Otres Beach

After a 5hr bus and 30min taxi from Phnom Penh we arrived at Otres Beach 2. I learned on the way there that Otres was actually divided into two beach towns 5min from each other. We were staying at Ren Resort which was on Otres 2. Otres 2 was mellower with a more mature age group than Otres 1. Ren was beautiful, it had only opened 3 months previous and had a few reviews on Agoda which always makes one wonder what to expect. It had a cute pool and was steps from the beach, clean nice room and breakfast included. Otres was exactly what I had hoped and imagined; the perfect beach vibe. Otres had sun chairs sprinkled across endless white sand with the music changing as you passed each new beach bar, chilled out backpackers rocking the longest breads I've ever seen, and local Cambodian woman walking up and down the beach offering $5 massages or pedicures. It's a good life here.

I checked out here, mentally… The days all seemed to melt together like the sun every evening into the grey sea. We went to a night market one evening, saw some live music and had some amazing food. But the days were truly what was treasured. Waking and baking in the sun, I turned golden in a day. Happy Hour seemed to be all the time and the drinks were so cheap it didn’t seem to make a difference anyways. I got comfortable here, in the essence of everyone being care free and the only concern was if there was enough coconuts cut from the trees that morning. Otres was the first spot on this Asia trip that I knew I would return to. I could see it being too slow for someone else’s taste, but the meals were good, the sand warm, and I could order a mojito to my beach chair without moving a muscle; my kind of paradise. I also had the pleasure of being invited to Done Right family dinner, loved it. This bungalow styled hostel would be the place I would stay if I were to return. Located on Otres 1 it was simple, fun, with a good crowd if you were looking to meet people, bonus one of the owners is pretty cute too.