Otres Beach is the furthest from Sihanoukville's centre — and therefore the least developed. Even so, the peace and quiet that once defined it is slowly being eaten up by new restaurants and bungalow operations planting sun loungers right up to the waterline.
As with every coastline in Southeast Asia, the cleanliness of the sand depends on the tides and currents. In countries like Cambodia, plastic gets thrown out without a second thought and sooner or later ends up in the sea and on the beach. You might find it spotless one day and strewn with rubbish the next.
You can get to Otres Beach on foot, by bicycle, motorbike or tuk-tuk. Budget accommodation is easy to find right on the beach: we paid $3 for a very basic bungalow one night, and another $3 for an all-you-can-eat Indian spread.
The floor of our room was a mix of concrete and sand, crawling with ants; the toilet didn't work and the running water came and went. That said, you can find perfectly decent places for a few dollars more.
The beach has plenty of restaurants at reasonable prices for a tourist area — you can eat for $2–3. The small mini-markets, on the other hand, charge completely absurd prices, as do the stalls near Sihanoukville's other beaches. If you're on a tight budget, load up on fruit and water bottles at the market in town before you head out.
The sunsets at Otres Beach are known for their deep reds
From Otres you can join boat tours to various islands with snorkelling or kayaking stops, hire a motorbike and ride to Ream National Park, or just spend the day swimming in the warm water and baking in the sun.
If you like a beach that's touristy but still relatively quiet, go sooner rather than later — resort construction has been "imminent" here for years. The current bungalows could be knocked down at any time; nobody knows whether they'll still be standing in a few months or a few years.
