Location
This breathtaking resort, opened in 2012, across two islands in the secluded Koh Rong archipelago. The environment is pristine, with untouched stretches of golden sands circled above by colourful hornbills, and around by clear calm waters teeming with tropical fish.
There are daily flights (one at 3.30pm; one at 5pm) from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville with Cambodia Angkor Air (www.cambodiaangkorair.com) ask the hotel to arrange tickets for you. The Phnom Penh International Airport is in the Cambodian capital, three and a half hours’ drive north of Sihanoukville (hotel transfers are part of the all-inclusive rate, or US$20 a person each way shared or US$60 a car each way private transfer for two guests on the bed and breakfast rate). Guests will be collected at the airport and transferred to the port for the speedboat transfer.
Style
Song Saa combines luxury and a strong green philosophy without pretentions. Sitting in the middle of a 100-hectare marine reserve (which Song Saa helped to establish), guests can stroll along sun-bleached wooden walkways to an overwater restaurant, a champagne bar and the hilltop Ila spa. There’s also a watersports centre, where magical experiences abound, from morning snorkels around coral reefs in search of seahorses, to afternoon kayaking through shady mangroves with the resident marine biologist, to night-time dips in bioluminescent waters.
This is one resort with serious eco philosophy. Song Saa is situated in a self-made marine reserve measuring one million square metres. There’s a team of marine biologists on staff, recycling and waste initiatives are in place, and the hotel is involved in sustainability projects in nearby villages.
Rooms
Built into the jungle or perched on stilts over the sea are 27 roomy one- and two-bedroom villas, each with ocean views, glowing plunge pools and private decks laced with frangipani trees. Indoors, the décor chimes perfectly with the natural environment, from the cavernous thatched roofs and cool stone walls, to the vast four-poster beds wrapped in soft blousy muslin, to the driftwood bath-racks dotted with tealights and spicy Aesop amenities. All of the villas offer ocean views, private pools and an effortlessly luxe blend of thatched roofs, rustic timber beams, earthy stone and polished marble walls. Four-poster beds, Moroccan lanterns and carved tribal statues add flair to each eco-chic space. Perched among the canopy, the two-bedroom Jungle Villa scores points for its crescent-shaped layout and generous kitchen and living area. Its seclusion makes cheeky dips in the outdoor bath tub a must.
Service & facilities
More than 80 per cent of the staff come from Cambodia and have been trained by Song Saa. They’ve done a wonderful job; everyone is unfailingly friendly with an attention to detail usually only found in hotels that have been around for decades.
Chef Joel Wilkinson oversees a fantastic menu that melds Khmer classics (sweet beef lok lok and wok-fried seafood in kampot pepper sauce) with dashing contemporary dishes and some seriously soothing comfort food. Menus change daily, are hyper-seasonal and locally-sourced where possible, and can be savoured at Vista restaurant with its 360-degree views of the ocean, at the adorably laid-back Driftwood bar, or on the dining table of your private deck.
Gym, Ila spa, gardens, free WiFi throughout, free tea, coffee and unlimited bottles of house drinking water. In rooms: flatscreen TV, iPod dock, indoor and outdoor showers, sunken bath tubs, Aesop toiletries.
Not content to offer just sunrise or sunset views, the infinity-edge pool cleverly straddles the east and west sides of the island. Each villa also has an own sea-view plunge pool.
Function space
The Song Saa private island is the perfect place for a buyout and will give you numerous venues for your prestige wedding, a anniversary event or even a corporate incentive. I dedicated team will deliver ideas and themes as well as breathtaking decoration and high end service.
Song Saa Private Island
Kaoh Rung, Krong Preah Sihanouk, Cambodia.
For reservation call: 00 8 55 23 686 0260
Website: www.songsaa.com
