Right now, I want to tell you about some information of beach at Kep.
Once Cambodia's most popular and prestigious beach town, Kep has fallen on hard times in recent years. From the early 1900s until the 1960s, it was a thriving resort town for the French and Cambodian elite
A major misconception about Kep is that during the Khmer Rouge
years, much of Kep's French colonial era mansions and villas were
destroyed. In fact, local residents, being in need of money and food,
stripped down the villas so that they could exchange all these valuable
parts in Vietnam for rice and cash. Many of Kep's villas are abandoned, but some of the town's former splendor is still apparent.
The ocean is lined with wide sidewalks and large statues. King Sihanouk built a home overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, but it was never occupied and now sits empty.
A paved road connects the town with Kampot. Kep's beaches are mostly mangrove and black rock rather than the white sands of Sihanoukville, although a beach nourishement with the white sand of Sihanoukville has made the beach wider and cleaner.
There are now more than 60 guesthouses, resorts and hotels in Kep. It is currently one of the fastest developing touristic areas in Cambodia with a focus on mid-range to high-end businesses.
Kep also romanized as Kaeb ( literally: "Saddle of the Horse") formally known as Kep Province is the smallest province (khaet) of Cambodia covering 336 km2 (130 sq mi), with a population of 40,280. It is one of the newest Cambodian provinces, together with Pailin and Sihanoukville, created by Royal Decree on 22 December 2008, which separated Kep municipality from the province of Kampot, as well as adjusting several provincial borders.The provincial capital is Kep District and the province contains the Kep National Park.
Kep is staging a slow but steady comeback. Over several years, many of the beachside plots, which hosted nothing but ruined villas and tangled jungle for decades, have been snapped up by foreign royalty, merchant bankers, expatriates and wealthy Khmers. While visiting the town’s hotels, it’s quickly apparent that it wants to be more upscale and subdued than Sihanoukville and even Kampot. Much of the accommodation is resort-style bungalow places, although you can find a bed for less than $10 a night at more budget-minded establishments. In a very uncharacteristic step for Cambodia, development here for the most part seems slow, careful and planned.
Kep may have to emphasise its other charms soon, however, as over-crabbing is decimating stocks and bad practices are destroying valuable coral and grass reefs that were forever in the making. These also provide the breeding grounds for the fish and crab that have become Kep’s economic lifeblood. Ethical local restaurants now refuse to serve locally sourced crab — we’d advise you skip it too and go for a sustainable seafood option instead. (Go for goldband snapper, red snapper, calamari or tuna, our chef friend tells us.)
Once Cambodia's most popular and prestigious beach town, Kep has fallen on hard times in recent years. From the early 1900s until the 1960s, it was a thriving resort town for the French and Cambodian elite
A major misconception about Kep is that during the Khmer Rouge
years, much of Kep's French colonial era mansions and villas were
destroyed. In fact, local residents, being in need of money and food,
stripped down the villas so that they could exchange all these valuable
parts in Vietnam for rice and cash. Many of Kep's villas are abandoned, but some of the town's former splendor is still apparent.The ocean is lined with wide sidewalks and large statues. King Sihanouk built a home overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, but it was never occupied and now sits empty.
A paved road connects the town with Kampot. Kep's beaches are mostly mangrove and black rock rather than the white sands of Sihanoukville, although a beach nourishement with the white sand of Sihanoukville has made the beach wider and cleaner.
There are now more than 60 guesthouses, resorts and hotels in Kep. It is currently one of the fastest developing touristic areas in Cambodia with a focus on mid-range to high-end businesses.
Kep also romanized as Kaeb ( literally: "Saddle of the Horse") formally known as Kep Province is the smallest province (khaet) of Cambodia covering 336 km2 (130 sq mi), with a population of 40,280. It is one of the newest Cambodian provinces, together with Pailin and Sihanoukville, created by Royal Decree on 22 December 2008, which separated Kep municipality from the province of Kampot, as well as adjusting several provincial borders.The provincial capital is Kep District and the province contains the Kep National Park.
Kep is staging a slow but steady comeback. Over several years, many of the beachside plots, which hosted nothing but ruined villas and tangled jungle for decades, have been snapped up by foreign royalty, merchant bankers, expatriates and wealthy Khmers. While visiting the town’s hotels, it’s quickly apparent that it wants to be more upscale and subdued than Sihanoukville and even Kampot. Much of the accommodation is resort-style bungalow places, although you can find a bed for less than $10 a night at more budget-minded establishments. In a very uncharacteristic step for Cambodia, development here for the most part seems slow, careful and planned.
Kep may have to emphasise its other charms soon, however, as over-crabbing is decimating stocks and bad practices are destroying valuable coral and grass reefs that were forever in the making. These also provide the breeding grounds for the fish and crab that have become Kep’s economic lifeblood. Ethical local restaurants now refuse to serve locally sourced crab — we’d advise you skip it too and go for a sustainable seafood option instead. (Go for goldband snapper, red snapper, calamari or tuna, our chef friend tells us.)
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