October 27, 2012
The Sydney Morning Herald
Aerial view of Song Saa's private islands.
Penny Watson swaps the dance party vibe of the backpacker beaches for a private island dedicated to sustainable living.
Somewhere out there, in the backpacker beach town of
Sihanoukville, there's serious partying going on: dance tunes, fire
displays and fluorescent glow sticks are accompanied by
hangover-inducing Mekong whisky, a rocket fuel served in plastic buckets
and drunk communally from straws.
The scene at Song Saa, a private island resort about 40
minutes by speedboat from the mainland, couldn't be more of a contrast.
The only music is the soft lull of waves nudging white-sand beaches. The
fire displays come from candles floating in an infinity pool and
lanterns lighting sandy trails. The fluorescence comes in the form of an
electric-blue bioluminescence around my ankles, and drinks include a
crisp sauvignon blanc served chilled in a long-stemmed glass.
If I did need a straw, there's no plastic to be found.
Instead, dried water reeds, harvested locally, are the Robinson
Crusoe-approved solution to the age-old ritual of slurping liquid
through a tube, and one of the many aesthetic nods to the stunning
natural surrounds. Song Saa, which opened late last year, is getting
press as the first luxury resort of its kind in Cambodia, but is also
making a name for itself as the blueprint for sustainable accommodation,
both locally and globally.
It's easy to see why the Phnom Penh-based Australian founders
of Song Saa, Rory and Melita Hunter, were thus inspired when they first
set eyes on this spot five years ago. Unlike neighbouring Thailand and
Vietnam, Cambodia's island outcrops are relatively undiscovered in
tourism terms.
The resort itself is made up of two tiny islands joined by a
wooden footbridge that are easily traversable in a 20-minute amble. Koh
Bong is the resort's own national park, covered in emergent rainforest,
with a bird (and bat) viewing platform and flat-as-a-pancake waterside
rocks for meditation. Koh Ouen, despite hosting the majority of
infrastructure, is also a natural oasis, with every attempt made at
preserving the deserted island feel. Fences are made from driftwood
washed up on the islands' western shores, palms and pandanus trees have
been retained and the tropical flowers are an extension of naturally
occurring flora.
An over-water open-air restaurant accessed by another
footbridge echoes the look of an old fishing pier, if you can ignore
three swinging double-bed hammocks, couches with inviting plump pillows,
backgammon boards and Khmer staff handing you a cocktail.
Song Saa's 27 villas, which fall into jungle, sea-view and
over-water categories, have thatched pitched roofs, exterior walls
fashioned from bamboo and local timbers, and outdoor showers that spray
hot water from hollowed-out logs.
A tad Gilligan's Island? Perish the thought. Melita is an
interior designer by profession. The resort's slate-grey, brown and
green swimming pool tiles, for example, have a walk-in wardrobe of moods
and colours, somehow reflecting blue skies in the morning then storm
clouds in the afternoon.
Interior dry stonewalls, polished tree stump bedside tables
and handcrafted pottery sit beside each villa's Aesop bath products and
iPod dock. The wine fridge is sinfully stocked with our pre-arranged
choice of beverages.
Song Saa's other side, however, is sustainability. The first
step was to gain approval for a marine park that stretches 200 metres
out from both islands, a process that required government approval and
consent from fishermen who had to agree to stop fishing within the zone.
Remarkably in these parts, the long-term view won out over short-term
gain.
"It's a win-win," says Song Saa's head of conservation and
trained marine biologist Barnaby Olsen, whose enviable "office" and
research hub is an open-air hut. "After four years we're seeing bigger
schools of fish and bigger fish in general. And, key to any marine
environment, bigger fish spawn more fish, which will eventually find
their way out of the marine park into the nets of the local community."
Whether you're kayaking a figure-eight around the islands,
taking a snorkelling tour or swimming, there's more for guests to see
now, including octopuses, rare species of seahorse, giant clams and
gobies and alpheid shrimps. The sustainability push includes monitoring
sites to produce Cambodia's only scientific marine data.
With just nine villas occupied during my stay, I monopolise
Olsen's time. We paddle kayaks through a nearby mangrove forest littered
with exotic leaves, furry branches and feathery friends of varieties
that only local textbooks can explain. And we visit Prek Svay village on
nearby Koh Rong, an island about the size of Hong Kong but with a
population of just 2000. The fishermen who gave the nod to the marine
park live here with their families in traditional two-storey open-air
wooden houses. We walk barefoot through the main street accompanied by
straggly chickens and hyperactive dogs, reciprocating waves from
villagers.
The same dialogue that motivated the marine park also kicked
Koh Rong's sustainability program into play - the villagers have
upgraded waste management, freshwater fish farming, organic agriculture
and animal husbandry. Crucially, the villagers are taught to run and
contribute to the programs themselves. "We are not suggesting new laws
or imposing new ideas, just giving inspiration and encouragement to
follow their own mandate," Olsen says.
Back at Song Saa, the executive chef, Neil Wager, suggests a
Khmer-inspired six-course degustation dinner. So far we've enjoyed a
poolside seafood barbecue, a fireside pizza on the beach and an in-villa
feast delivered in traditional over-shoulder hanging baskets - all
experiences that highlight the island's many "dining rooms".
Not wanting to deviate from the relaxed pace, and conscious
the kitchen team has worked in some of the world's best restaurants, I
ask how formal the dinner will be. "Treat this place like a rich uncle's
island," Wager says. "Come in bare feet."
FAST FACTS
Getting there Malaysia Airlines has a fare
from Sydney and Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur (8hr 20min), with connections
to Phnom Penh (1hr 50min), from $1450 low-season return, including tax.
See malaysiaairlines.com. Cambodia Angkor Air flies to Siem Reap and
Sihanoukville. Song Saa staff can also arrange transfer by car from
Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville port. The island is a 40-minute boat ride
from the port.
Staying there Song Saa jungle villas cost from $US1336 ($1292) a night in the low season. Price includes meals and beverages. See songsaa.com.
Penny Watson was a guest of Song Saa.
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