The Best of Cambodia & Laos

174
SOUTHERN CAMBODIA
8
KEP
4 KEP
Only a half-hour’s drive from Kampot is the place that was once considered the Cambodian
Riviera in the time of the French, continuing under the rule of Sihanouk. Indeed,
Sihanouk’s old seaside villa still stands, though he never actually stayed in it since the area
became unstable before the curtains were chosen and the place was furnished. Now it is
crumbling and pocked with bullet holes, but one can easily imagine how grand it once
could have been. Kep (and indeed much of southern Cambodia) was a fierce battleground
over the years of war and the derelict feel still remains, although developers are moving in
fast and things are changing. There is very little beach at Kep and what there is remains
pretty scruffy and stony. There are some secluded resorts that appeal to some, but at present
facilities are limited. Kep is better done as a short, relaxed day trip from Kampot, unless it
provides the particular kind of seclusion you crave. It is a pretty drive from one to the other.
Where Kep is a world beater is when it comes to seafood. They fish some of the best
crab in the world off Kep, and Kampot is renowned for producing the best pepper on
the globe. The killer recipe doesn’t take much working out and Kep crab in Kampot
pepper lives up to anyone’s expectations. There is a strip of restaurants right on the beach
road coming from Kampot (it is signposted) where the crab is unloaded. This place is
called, not surprisingly, the crab market.
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
Kep is situated around a loop in the main road from Kampot to Vietnam. Approaching
Kep from Kampot, you turn right off the main road (Rte. 33) at the roundabout with
the “White Horse Monument” at its center. The diversion takes you first past the crab
market, then on to the main beach. It is a one-way road once in town, with an inner loop
that takes you up the hill behind the beach and following on round the back, returning
to the crab market. If you continue on the wider loop along the beach and the seafront
you pass Sihanouk’s former villa, continuing past the boat dock and the market until the
loop reunites you with the main road heading east. Resorts and guesthouses are situated
along the beach road coming from the White Horse Monument turnoff and scattered
among the hills behind the main beach. From Kampot, take a tuk-tuk, a moto, or a taxi.
Alternatively, hire your own motorcycle (p. 35) so that you have the freedom to stop where
you like and explore. If you are staying in Kep, you can rent a motorcycle from a guesthouse
just back from the seafront near the main roundabout called Ratanak Kongkea (& 099/
791-679) for $5 a day. Cheak Chit Guesthouse (& 016/770-277) right next door and
Sovan Sakor (& 012/608-345) a little farther up the road also rent out bikes.
Buses (Sorya Transport) from Phnom Penh to Kampot pass through Kep and drop off
and pick up near the beach.
Feasting in Kep
The restaurants at the Kampot end are a little more expensive and not as good.
The best one is the farthest along toward Kep. On the weekend you will see
more cars parked outside this restaurant than any other.