradises they do still possess a serenity not easily found elsewhere in mainland Southeast Asia.