Sihanoukville Pub Crawls

The Sihanoukville Nightlife Scene

Sihanoukville after 2019 is a different city from the one in older travel guides, and the difference matters. Serendipity Beach and Ochheuteal Beach, previously the backpacker heartland, are now dominated by Chinese-owned casinos, construction sites, and entertainment venues aimed at a Chinese gambling market. The backpacker bar scene that defined the city largely left. What remains for the standard traveller is concentrated on and around Weather Station Hill, where a cluster of Western-facing bars survived: Monkey Republic, The Office, and a handful of others still operate. It is a much reduced scene compared to what it was, and anyone arriving with 2017-era expectations will be surprised.

What You'll Pay

Beer at the Weather Station Hill bars: $1.50–3. Cocktails: $4–7. The pricing hasn't moved much because the customer base is thinner than it once was. Budget $15–25 for a full evening with food. The casino hotels have their own bars with higher prices and a completely different atmosphere.

Best Nights

There's minimal variation between nights; the scene is small enough that it runs consistently. Weekend nights have slightly more arrivals from Phnom Penh (the bus is around four hours). Most travellers use Sihanoukville as a transit point to the islands (Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem), so the bar scene sees a lot of one-night visitors.

Practical

Grab operates in Sihanoukville. Tuk-tuks cover the main areas. The beach areas and Weather Station Hill are not walkable from each other without a significant uphill. Cash dominates; USD is standard. Getting to the ferry pier the morning after a late night requires planning transport in advance, as early morning options are limited.