Image 1 of 3
At the moment only locals and informed travellers visit the town, but the situation is likely to change soon
15 Jan 2011
Trish Lorenz enjoys a fusion of flavours in the sleepy coastal village of Kep in Cambodia.
Kep, Cambodia: Asia meets France by the seaside
The sky was deep blue, the sand soft and sugary white, and the only sound to be heard was the gentle swish of water as small waves hit the shore and then retreated. White crabs scuttled out of sand holes and back again, and picture-perfect seashells, the type you normally only find in shops – glossy and perfectly curved – lay dotted all around.
Lying in the dappled shade of a stumpy tree on a beach on Koh Tonsay – a tiny island known to locals as Rabbit Island – just a few miles off the Cambodian coastal village of Kep, I felt an overwhelming calm. After a week in Kep we had taken a day trip to the island on our penultimate day. Tellingly, it had taken us this long to muster the energy.
Kep is a tantalising combination of faded French Indo-China glamour, Asian and French cuisine, and the clear waters and white sands of the tropical beachside. The village was popular with wealthy holidaymakers from the Thirties right up until the Khmer Rouge took over the country in the Seventies, when it faded from view for more than 30 years.
Even locals forgot its existence. "I grew up just 15 miles from here and I didn't know there was such a town as Kep until 2002," Lee Lim, now a resort manager in the village, told me.
Kep's earlier fame is evident in its seaside promenade, which is dotted with villas surrounded by lush gardens. Some stand abandoned, burned and empty, a legacy of the country's troubled recent past. But many have been restored and converted into boutique resorts that offer a mixture of French style and Cambodian hospitality.
We stayed at the locally owned Vanna Bungalows on the hillside overlooking the town. During the day we lazed in the hammock on our veranda, walked to the beach for a swim or explored the tracks that run along the jungle-covered hillside behind.
In the evening we wandered across the grass, beneath scented frangipani trees, to the bar cum restaurant to watch the sun set over the sea. On really lazy days we stayed there and ordered fish amok, a mild coconut flavoured Cambodian curry, from the in-house restaurant.
Mostly, though, we headed out to try one of the many local eateries. Kep may be little more than a village, but it is one of the best places in Cambodia for foodies. It is famed for its fresh seafood, and the crab market, on the promenade, is the place to eat it. We bought crab for a mere £4.50 a kilo, asked the restaurant at the hotel to cook it for us and then ate it on the beach that evening, sipping a beer or two and chatting to locals.
Taking a beach holiday in the country that is most famous for its killing fields might seem inappropriate, but nothing could be further from the truth. Whether because of Buddhist beliefs (which encourage a focus on the present rather than the past) or because people simply want to forget, Cambodia is taking definite steps forward.
Most people there speak some English, and despite the poverty – Cambodia lags behind both Thailand and Vietnam in terms of development – they are friendly, optimistic and keen to ensure you enjoy their beautiful country.
The crab market is also home to half a dozen restaurants that float on low rickety stilts above the aquamarine water of the China Sea. The local speciality is crab with pepper and lime: a typically Cambodian dish that is a delicious mixture of sweet, tart and spicy.
When we ordered it, the chef sent his young assistant for a short swim in the warm waters to fetch a crab for us from the pots some 25 yards out. We also ate grilled squid and locally caught fish in ginger, and, fully sated, found we had spent only about £10 a head.
After trying the local food, we visited some of the European restaurants in town. Kep Lodge Restaurant has a Swiss-influenced menu that features rösti, raclette and fondue.
On another day we lazed by the pool at Veranda Resort. The pool was vast and deliciously cool but it was the bakery and patisserie, La Veranda, that had us hooked: we ate croissants and tarte au citron and drank strong iced coffee all day long.
Our favourite place, however, was La Baraka, a seaside pizza joint run by the oh-so-Gallic Maurice, who speaks no English but will regale you with tales of his gangster life in Brazil if your French is fluent enough. La Baraka has a roguish charm and the red wine is top- notch. If Maurice favours you, he will call you over to sit at his table, and ply you with champagne and implausible tales for the entire evening.
Kep may be small and sleepy, yet there's a huge roundabout as you enter the town. We could see it from our hammock and during our stay sometimes played a game of "spot the traffic". Not once did we see anything other than the daily bus or the occasional tuk-tuk (three-wheel taxi) or scooter, navigating its lonely way around the vast circle. But that roundabout is a statement of intent.
At the moment only locals and informed travellers visit the town, a situation that is likely to change soon. Foreign investors, including Australian and Vietnamese developers, are already buying up chunks of land in the region. Bokor, a hill station just 15 miles away, is under development, with an 18-storey hotel, casino and golf club planned for completion in 2012.
So, if you want to be utterly relaxed, laze on quiet beaches, eat crab, drink wine with Maurice and watch the empty roundabout, go now.
Like the beaches of Thailand before, the coast of Cambodia is unlikely to remain for long as tranquil and undiscovered as it is today.
When to go
November to February is the best time. The rainy season is late May to October; March and April are dry but very hot; temperatures rise above 104F (40C).
Getting there
There are no direct flights to Cambodia from Britain, but good connections are available to Phnom Penh (the capital, a three-hour drive from Kep and an interesting city in which to spend a few days). Fly with Thai Airways International (www.thaiair.com) to Phnom Penh via Bangkok (prices from around £700 return). Or take Malaysian Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com) to Kuala Lumpur (about £600 return) and then fly to Phnom Penh with Air Asia (www.airasia.com; about £120 return). A taxi transfer from Phnom Penh to Kep will cost about £30 return.
You need a visa for Cambodia (£19), which you can get on arrival at the airport; two passport photographs required.
All numbers listed below should be prefixed with 00855 when dialled from Britain.
Where to stay
Knai Bang Chatt (www.knaibangchatt.com; 012 349742) is the most glamorous option. It's Belgian-owned and housed in three sympathetically restored seaside villas. The 11 rooms have large balconies, and the hotel has a spa and infinity-edge pool. Double rooms cost from £95 a night; sea-view rooms cost £140.
Recently renovated and with doubles from £35 a night, Champey Inn (25 Avenue de la Plage; 0366 333 007) has its own tiny private beach and a small pool. The 14 bungalows have four-poster beds and outdoor showers.
French-owned and run, the Veranda Natural Resort (www.veranda-resort.com; 033 399 035) features raised wooden walkways leading to bungalow-style rooms from £35 a night. On site are a large pool, patisserie, cocktail bar and restaurant.
At Vanna Bungalows (www.vannabungalows.com; 012 755 038), air-conditioned double rooms cost from £13 a night. Each bungalow has its own veranda with hammock and sea views. No pool.
Where to eat
Seafood restaurants on the waterfront: Rith Shack, Kim Ly (012 345 753) and Sunset (017 340 612) are three of the most popular.
For pizza, wine and roguish fun, La Baraka (crab market; 012 1619 015).
For French patisseries and great coffee, La Veranda (www.veranda-resort.com; 033 399 035).
Evening meals with a European flavour, Kep Lodge (www.keplodge.com; 092 435 330)
Things to do
Boat trips to Koh Tonsay run daily; inquire at your hotel; from £6 a head.
Day trip to Kampot, a riverside town some 15 miles away with a promenade where you can watch the sunset from a choice of bars and restaurants. Taxi about £9 return.
Climb Bokor mountain (two hours each way up steep jungle tracks) to the ruins of Bokor hill station. This ghost town was abandoned by the French in the late Forties during the first Indo-China War and is often wreathed in mist; it is pleasantly cool. Tour: £19 without transfers. Inquire at your hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment