Sahaa Beach Resort

“Quiet and safe”

Other hotels in Sihanoukville feel like urban, concrete giants. Sahaa, by contrast, is rustic, tropical, and less crowded, tucked along the quieter Otres Beach. The downsides include a visible lack of renovation, mosquitoes, and weaker WiFi. Yet the service remains great, and the free breakfast is … more

Other hotels in Sihanoukville feel like urban, concrete giants. Sahaa, by contrast, is rustic, tropical, and less crowded, tucked along the quieter Otres Beach. The downsides include a visible lack of renovation, mosquitoes, and weaker WiFi. Yet the service remains great, and the free breakfast is decent. All in all, Sahaa is my go-to resort/hotel for a relaxed, budget-friendly retreat and a calmer beach experience.

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“Walk across the road to enjoy Otres Beach but don’t expect a good breakfast or reliable Wi-Fi..”

First, I should say that the staff were lovely. They tried to help. I refer to the younger staff members who are left with the lion’s share of the work, not the older owners or managers who don’t seem to do much. Let’s talk about the good stuff. When you enter, you can see traditional Khmer artwor… more

First, I should say that the staff were lovely. They tried to help. I refer to the younger staff members who are left with the lion’s share of the work, not the older owners or managers who don’t seem to do much. Let’s talk about the good stuff. When you enter, you can see traditional Khmer artwork and sculptures which make for some good Instagram photos. You’re right on the beach, surrounded by street vendors selling food, restaurants, cafes, and shops selling beach stuff like swimmers, floaties, sand buckets, and toys. Take a left out the door and stroll along the beach until you get to Khmer Noodle. They offer great food, both Asian and Western, as well as café drinks. The bathroom was huge, with a lot of shelf space. (We’ll talk about the issues of the bathroom later.) The shampoo and shower gel offered were good quality. There was plenty of wardrobe space in the unit. The desk was a little small though, with no chair, just a stool. There was a fan and air conditioning. The front veranda with space to sit and a small table to imagine the coffee that you could drink there. And there were extra racks to hang beach towels. The pool was nice. It could do with the leaves and pollen being cleaned off the surface, but it was good enough to swim laps in. There are no mattresses on the poolside furniture. One of the biggest problems was easily avoided. Our bathroom was open to the elements. One of the walls was bamboo and there was a gap of more than 30 cm (12’) between it and the ceiling. I was okay with this arrangement at first because I like camping but the person I was with was worried about peeping toms looking in. We certainly got mosquitoes in the bathroom, and some of them made their way into the bedroom itself. Other units were not like this so, I don’t understand why I was giving this room when I booked a few months in advance. I was in the Deluxe Double Bungalow with Garden View, room 114. My advice, check the bathroom first before you accept the room. We asked about it and were offered another room but by then we had unpacked, and we were only staying two nights, so we did not want to make any trouble. By the second night, with the mosquitoes, I was second guessing this decision. Other issues that are also deal-breakers include: The food – it is impossible to get any fruit, even at the buffet breakfast or when it is on the menu. We tried to have dinner there on the first night but there was no fruit, no smoothies, no café drinks, and limited choice. About half the menu was not available. I walked onto the street and bought fruit to take back to our room. The cheesecake we ordered was not cheesecake. I’m not sure what it is, but it is nothing like cheesecake. The resort runs a buffet menu if they have ten guests, so I was able to experience both versions of the breakfast they offer and neither of them are worth it. Even the Khmer person I was with said the Khmer food was not delicious. The staff do not seem to understand coffee culture, it is terrible. My coffee with milk, even when I was able to get it, was cold too. If you turn off the air conditioning, you will notice a smokey smell. After a while, this made me sneeze and cough. I turned the air conditioning back on just to filter the air a bit. I’m not sure where the fire was though. There is very limited Wi-Fi in the rooms. In fact, most guests end up sitting in the entrance just to use the internet. This was disappointing and this place is not going to suit digital nomads or those who work online. Entering the place with heavy luggage on wheels is difficult. I had to carry my own bags in, across this bridge that spanned the water feature. The young receptionist tried to push my bag to the bungalow, but I took over as I felt sorry for her. There is no driveway, so if all of the parking is taken, which is likely later in the day, you’ll even have to bring your luggage in from wherever your transport stopped on the road. If you do stay there, practice opening the bathroom latch while the lights are on. It is a bit tricky and you don’t want to figure it out late at night while everyone else is asleep. I like camping, so not having a TV, limited Wi-Fi, camp showers, and simple foo, can be fun but it was not worth the money I paid for a ‘resort’ especially since there are other options close by. My intuition tells me Sahaa Beach Resort. is about to be refurbished. There were a couple of rooms in the process of being demolished. I hope it improves, otherwise it might not survive the tsunami of construction and investment that is going into the area at the moment.

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