Song Saa Island, Cambodia

• More about your oliver guide: Sara Stith
• Trip type: Adult, Beach
• Activity level: easy
• Ideal length of trip: 4-5 days there unless you really like to be remote.

to & from

Song Saa is not the easiest place to get to, but it is worth it! Start your trip in Siem Reap (Cambodia) for a few days, to tour Angkor Watt and explore the town. From Siem Reap, there is one (45min) flight a day to Sihanoukville. There is only one airline making this route and flights tend to be delayed so that they can fill up before taking off.  Once in Sihanoukville, someone from Song Saa will pick you up and take you on a short drive, to a dock, where a small speedboat brings you to the Island. The boat ride to the island is about 45 minutes.

Our boat was supposed to leave in the daylight, but the flight was delayed, so they took us at night, in a thunderstorm, which was terrifying. Aside from the Song Saa driver, we were the only two people on the boat. A word to everyone: If you arrive in the dark/rain, stay the night in town and go in the daylight.

Where to Stay

Song Saa is unique because the resort fills the entire small island. There is nowhere else to stay. The rooms were amazing and the island beautiful. It’s more “rustic” and doesn’t run as smoothly as a place like the Four Seasons, or the Aman, but that is one reason we chose it. It has a very laid back feel. I only mention this because some of the reviews out there say that it isn’t “5-star” caliber, and I think it is in every other sense. It is totally off the beaten path and we really felt like we were doing something different, we didn’t know anyone who had been there and still do not.

The staff is from surrounding areas and very friendly. We loved that they have a foundation to help a neighboring village on Koh Rong Island. We took a tour of this village and heard about everything that they are doing there to protect the wild life and help the community.

Where to Eat and Drink

They set up dinner in different places around the island, which is kind of fun and it makes you feel like you are at different restaurants, even though there are only two on the island. (They bring the food from those two restaurants to the given locations.) The food is great, especially the amazing breakfasts. We even had barracuda sashimi two of the nights, caught fresh off of the island.

What to Do

There was surprisingly a lot to do for such a small island. We had a picnic on a private beach one day (we took at boat there), you can snorkel, kayak, there is a great spa, and a gorgeous pool. They had yoga as well, a few of the days, but it was early and I was too lazy to get up 🙂

inside scoop

• The best time to go is December-March…we were cutting it a little close to the rainy season by going in May. When it rained, it was very brief, but it made the travel challenging. However, it was the beginning of the offseason, so the resort wasn't full which gave it a bit of a desolate feeling at times.
• Wait to tour of the neighboring village (where they have the foundation) until the day before you leave. It is hard to enjoy the luxury and the gorgeous island after seeing people living in really dirty/hard/poor conditions so near by. On the other hand, it's amazing to see what the Song Saa foundation is doing for the local people.

skip it

Taking the boat at night, in a storm!