Sihanoukville

Not much info is available on this port. Can anyone provide information on what to do while in Sihanoukville? :confused:

we were there last january not much to do , took a tour from the ship very boring , the only good comment we had are from other that went to phnom penh but a long ride

hope it help sylvain

This is an artificial city in a mostly failed attempt to create a tourist trap (er, I mean, attraction). There is not much of interest there. If I were there and wasn't going to take the trip to PP, I would probably just stay on the ship.

Not much info is available on this port. Can anyone provide information on what to do while in Sihanoukville? :confused:

Unless you like sitting on a beach and doing absolutely nothing, going to cheap bars or taking a tour of a ill kept wild life preserve, this place has little to offer. The port of call before this one on my upcoming cruise is Bangkok. So to avoid this port, we are getting off the ship in Bangkok to spend a bit of extra time and then flying that evening to Phnom Penh (one hour flight; jet service; approx. $140 US) where we overnight. That gives us a full day in the capital and then we face only one 4 hour ride back to the ship (ours doesn't leave until 11 that night) rather than trying to go to the capital from the coast and endure 8 hours r/t on a bus for 6 hours of sightseeing. This makes Sihanoukville a 5 minute drive through getting back to the ship, and that's about all the time it deserves.

Thanks for your responses, this port does sound horrible! Could be a day to spend in the spa or lying by the ship pool!

However, if anyone has discovered anything of interest, please let me know.

Thanks for your responses, this port does sound horrible! Could be a day to spend in the spa or lying by the ship pool!

 

However, if anyone has discovered anything of interest, please let me know.

What is your next port? Bangkok? How about a land tour to Angkor Wat?

What is your next port? Bangkok? How about a land tour to Angkor Wat?

Now that sounds interesting. Do you know how far away Angkor Wat is? Do have any information on local touring companies?

Now that sounds interesting. Do you know how far away Angkor Wat is? Do have any information on local touring companies?

You don't need a tour company. 4 hour drive into Phnom Penh. Then a Bangkok Air flight to Siem Reap (or a 4 hour fast boat ride or a 4-6 hour bus ride depending on how much time you have-the fast boat is truly a lot of fun and really lets you see Cambodian life in the country). The plane takes an hour. Flights on SPECIFIC days ONLY. Not every day has a flight direct from PP to Siem Reap. Flights leave at 12:30 and 3:45 (there are others, but the early morning flights are too early). Find a hotel-I always recommend the FCC. Almost all hotels in Siem Reap have airport pick up service and either drivers/guides on staff or they have access to great drivers/guides. Should cost you about $350-400pp-private car/taxi/bus to PP, flight to Siem Reap, hotel for one night in Siem Reap, airport pickup/driver/guide, entry fee to the temples and a flight to Bangkok (again on Bangkok Air).

Greatam KNOWS Southeast Asia. If GT says X and the guidebooks say Y then X is the answer. If I say X and GT says Y, then Y is the answer.

When in doubt, follow greatam's advice.

Greatam KNOWS Southeast Asia. If GT says X and the guidebooks say Y then X is the answer. If I say X and GT says Y, then Y is the answer.

 

When in doubt, follow greatam's advice.

Well, thank you.

A lot of the knowledge I have gleaned in Vietnam and Cambodia is the school of hard knocks (usually the best way, IMHO). Plus a lot of help when I first started going over there from the kids/backpackers on Lonely Planet forums and those just hanging out. Those kids are generally sharp, don't have a lot of money to make a lot of mistakes, and if one doesn't know the answer, a friend does. Not my style of travel, but their wise advise has bailed me out of quite a few situations where I could have been in deep doo-doo.

I leave Friday for 6-8 weeks over there (plus probably a couple places in the MidEast-hope they quit shooting pretty quick). With any luck, my hotel in PP will be open by Valentine's Day. One more glitch and I am going to sell the d*** thing to the first Cambodian walking by with CASH. The hotel has been the hardest thing I have done in a long time.

Well, thank you.

 

A lot of the knowledge I have gleaned in Vietnam and Cambodia is the school of hard knocks (usually the best way, IMHO). Plus a lot of help when I first started going over there from the kids/backpackers on Lonely Planet forums and those just hanging out. Those kids are generally sharp, don't have a lot of money to make a lot of mistakes, and if one doesn't know the answer, a friend does. Not my style of travel, but their wise advise has bailed me out of quite a few situations where I could have been in deep doo-doo.

 

I leave Friday for 6-8 weeks over there (plus probably a couple places in the MidEast-hope they quit shooting pretty quick). With any luck, my hotel in PP will be open by Valentine's Day. One more glitch and I am going to sell the d*** thing to the first Cambodian walking by with CASH. The hotel has been the hardest thing I have done in a long time.

Have a good trip.

Good luck with the hotel. I look forward to visiting it (as soon as my wife's health improves enough so I can return to traveling).

We had a great day in "Snookieville" - got a taxi (the driver stayed with us all day for very little $), checked out the market, went to the fancy hotel for a beer on the beach, went to a local temple, looked at the local Catholic church, had a bite to eat, and had wonderful $5 massages by blind masseuses. We also bought a few things at the restaurant (Holy Cow) made by local kids.

You can have a good day in this port if you want!

Cheers - Dee

I went to Angkor Wat so missed this port but my friends who took the shuttle said that I did not miss anything. In fact, one of the ladies took one look and stayed on the bus and went back to the ship.

Not much info is available on this port. Can anyone provide information on what to do while in Sihanoukville? :confused:

I went to Angkor Wat so missed this port but my friends who took the shuttle said that I did not miss anything.

Is this a shuttle from the dock into town? Or do you mean a ship's tour?

Thanks....looking for info on this port too.

We had a great day in "Snookieville" - got a taxi (the driver stayed with us all day for very little $), checked out the market, went to the fancy hotel for a beer on the beach, went to a local temple, looked at the local Catholic church, had a bite to eat, and had wonderful $5 massages by blind masseuses. We also bought a few things at the restaurant (Holy Cow) made by local kids.

 

You can have a good day in this port if you want!

 

Cheers - Dee

Dollars were accepted - no problem. Holy Cow was next door to the massage place. It catered to tourists (backpackers), had a menu in English, and sold items benefiting a street children's charity. We felt comfortable eating there.

While many complained there was nothing to do in this port we managed to have a great day.

BTW the massages were wonderful - we just wished we had had a 2 hour massage instead of just one.

Cheers - Dee

I went to Angkor Wat so missed this port but my friends who took the shuttle said that I did not miss anything. In fact, one of the ladies took one look and stayed on the bus and went back to the ship.

How did you get there? Did you do the arrangements on your own and which airlines, hotel and company did you do for a driver/guide etc.?

Can anyone tell me how easy it is to get to a beach here and whether it is likely the cruiseline will put a shuttle bus on - we are on the Quest and as Azamara has only just started this route there is little info from other cruisers. Certainly I think a lazy day is called for we are just looking for a couple of hours on a beach but not to eat ashore

We had the pleasure of visiting this port last year on our cruise. I loved it. We hired an English speaking guide when we got on shore that was wonderful. He showed us some fishing villages, beaches, market and great local restaurant. He was so interesting to listen to about growing up in Cambodia. History I never knew. You have to embrace it for what it is. A sea side town in Cambodia. Enjoy

Just checked for the guides information. His name is Mr Doe. e mail

lyvandoe@yahoo.com

He speaks very good English and I'm sure you would enjoy your day.

The ship offered shuttle service into town for $8 roundtrip in many of the ports.:)

[quote name=

llandaff]Is this a shuttle from the dock into town? Or do you mean a ship's tour?

Thanks....looking for info on this port too.

I went with the ships excursion. It was wonderful. it is a 30 minute flight early in the morning. We toured one of the major sites in the morning, had lunch at the hotel with some free time (wished I had brought my bathing suit) and then Angkor Wat in the afternoon. Dinner at a local restaurant and then some of us went to the night market (really fun) The next morning we went back and toured another major site, had lunch and then flew back. We stayed at the Le Meridian which was beautiful. The tour guide was so knowledgeable and spoke beautiful english. It was really the highlight of the cruise for me. I know it is expensive but I figured I was already spending so much, how could I miss this chance. It would cost a lot more for another trip back to see it! :)

How did you get there? Did you do the arrangements on your own and which airlines, hotel and company did you do for a driver/guide etc.?

Just checked for the guides information. His name is Mr Doe. e mail

lyvandoe@yahoo.com

He speaks very good English and I'm sure you would enjoy your day.

I can't re-call what he charged us. Sorry. It was by far one of my favorite ports. Enjoy

I can't re-call what he charged us. Sorry. It was by far one of my favorite ports. Enjoy