Travel Information
Do you intend to come to Cambodia in order to visit Otres? If so, be careful to watch your step, don't get sloppy, and keep smiling. Everything else is just a matter of details.
This section provides some of those details and general info on Otres; how and when to go there, nearby attractions, some notes about money, and more. For quick navigation use the links in the box below.
Orientation
Map: Southeast Asian countries
Map: Otres 1, Otres 2 and Otres Village
Otres Beach is a 4.5km long strip of sand, located 8km south-east of the city Sihanoukville in the Southeast Asian country Cambodia.
Otres is divided into three main areas: Otres 1, Otres 2, and Otres Village. Along Otres 1 and 2 are beach shacks, bungalows, restaurants and bars, often only a few meters away from the water. In-between Otres 1 and Otres 2 is an undeveloped strip with a park area, called Long Beach, which is mainly frequented by locals or Chinese expats. Otres Village is on the other side of Long Beach, some hundred meters towards the mainland. The village is packed with shops, restaurants, bars and hotels.
In between Otres 1 and Otres 2 is a undeveloped strip with a park area, called Long Beach, that part is mainly frequented by locals or Chinese expats. Otres Village is opposite of Long Beach, some hundred meters towards the mainland. The village is packed with shops, restaurants, bars and hotels.
Parallel to the beach are two roads; the one closer to the beach is a dirt road, and the other, which is closer to the mainland, is made of concrete. There is no such thing as public transport in Cambodia, but tuk-tuks or motorbike taxis wait on every corner and many places rent motorbikes or scooters.
Getting there
Most visitors enter Cambodia by plane or by bus, by way of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, or after crossing the land border from Vietnam, Thailand or Laos. Visas can be obtained upon arrival.
By plane
The most direct way is to fly to Sihanoukville International Airport (KOS) and from there to take a taxi or tuk-tuk to Otres, which takes about 15 or 20 minutes. The airport is tiny so security checks are quick since there are only a few flights per day.
Sihanouk International Airport (KOS) at Sihanoukville is tiny and has quick procedures, from there it takes a 20 min ride on a tuk-tuk or taxi to Otres Beach
Another route is to fly to Phnom Penh or Siam Reap, and from there take a bus to Sihanoukville. From Sihanoukville it takes 15 to 20 minutes to Otres by taxi or tuk-tuk. Flying to Phom Penh or Siam Reap first gives you a chance to visit the Killing Fields and the museums, respectively Angkor Wat, before heading to Otres.
By bus
If you travel by bus, take care of your luggage. Put the most important stuff such as passport, money, credit cards, laptop, medicine and so on in a small bag. Keep it with you during the bus ride. Always. The larger luggage is usually stored in the storage compartment. If there’s any way possible, take a window seat on the same side that the storage compartment accessed. It is opened and closed each time the bus stops and passengers enter or exit. This way you can keep an eye out to see if your luggage is taken out by mistake. This happens all the time; the refunding of losses is symbolic at best in most cases.
Busses usually stop once or twice to allow the passengers to eat something. If you absolutely need to get out for a quick bathroom break, tell the guy who handles the passengers about it and ask for a quick stop. If needed, make the case that they would have to spend more time cleaning the bus later. Don't forget to take the small bag with your most important stuff with you.
Bus tickets from Phnom Penh or Siam Reap to Sihanoukville (or back) can be bought at the various offices of bus companies or in many hotels and guesthouses. The trip takes four to six hours to Sihanoukville and from there it’s another short ride by taxi or tuk-tuk to Otres.
Visa
The procedures, prices and conditions for getting a visa for Cambodia change all the time. If you search the Internet for information about it, make sure it is up to date.
For bus trips from Vietnam, Thailand, or Laos to Cambodia the bus companies usually handle the visa procedures for passengers. This costs around five dollars, in addition to the ordinary fee for the visa. Passengers give their passports to the person who handles the visas before crossing the border. Handing the passport to a non-official might seem strange, but it is standard procedure at land border crossings.
A one month tourist visa on arrival is a sticker that fills a whole page. For travelers with a full passport and only a few empty pages left, there is the option of getting an e-Visa which only takes one small stamp in the passport. The e-Visa can only be obtained on the government's homepage. Payment is done by credit card. The whole procedure doesn't take more than 10 - 15 minutes. After two or three business days a document is sent by mail, which needs to be printed out and shown at the immigration.
There are two common options for visa extensions if you stay in Otres. First is to extend the visa within the country. Some travel agencies offer this service. It takes some days or even weeks until you got your passport back since it needs to be brought to the capital to do the paperwork. This is usually the more expensive option.
The other option is to do a border-run, meaning to exit the country and enter again, right after exiting. The most common route for this is the land-border crossing at Ham Tien.
Another option is to get a cheap plane ticket from Sihanoukville to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There, the visa on arrival is for free. You can fly back to Sihanoukville the same day where you can get a new visa on arrival for another month.
If you intend to stay for several months, consider applying for a business visa. Practices and requirements for business visa are changing all the time. Probably the most useful and up to date advice about this might be the people working at the bars since many of them have a visa of this kind. Note: there is a difference between a business visa and work permit.
When to go?
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp °C* | 30.2 | 30.6 | 31.9 | 32.9 | 32.5 | 31.2 |
| Temp °F* | 86.4 | 87.2 | 89.4 | 91.3 | 90.6 | 88.1 |
| Rain (mm) | 39 | 42 | 86 | 132 | 230 | 367 |
| Rainy days | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 19 |
| Prices** |
| Month | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp °C* | 30.8 | 30.6 | 30.5 | 30.4 | 30.2 | 29.9 |
| Temp °F* | 87.5 | 87.1 | 87 | 86.8 | 86.3 | 85.7 |
| Rain (mm) | 380 | 516 | 364 | 391 | 194 | 84 |
| Rainy days | 20 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 13 | 8 |
| Prices** |
* average air temperature
** estimated prices for accommodations
low medium high peakNovember to February are the coolest moths, skies are blue, accommodations are relatively full and prices are higher than at other times of the year. Peak season is between December and January, especially over Christmas and New Year when prices explode. From March to May it gets hotter and rain more frequently and because of this the rates fall. The rainy season starts in June and ends in late September or early October. During this time many restaurants, bars, guesthouses, and hotels close, and then re-open in September or November.
For those who are on a tight budget and don't mind having one or two hours of rain per day, the period between March to the start of June, or between September to November might be good timing. Prices for accommodations in the main season are around three times higher than in the off season.
In the Background section you can find an overview of which months most tourists arrive in Cambodia..
Nearby attractions
Islands
Several small islands are close to Otres and can be visited in a half or full day of island-hopping tours. It might just be a matter of time until islands like Koh Ta Kiev or Koh Russei are completely developed by the hotel industry.
Island-hopping is a popular activity among local and international tourists.
The islands Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloem are popular and many stay there for several days. Speed boats from the pier in Sihanoukville make several trips per day. Both islands have plenty of places to stay, eat and drink. While Koh Rong is more crowded and attracts mainly backpackers, Koh Rong Samloem is a more exclusive place; kind of a honeymoon beach which is smaller, less populated, and more expensive. Both islands have become increasingly developed over the last several years. Electricity isn’t in place yet 24/7, but some resorts use generators. Since all products must be delivered to the islands, prices are much higher than on the mainland.
Kbal Chhay
It takes a 30 - 40 minutes ride on a dirt road to get there, but it's worth it. The area has many spots for picnicking, and the clear water is an invitation for a refreshing dip. It's one of the main attractions in the region for domestic tourists who like to go there on the weekends. Nearby shops sell food, beverages or ice cream. The scenery offers unique views for photographers or cinematographers, especially during the wet-season. The place has a kind of magic.
Kbal Chhay Cascades in dry-season
Kbal Chhay, kind of a natural wellness-park, is a popular destination among Cambodians who enjoy playing in the water, picnicking or taking selfies
Ream National Park
The park is only a few kilometers away from Otres. It is primarily forest and home to breeding populations of endangered birds of prey. It is not allowed to hike there unaccompanied, but trekking tours with park rangers can be arranged.
Prices
Although the Cambodian Riel is the official currency, most transactions are done in US dollars. The exchange-rate of the Riel is tightly fixed to the US Dollar. As a rule of thumb, 1 USD is around 4000 Riel. Have a look at the FAQ section for additional info about living costs.
| Item | Price range in USD |
|---|---|
| Cigarettes | 0.5 - 2 |
| Draft beer | 0.75 - 1.5 |
| Local dish | 2 - 4 |
| Western dish | 4 - 8 |
| Bungalow 1 night (off-season) | 5 - 15 |
| Bungalow 1 night (high-season) | 12 - 40 |
| 1 hr massage at the beach | 7 - 10 |
| Motorbike taxi 10km | 3 - 7 |
| Motorbike taxi from Otres 1 to Otres Village | 1 - 2 |
| Speed boat to Koh Rong and back | 20 - 25 |
At the time of writing, there are three ATMs in Otres: two along the dirt road of Otres 1 and another one at the main road that leads through Otres Village. They produce US Dollars and accept international bank and credit cards.
In general, prices in Cambodia are very low compared to Europe, North or Latin America. Compared to other countries in Southeast Asia, costs in Cambodia are higher than in Vietnam but lower than in Thailand. Alcohol and cigarettes are very cheap, but accommodations and food are relatively expensive.
A friendly way of bargaining the hard way for a place to sleep is to drink something at the place first. Have a chat and ask, “By the way are there available rooms?” Make it clear that you like the place but that your budget has serious limitations. Change the subject once in a while, especially if the price is not yet where it should be. The longer you talk the better - it gives a host some time to change their mind and to realize that you are a friendly person - and maybe most important, it allows them to keep face. Bargaining is a game and hosts usually know it very well. It's not so much about winning, it's rather about conducting a ritual in order to test out each party's limits. None of this works at high season when it is a seller market.
Work
There aren't many digital nomads staying in Otres. The infrastructure and circumstances for online-workers is in place, but don't expect co-working spaces like in Bali, Cebu or Bangkok. WiFi is medium-to-good in most places, and many guest houses, hotels and beach bars have generators in case of power cuts. In basically all places it's alright to sit there for hours while having an iced coffee or two. For online-workers with a lack of self-discipline or prone to distraction, working in Otres might not be the best idea. The relaxed mindset of the people of Otres might spill over, resulting in unfinished work at the end of the day.
For other nomads or longtime travelers, Otres has a few job opportunities in restaurants or bars. Experience in cooking or working at a bar is a big plus, knowing some words in the Chinese language, or the ability to work while having a hangover is even better. These kinds of opportunities have decreased over the last years and might decrease even further. Don't expect to get rich this way. Usually people work half a day for a free bed in a dorm or simple room plus a limited budget at the bar. If this is what you want, just go to each of the places and talk to the staff - and don't forget to smile.