Koh Russey Villas & Resort

The art and heart of luxury is seclusion, attention to detail, the personal touch, and beach volleyball… Just off the coast of Ream to the east of Sihanoukville, Koh Russey Villas & Resort on Bamboo Island offers a soothing return to nature far from city bustle and hustles, and a refined comfort and luxury under the care of a warm and attentive team. Just a quick speedboat trip from Ream Pier to the western side of the island, Koh Russey Villas & Resort is even quicker to make you feel as though you’re family. Indeed, better than family. When was the last time your relatives checked on your culinary and musical preferences and the level of care you prefer when you visited them? Your next mode of transport is an electric car, primed and waiting to whisk you to your room, or villa, and before you even know it the transition into a state of deep relaxation will be washing over you like a soft, rolling beach wave. The villas themselves are a sight to behold. All within 50 metres of the beach, the look and feel is modern Khmer architecture: spacious, minimalistic, airy, light-filled, cool, and incredibly smart with everything refined down to the finest details. With only fifty pavilions and villas, an innate feeling of seclusion and privacy prevails. Unlike other islands off the coast of Sihanoukville, Koh Russey is a real escape. The island is small, but it is defiantly not teeming with tourists and shacks and villas rubbing shoulders alongside one another. Only 15% of it is developed, and the rest is still a natural, forested preserve with beaches on the southern and northern shores. Which is not to say that there is nothing to do, although the urge to laze around and enjoy the moment should probably not be resisted. For health reasons of course. The private beach extends for 1.2 kilometres and makes for an ideal early morning walk to catch the sunrise, but if that feels too exposed, the resort property is covered with lush, impeccably landscaped gardens to wander around. A quarter of the resort’s villas have their own private pools, and for everyone else there is a magnificent 25-metre beachfront infinity pool. You’ll also find two restaurants and a beach bar, a spa, starlight cinema, gym and yoga studio, courts for volleyball, badminton and pétanque, and a ping-pong table. And there’s plenty to do in or on the water too, from kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkelling, fishing and more. For those who’d like to go further afield, the resort provides all-terrain bikes for exploring the island, or they can arrange tours to discover Kampot’s pepper plantations or Kep’s crab market, or a pagoda blessing and even a sunset cruise. Once you’re done with all of that, hunger is inevitable. Happily, the two restaurants offer a choice of international fine dining at Horizon, or more casual all-day fare at the Beach Shack with a menu offering authentic Cambodian dishes, Asian food, and Western comfort food. Freshly caught seafood can also be cooked up right on the grill. For something decidedly more romantic, you can also choose to dine in beachside seclusion, with your toes in the water, or enjoy a sublime seaside sunset picnic with friends and family. This is an exceptional resort on an exceptional secluded island. If you do make it down, you may likely see one of us already there!