Beachside at Alila Villas Koh Russey.Image: Sanjay Surana

By Sanjay Surana
July 14, 2019

Near the border with Vietnam, the town of Kep emerged as a seafront sanctuary for French administrators during the early 1900s, earning it the sobriquets of Kep-Sur-Mer and the St.-Tropez of Indo-china

" Six Senses Krabey Island, has brought tasteful luxury to a part of Cambodia that can sometimes seem to be headed in the opposite direction."

" In the 1960s, following Sihanoukville’s establishment as a deepwater port, Khmer and international glitterati flocked there to enjoy the city’s endless beaches (Jackie Kennedy famously stayed at the Independence Hotel in 1967, sealing Sihanoukville’s position as a swinging seaside idyll). "

"Today, the constant drone of construction dominates a place whose overtaxed infrastructure regularly succumbs to power cuts and flooding. The backpackers still frequent Sihanoukville en route to the relaxed offshore islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem, and luxury travelers pass through on their way to the ravishing Song Saa, which opened off Koh Rong in 2012 as Cambodia’s first private-island resort. Yet in all other aspects, Sihanoukville has become a place to avoid—advice that passengers of Thai AirAsia’s direct flights from Bangkok that start in July, and Bangkok Airways’ flights later this year, should heed."

"Enter Alila Villas Koh Russey and Six Senses Krabey Island, which allow travelers to enjoy the region’s sizzling seascapes without ever setting foot in Sihanoukville. Turning right out of the airport toward the village of Ream, instead of left toward the city, brings guests to the mainland jetties of both proper"

" On a steamy morning, the screech of cicadas trailing me all the way from my room, I attended a session led by spa director Mohit Tyagi, a tall Indian man with warm eyes and a swirl of salt-and-pepper hair. In his slow, reassuring timbre, he led me through poses—some that stretched muscles I didn’t know were there—occasionally invoking ruminative mantras that transported me to India."

"The therapist’s hands were so soft and her motions so intuitive and fluid that the treatment seemed less like a series of individual movements than one unbroken melody. I didn’t fall asleep because—as was the case staying at both of Cambodia’s newest island resorts—I was enjoying it too much. "

Full http://www.destinasian.com/blog/news-br ... an-riviera

Of all the places I visited, Kep was by far my favourite. Enjoyed a 4 night stay there with my whole family over from the UK around Christmas 2016. Relatively untouched (back then) and we enjoyed such a relaxed holiday there.

I dont understand why he mentioned Kep, as the resort is off Sihanoukville an the majority of the article talks about that.

Nothing but a fluff marketing piece