Happy New Year 2010 from SihanoukVille, Cambodia.

New Year's Eve 2009 in SihanoukVille, Cambodia on the beach was great!.
About 12,000 people filled the beaches and islands of SihanoukVille for an all night party.

From the top of SihanoukVille Mountain, you could see literally hundreds of thousands of fireworks, bursting in the air. (although most were very small).  The temperature was a chilling 28 degrees (that's somewhere in the 80's for Americans)

Every hotel room in town was filled up (many at triple price for those without reservations), and beds right on the beach were going for $15.

Many new places opened in SihanoukVille, in time for the new year.

* The Wall, restaurant and night club opened on Ocheteaul Beach.  With and upstairs rock 'n roll bar open all day, and a downstairs nightclub open only at night.

* Angelo's Restaurant  re-re-re-opened on Ocheteaul Beach, and is better than ever.

* Chez Fred on Victory Hill, also know as Fred's House, opened with fine French Cuisine.

* Wok Bar opened downtown, and with Tom and Bopha as your hosts, serves fine French and other cuisine.

* Aqua Resort, a 20 room hotel with a swimming pool opened near Ocheteaul Beach.

* Brown Sugar Thai Restaurant also opened right on Ocheteaul Beach

* CamboDive - Chez Claude's new creation opened an International Diving School

* Golden Spa opened up on Serendipity Beach Road


* Happy Dayz - a Bob Marley tribute bar, opened up on Victory Hill

* Juicy Ru's Juicery - another venture by Ru opened up in Utopia Plaza

* La Reserve - a resort with a swimming pool, and fine French Cuisine, opened on Victory Hill

* Le Papillon d'Or - a boutique hotel, opened up on Victory Hill

* Les Rougets - a French, Thai, Lao restaurant opened up downtown

* Snooky Beach Guesthouse opened up on Ocheteaul Beach

* Martini Pub opened up near the Golden Lion Circle

* Master Suki Soup opened up it's latest branch in Cambodia around the Golden Lion Circle

* Mo Mo's - a chill out, absynthe, hookhah smoking lounge opened at Utopia Plaza

* Moon Shack opened it's 4th B.B.Q. restaurant on Ocheteaul Beach

* Motel 7 opened up on Ocheteaul Beach

* Paradise Sport Bar opened up near Ocheteaul Beach

* Pizzana - our first fast food in SihanoukVille opened up downtown

* T'zot Genot restaurant opened on Ocheteaul Beach

What's going to happen in SihanoukVille in 2010 is anyone's guess.  There's a number of new hotels under construction, including a 1,000 room beach resort.  The airport may (or may not) open on a permanent basis.  The marina is nearing completion, and the bridge to the island formerly known as Snake Island is a least halfway done.

Several new residential housing developments are going up in and around town.  And a city within a city is sprining up behind Sokha Beach.

SihanoukVille's neighbor towns are also booming.  Koh Kong was apparently voted as one of the top 10 travel destinations by the Lonely Planet guidebook.  Kampot's riverside is brimming with new bungalows and restaurants.  Bokor Mountain is getting a 3 year facelift, starting with a new road to the peak of the mountain.  And sleepy Kep is still sleepy, but growning at about 40% a year bungalow/restaurant-wise.

Where it will stop, nobody knows.....

See You Soon!

Ola - We Miss You!

This week, one of our friends in SihanoukVille, Cambodia, Ola Jordansson, passed away.
We miss him already.



Here are some pictures going back 5 years.

Pictures of Ola Jordansson

Winter 2009 in SihanoukVille, Cambodia

Winter has arrived in SihanoukVille, Cambodia at last.

Everybody's favorite time of year.

Only problem, is that the next 4 months seem to go by in a few weeks.

Starting the first week of November, the yearly rains stopped right away, and SihanoukVille's hotels and beaches filled right up.

There's lots of new hotels, mini-resorts and activities in town this year.

Some new openings from The Sihanoukville Advertiser and other sources

* Ali Kebab has joined Wayne at Escape Gourmet
* Thida's Inn is now Ocean Walk Inn
* Beach Bungalows opened on Otres Beach
* Boom Boom Room became Rogue
* Pretemama Motor Yacht is doing island tours from Cloud 9
* A new diving college opened, CamboDive, part of the Chez Claude empire
* Stray Dog Adventures is branching out from dirt bike tours, to all kinds of adventure tours
* Araska Finnish restaurant opened in a newer, nicer location
* Les Rougets, a French restaurant opened next to Snooky's Restaurant
* Honey Bunny Bar, a late night place, opened downtown
* The Villa reopened on Karaoke street
* GST opened up GST III right on Serendipity Beach

and SihanoukVille's neighbors, Kampot, Kep and Koh Kong have also seen some changes.

Koh Kong was listed as one of the worlds' top 10 destinations by The Lonely Planet. (haven't seen the book yet, just newspaper articles from all over the world). There's a lot of mountain / eco / jungle tours there now, and lots of accommodations in the jungle and on rivers for tourists.

The road from Thailand, in Koh Kong, to Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville has been completed, so many more people are going to visit.

Kampot and Kep have seen phenomenal growth in the last year, with Kampot hosing several riverside lodges, and Kep building up on the ocean and in the hillsides, while still keeping 99% of the jungle. (maybe 98%).

Cruise ships are starting to come back for the season. And many condos, resorts, and hotels are being built. (still no golf course). Many existing hotels are adding swimming pools as well.

A new night market opened up around the Golden Lions Circle. Otres Beach has been filling up more than ever this season.

Everyone's having a great time in SihanoukVille!

September 2009 in SihanoukVille, Cambodia

Happy P'chum Bun, the 2 week festival for the dead starting today!

The local Wats (Buddhist Temples) will be filled with people bringing food and gifts for their ancestors, and for the monks.



We're in the middle of the rainy season, and it's been raining for the last few days!

July in SihanoukVille was the best month ever for many businesses, probably due to the summer holidays in the Western World, and the low prices and beautiful beaches here.

Can't say the same for August though.

Billy Bob's Bar & Grill with Western music opened on Victory Hill

Ocean Walk Inn is opening this month just off Serendipity Beach

There's construction all over town for new shopping, offices, housing, and resorts,
but not much else going on.

SihanoukVille's neighbors, Kampot , Bokor Mountain, and Kep, Cambodia are also booming, especially in Kep near the beaches.

Much rain now, but also many perfect days in between and the temperature is around 27 degrees Celsius.

Tourist arrivals look to go up about 15% this coming Winter over last Winter, with many hotels and resorts fully booked for a couple solid months.

It's not the best time to come here, but it's the best time to make plans for Winter now.

Check out the SihanoukVille website, or SihanoukvilleBeachResorts, or SihanoukVilleBackpacker for more details.

May 2009 in SihanoukVille, Cambodia

Happy New Year again from SihanoukVille, Cambodia. April was Cambodia's 3 day New Years celebration, which of course in SihanoukVille lasts for 9 days. The town was packed as usual with vacationers from all over Cambodia and all over the world.



Last 2 weeks we had 10 out of 11 days that were holidays or weekends, so the town was full once again as well.

Now, starts the slow season, when the yearly rains start and the town quiets down. Of course the SihanoukVille Port, the main port for Cambodia is still growing, and construction on new homes, businesses and hotels never stops here.

The bus station has moved a couple blocks to the old New Market behind the New New Market. A few new businesses opened in town as well.

Papagayo has a new hotel near the Golden Lions Plaza on Ocheteaul Beach....
Malibu Snack, a Korean restaurant opened up in front of Utopia,
Casa replaces Atomosphere Bar near Serendipity Beach,
Green Mood Italian Restaurant and Guesthouse opened on Victory Hill as did the Step In Bar and Honey Bee Bar..... Wat's Up Bar opened above the Corner Bar on "The Hill".
Also on the Hill, we have our third Indian Restaurant, Chennai Rottys, and Paco's Spanish Restaurant moved from downtown to Victory Hill as well.
Out of the Blue guesthouse opened on Victory Hill as did Hong Kong Restaurant.

Two new businesses, selling businesses opened, Charles Evans Marketing and Kamreal.
HooHa House Guesthouse opened near the new Papagayo, and i'm sure there's a few more.

The Fitness Club moved and expanded (about 10 times bigger), and now features massages and massage training classes, a restaurant, and other new endeavors.

That's about it.

Happy New Year Cambodia!

Khmer (Cambodian) New Years is almost here! April 14 - 16th, and (but really April 11th to the 19th), is Cambodian New Year.

The town will once again be full of party goers filling up every room in SihanoukVille.




Some new places have opened in town.... including

* iBall - you step in a giant plastic ball, and roll down a hill???
* Paco's has moved from downtown to Victory Hill
* Ann's Thai Pub & Restaurant opened downtown.
* Escape Gourmet Coffee opened in the Beach Road complex.
* Sunset Cafe, a Japanese restaurant opened near the Golden Lions Circle
* and Cafe Sushi, another Japanese restaurant opened near Poco Loco
* Airport beach bar and restaurant, another project from the Snake House people, opened on Victory Beach.
* Ecstatic Pizza opened (almost right next to Happy Herb Pizza) on Ocheteaul Beach
* Rainy Season opened a Pizza place on Ocheteaul Beach
* Aegean Guesthouse opened at Ocheteaul Beach
* At least 3 new bars opened on Victory Hill, with 2 more readying for opening
* A guesthouse opened on Victory Hill, with great ocean views.
* Sri Ramas Indian is open on Ocheteaul Beach
* Traktir Russian Restaurant opened (next to Sri Ramas)
* Several new bars and restaurants opened on Otres Beach, including WonderLand, with horseback riding
* the Fitness & Boxing Center moved to a new location on CT Street with a restaurant, massage training, acupuncture, spa.
* Several beach bars on Ocheteaul changed names and owners
* Le Gaugan, a live music restaurant opened downtown
* Casa bar opened on Beach Road next to Monkey Republic
* 3 new tattoo shops opened around town

and that's about it.

If you're coming to town during Khmer New Year, don't forget to make hotel or guesthouse reservations!

Sour S'day Chnam Thmei

Happy New Year from SihanoukVille, Cambodia.

2009 started with a blast, here on SihanoukVille's beaches. A light, unseasonal rain couldn't dampen our spirits as 2009 approached. About 12,000 tourists and locals lined Ocheteaul Beach for drinking, dancing, BBQ, and fireworks.

Now, in the second week of January, the temperature has dropped to freezing, which is in the mid to low 20's. Fortunately, we're not in America, where this would be be cold enough to freeze water. Here, it only relieves us of the daily heat.

Many improvements? to town lately, new traffic signals everywhere, the old market, which burned down last year is now the new market, and the new market is now the old new market. The bus station has moved from the center of town to the front of the old new market now.

The main road though downtown is being widened the full length, and sidewalks are being installed.

Bridge construction to Snake Island continues, and the marina is still almost finished. Some of the condos are now occupied.

Many new places have opened in town, and can be found in the Sihanoukville advertiser:

*The Terrace on Ocheteaul Beach has authentic Thai Cuisine.

*D.D. Canada has moved across the street and taken over The Marlin Hotel building

*Diving 4 Conservation has opened up scuba diving services on one of the islands.

*Aahaa Resort, behind Ocheteaul Beach has a Swedish managed hotel and restaurant

*Ocean Pearl Guesthouse and Bar opened across from Ocheteaul Beach with a German Bistro.

*Part-Art opened above Kangaroo Kitchen

*Funky Sun Silver, a silversmith shop with original designs opened up near Poco Loco.

*Maharajah Indian Restaurant, famous in Siem Reap has opened on Victory Hill.

*New travel services from MOttah and ABC opened around town.

*Holiday Palace Hotel & Casino opened up Palais Coffee downstairs and an Indonesian Restaurant upstairs.

*Golden Sunset Beach Bar, camping, restaurant opened on Otres Beach

*Aegean Guesthouse opened up next to Golden Sands Hotel & Casino.

Also, de Roos restaurant and Cinderella's Coffee on Ocheteaul Beach, Swiss Garden near the Golden Lions Circle, and Airport Disco, Bar & Restaurant, and the Indonesian Restaurant at Holiday Palace Casino on Victory Beach.

Other than that, the town has been full with the usual yearly residents, yearly returnees and their friends, tour groups, and cruise passengers.

Bye Bye 2008, From SihanoukVille, Cambodia.

2008 is coming to an end soon, and it's been a great year in SihanoukVille.

Worldwide recession, sky high gas prices, food costs skyrocketing, a one day border war, now the main airport in Thailand is shut down, (and the secondary one) where everyone transfers to and from Cambodia, visa renewals for tourists and businesspeople wishing to remain in Cambodia have stopped, and yet the rain in the dry season hasn't, yet tourism is still booming here.

Several dozen new guesthouses, hotels and resorts, restaurants, tour companies, and entertainment venues have opened in town, prices are coming down, the weather is improving, and SihanoukVille is only getting more popular.

Ocheteaul and Serendipity Beaches have seen the biggest improvements, with a number of both backpacker guesthouses and mini-resorts moving in. The restaurant selection has tripled in the last year.

The new airport is opened? but doesn't have any flights yet, except for charters. This year has seen the most visitors from cruise ships, and 2009 should be even better. All the world's navies want to be friends with SihanoukVille, and we've even seen the first Chinese naval ship in the county. Also, the American, French, Australian, and Indian navies have been here.

The number of Casinos has quadrupled in the last year, and one more (at least) is due soon. Cambodia's first inland sea marina is almost finished, and Cambodia's first bridge between the mainland and an island has started. The tallest building in SihanoukVille, and once all of Asia, the 7 story hotel at Independence Beach was renovated and newly opened for the first time in a couple decades.

During all the big holiday weekends and weeks, all the rooms in town were filled, with people sleeping on the beach as well. (take note: Christmas / New Years is coming up. Think "reservations").

2009, see you soon!

Another day in Paradise.

Cheers!

SihanoukVille update. November 2008

A lot of changes happening in and around SihanoukVille these days. The only thing that hasn't changed is the weather. For the first time in memory, the rains are still coming down in early November. Global warming is happening everywhere.

Many new places have opened in SihanoukVille..... (thanks to the SihanoukVille Advertiser)

Holiday Palace Casino features Cambodia's first Indonesian restaurant

The Red House, from Phnom Penh has opened a branch here serving Singaporean and Malaysian Food.

We've got Cambodia's first miniature golf course, in back of Pim's restaurant on Ocheteaul Beach.

Sweet Chili, serving authentic Indian food, opened on the main street

Pim's has SihanoukVille's first Traditional Cambodian Apsara dance show (well.... except for Chi Khmer).

The Red Snapper Guesthouse has reopened after renovations

as has The Blue Frog Guesthouse.

L'Ambassade Guesthouse and restaurant on Victory Hill has reopened.

Hurricane Windsurfing on Otres Beach has opened at the Daquiri Hut.

Above Us Only Sky Bar & Bungalows opened on Serendipity Beach.

The Frogman, scuba diving is back in action on Serendipity Beach.

SihanoukVille's first night market, at Savery Guesthouse opened.

Happy Herb Pizza moved to Ocheteaul Beach, and everyone's much happier now.

The Villa swimming pool bar and Thai restaurant is opened on Karaoke Street.

The new market, which was the old market before it burned down last year reopened.

The bridge from the mainland to Snake Island has started construction.....

Regina and Julian are back.......

and that's about it.

We're just finishing Water Festival week, where 4 million people crowd into Phnom Penh to watch the boat races, and everyone who can, gets out of Phnom Penh for a week swimming and playing in Sunny? SihanoukVille.

What's New in SihanoukVille, Cambodia.

Rainy season 2008 has seen about as many holiday visitors as all of 2006. Several places have shut down for a few months vacation, yet several more new places have opened.

From the August to October The SihanoukVille, Advertiser.

* New World Hotel - the first and only Czech point in cambodia is open

* Mr. Big Fish has Fish & Chips from $1.50

* Rainy Season Bar has started a pizza delivery service

* Chez Corinne has a new French bakery downtown

* Pim's is open again at a newer, bigger (and closer to the beach) location near Ocheteaul Beach

* Sasha Guesthouse opened on Independence Beach

in addition.... Holiday Palace Casino has opened up a new gambling wing and is reopening Holiday Beach Hotel across the street.

* Beach Club is finishing up another 18 or so new rooms

* Otres Beach has added a few more beach bars

* Victory Hill still is adding a few new watering holes

New from the May to July SihanoukVille Advertiser

and other sources.

* Angelo's Greek & BBQ restaurant
and Angelo's Seafood restaurant are now open on Ocheteaul Beach.

* Le Bistro Gourmand is open on Serendipity Beach Road


* Corner Bar Mark has a second place... Thida's Inn on Serendipity Beach Road

* New World Hotel, the first Czech place is open downtown.

* Hard Rock Sport Bar & Restaurant is now open downtown.

* Le Barometre consultations & Brain Storming is open on Victory Hill.

* Rainy Season now has pizza delivery.

* Beach Club now features The Maharajah's Indian Restaurant.

* Blue Dolphin Internet and computer services opened on Serendipity Beach Road.

* L'arcobaleno guesthouse with Italian management in open on Blue Mountain.

* Savery Guesthouse, Bistro and Beer Garden is open downtown, near the bus station.

* Fisherman's Den has moved to a new, air-conditioned (and ground level) location.

* Claire's Place, owned by Claire and managed by Claire is open in the guesthouse with no name, downtown. (Dick's Place)

* Thai by Thai Massage is open near Luna D'Autunno

* Zoco Clothing has a new shop at the Independence Hotel.

* Jagreal Real Estate company is open downtown.

* Sorya Beach restaurant on Ocheteaul Beach is open, serving Western, Khmer and Indian food.

* S Villa real estate is open downtown.

* Sihanoukville Design is open.

and that's about it. Occasional rains most days now, and the temperature has dropped (about 3 degrees).

Construction on the bridge to Snake Island has begun, and the rebuilding of the Market (which burned down) is near completion.

Everything else is pretty normal (for SihanoukVille).

Cheers!

More new news from SihanoukVille

Rainbow foundation opened a new clothing and accesories shop outside Utopia, supporting the children's charity. Also selling Jonathan's hand drawn SihanoukVille T-shirts

Hard Rock (not Cafe) opens tomorrow, behind Shifty's old place. A couple of Finns, so it should be fun.

The Greek is back, and we're waiting on info from the new Angelo's suite of restaurants on Ocheteaul Beach


SihanoukVille Casino is the newest website in town.

Paco's has completed his move, and now has rooms for rent.

The Lounge on Victory Beach is open.

A Swedish Dentist is doing good work on CT street.

Sunday, a new 30 room guesthouse has opened.

.... and that's about it!

(p.s... the name of the guesthouse is SUNDAY.