Kep is definitely my favorite place in Cambodia.

mine as well,
i like that they are reserving it for better, more upper scale tourists ( unlike kampot and SHV) no bars, no karaokes, no large malls.
yet only a 2 1/2 hour drive to PP

When I visit Kampot I usually got to Kep for a couple hours as that's about all I find enjoyable. Kind of boring with not much beach. I do like the history of the area. The two lane winding road is very nice looking, but the newer 4-lane road (area) is kind of sterile. Is this what the powers that be in Sihanoukville are aiming for? Sterile beach areas with 4-lane roads leading to them? (for the bus's full of Chinese tourists?)

Years ago I was in Thai language school in Thailand. There was a British journalist in my class that had toured Cambodia as a guest of the then occupying UN forces. He told me about the old French villas in Kep and about the Cambodian beach's (Sihanoukville.) When I retired I came to see what he was talking about and liked what I saw and stayed. If Kampot had a beach in town, I would live there as its not full of garbage like Sihanoukville.

Updated of Kep

Intended for new readers who might slightly know about Kep province.

Don't know where to go for the weekend getaway, Kep province, about 146 km from Phnom Penh city, around 3 hours by van, would be a great choice for time-constraints travelers.

A newest and smallest Cambodia's province which was separated from Kampot province in 2008 along with Sihanoukville which prompted from a city to a province and Pailin province cut from Battambang, Kep is well-known for its fresh seafoods and relax tropical weather.

Despite being one of Cambodia's four coastal provinces, Kep is a unique province of Cambodia as it has so many old French-Colonial mansions and buildings that were build while Cambodia was being colonized by France. Kep was initially made as a gateway resort for French and elite Cambodians.

Some of the old mansions and building are still being abandoned, but all have owners and some have been renovated and now being served as government offices, departments, restaurants and hotels.

The old streets and some structures still remain, but many roads and structures were built and are being built lately after it was promoted as a province.







































Photos supplied...

update;
just spent 1 week down there, made one trip to Rabbit island, seems all the bungalows there are remolding, so they had a god last year. NONE have titles but all have been in the families for generations , NONE of the abandoned private villas are being rebuilt ( YET) they have some really great properties and views an its a pity the owners dont ( YET) want to update an make Kep a great place to live. Government has redone all their buildings . Except for seafood, poor choices for food. Land is still affordable.
in the past 2 years there have been over 50 new bungalows, resorts, gh's built with rooms from $6/night up to private villas for $250++

It took me over an hour to get form street 172 to the airport, than 2 1/2 hours to kep.

ONLY 45 minutes to Vietnam border

Kep is a unique province of Cambodia as it has so many old French-Colonial mansions and buildings that were build while Cambodia was being colonized by France.

Most of those villas were built after Cambodia became independent from France.

Yep ceonews needs to learn his history

"In the 1950s and '60s, flush with a peacefully achieved independence, Phnom Penh's
confident and wealthy elite appropriated Kep, the colonial retreat founded by the French in 1908.

good write up, even if dated;
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/k ... golden-age

Cambodia's newest province is Tboung Khmom formed in 2013 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tboung_Kh ... prov=sfla1