CAMBODIA: non-touristy place at sea

[stickylies]

Can someone recommend me a lowkey place at the sea.

I'm looking for something authentic and quiet. sea on one side, rural/nature on the other side.

I'm not looking for girls, bars, farang food, cinemas, bowling, etc.

[phuketrichard]

What do u mean Authentic? If its in Cambodia its Cambodia.

or do u mean not a heavy western Influence?

Kampot, Kep,

not lots of tourists but enough places to have a western meal;

Kep has a great crab market but DON'T eat in the sea front restaurants as they are the most expensive in Cambodia

Cross, Koh Kong, Ko Rong, Sihanoukville OFF the list

[stickylies]

Authentic as in still dominantly "Khmer" and not Farang. So not looking for the Cambodian equivalent of Samui, Pattaya, Phuket, etc.

Cheap housing, cheap local food, genuine local life to observe / get lost in, etc. I've never been to Cambodia.

[bikkalad]

Cambodia will have what your looking for I'm sure..... but if you need all the convenience of Thailand ....... Possibly stay or keep going there ??? personally I've been to Cambodia 2 times this year and am going back in December again . Love it . What LOS had Cambodia has...... Smiles......

[phuketrichard]

Authentic as in still dominantly "Khmer" and not Farang

If u have never been than go an travel around, its not a huge country like Thailand ( where i prefer to live)

Having lived in Cambodia in 2008/09 and travel there 2-3 times/year since 2004,

every city is like this BUT if u get way up country u will find places with few Barangs in them . but what that means is no western places to live, eat or drink at

the two places I mentioned would fit for u as they both have enough . My gf's sister lives in Kep an we went to visit there in July, its nice BUT very laid back, not much to do

[stickylies]

if you need all the convenience of Thailand

not at all.

i'm fully self-entertaining (if i have www) and only need decent food (as in cheap and fresh) and peace of mind (as in little contact with others, no hassle, no bother). i have all that in thailand but i've had it a little with thailand. i've been >20 times to burma, my prefered country in SEA, but it's still too difficult for me to reside there (longterm).

If u have never been than go an travel around, its not a huge country like Thailand ( where i prefer to live)

sure i'm intending to travel (bigtime) with motorbike BUT want i a homebase at the sea hence this post.

[stickylies]

Kep ... its nice BUT very laid back, not much to do

aha, sounds like my kinda place then. will check it out.

[anotheruser]

Authentic as in still dominantly "Khmer" and not Farang. So not looking for the Cambodian equivalent of Samui, Pattaya, Phuket, etc.

Cheap housing, cheap local food, genuine local life to observe / get lost in, etc. I've never been to Cambodia.

Won't the mere presence of yourself destroy the authenticity of the very place you seek? If you really don't want a place with other travelers, why ask here? Find your own authentic jewel, just remember that diamond will shortly become cubic zirconia the more you go there. You make these places a Samui or Phuket with each trip, as do I. Next year things will change and some sort of primitive urge will drive us to find the next place to destroy. If you love these places as they are then sometimes leave them be.

[stickylies]

i understand what u mean, and my comment is; 17 years in thailand no single difference with 15 years ago (2 years "lost"). but then again: fully understand u!

[Sheryl]

Yes, Kep fits the bill. but be warned the beach is not good for swimming or sunbathing as it it is very rocky. Pretty though. The area fills up with Cambodian tourists on the weekends, very few farang, and altogether quiet during the week except holidays when again, lots of Khmer families come to enjoy the views and sea food.

[phuketrichard]

you mean that small imported beach LOL

There are some newish "eco" resorts going in and you have access to the island if you desire, good views off the mountain

I spent 2 nights there with gf's sister an was bored and ready to leave,

Kampot has more westerners and might be a better choice to live.

[hellodolly]

Authentic as in still dominantly "Khmer" and not Farang. So not looking for the Cambodian equivalent of Samui, Pattaya, Phuket, etc.

Cheap housing, cheap local food, genuine local life to observe / get lost in, etc. I've never been to Cambodia.

I have no doubt that you can find that lots of places. The thing is it would probably bore you silly after a while.

[Wimbledon]

Kampot City sits along the east side of the Kampong Bay River near the base of the Elephant Mountains and is of quite a different character than the beach town of Sihanoukville. Kampot City is an old provincial capital of quiet lanes and colonial period architecture, a bit worn but radiating a quaint, welcoming, small town ambiance. A partially destroyed bridge, bombed in the war, sits city center over the river, its unique haphazard repair almost an iconic symbol of the town. Kampot is a place to get a taste of provincial Cambodia, both urban and rural. Use thecity as a base to explore and tour the surrounding countryside and as a stepping stone to the nearby beaches and islands of Kep, the Bokor Hill Station and the rest of southeastern Cambodia. Come the end of the day back in Kampot City, a little riverside cafe or pub is the place to be - relaxing curbside over a glass of wine, watching the sun slowly set behind the Elephant Mountains..

KEP AN KAMPOT ARE NOT TOO FAR from each other so u cann easily treat yourself. Toboth