Travel
Where dreams come true at Song Saa Private Island in Cambodia
Join Leonie Jarrett as she discovers the barefoot luxury, breathtaking beauty and meaningful sustainability of Song Saa Private Island in Cambodia.
By Leonie Jarrett
Have you ever dreamed of a luxury resort where everything was exquisite but where, as a guest, you were also contributing to the local communities and to the environment? Giving back at the same time as relaxing? Dining on fresh, local produce whilst still feeling indulged? Gentle pampering co-existing with a social conscience and environmental responsibility?
These dreams come true at Song Saa Private Island, part of the Koh Rong Archipelago in Cambodia, a 45-minute speedboat ride from Sihanoukville in the Gulf of Thailand.
As the speedboat glided over the aquamarine water towards Song Saa Private Island, the tropical paradise about to be my home, the jetty came into view. On the jetty was a smiling group of seven of Song Saa’s team, all waving and waiting to welcome me. This welcome sets the tone for the next few days, a team that could not do enough for me.
Picked up from Sihanoukville airport and chauffeured to a private lounge at the Port, I was greeted by my personal Island Host, Yily. In fact, he had already contacted me via WhatsApp before I arrived to introduce himself – a sign of the level of personal attention to come.
How it started
Founder Melita Koulmandas was exploring nearby islands in 2006 on an old fishing boat. She noticed a rubbish-filled area and stopped. Melita decided to restore the coral-rich waters and to protect the local communities. And so an extraordinary journey began.
How it’s going
The resort on Song Saa Private Island including Cambodia’s first overwater bungalows opened in 2012. It achieved B Corp status in 2023 and is now Cambodia’s most awarded luxury resort. Song Saa also employs hundreds of people with a strong focus on hiring local Khmer (Cambodians).
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Collaborating with local communities first on cleaning up the islands (a program which continues today and which extends to neighbouring local villages), Song Saa Foundation was established in 2013. The first marine-protected area in Cambodia was created as well as the first waste management initiative in the Koh Rong archipelago.
Song Saa has pioneered conservation-based luxury tourism in Cambodia. It supports dozens of local education and livelihood initiatives and is a leading force in marine conservation and community-led development.
I opted for a local Village Tour during my stay. We took a local fishing boat to the neighbouring village of Prek Svay and Sideth showed me around. When Melita came to the area, Prek Svay had no electricity, no health care, no safe drinking water and there was no education for the children.
Thanks to Melita and the work of the Song Saa Foundation (partly funded by tourism to Song Saa Private Island), there is now electricity, health care, safe drinking water and education. When I visited, funds had just been raised for a computer in the community centre, Song Saa Sala, for locals to use and, indeed, to learn how to use.
Beautiful, deliberate design
Alongside the social and environmental benefits, the Song Saa resort development is simply beautiful.
As both the architect and interior designer, Melita has embraced an earthy aesthetic that celebrates repurposed materials. The villas are built from reclaimed timber and the interiors are designed to incorporate sustainable materials such as driftwood and naturally cooling thatch.
Each of the large 24 villas features large terraces with ocean views, infinity pools, sunken bathtubs and open-air showers. If you feel like company, there is a gorgeous communal Main Pool too at the ocean’s edge.
I stayed in a one-bedroom Jungle Villa with a dreamy four poster canopy bed. At 135m2 with a 26m2 private infinity pool and stunning views over the jungle to the ocean, this was hands down the best lead-in room I have ever stayed in! There are also two-bedroom Villas, Overwater Villas (with direct access to the ocean from the infinity pools) and Ocean View Villas.
Dining surprises
Menus are deliberately limited (there are still plenty of choices) so that meals are made of fresh ingredients. Chefs cook from their heart at Song Saa and it shows in the food they produce.
I could have eaten breakfast in my Villa but I chose the overwater Vista Restaurant & Lounge with sunrise views across the ocean. I returned every evening for sunset cocktails as I watched the local fishing boats set off on their nightly journeys.
One of the options for lunch and dinner is Driftwood Restaurant & Bar. As the name suggests, this restaurant is made of driftwood. It is set right on the sand at the edge of the lapping water. Dreamy!
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The nightly dinner destination was a surprise revealed on a tiny parchment scroll hanging each day on the front door of my Villa. One night, it was a poolside BBQ where tables of guests were spaced discreetly apart for privacy and so as to maximise pool and ocean views. Another night, a Khmer menu at Driftwood and another night à la carte at Vista.
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One afternoon, I enjoyed a private Khmer tea experience in a private jungle sanctuary. A duo of chefs and my personal waiter curated a magnificent tasting of several types of local tea, served with some local Cambodian delicacies cooked over a charcoal fired stove. If that wasn’t amazing enough, an Oriental pied hornbill was my companion for the experience.
Spa & Wellness
The Saraan Sanctuaries Wellbeing Centre was brand new when I visited, Saraan meaning love in Khmer. I had the treat of a Sound Bath healing ceremony where I relaxed to the sounds of a variety of different musical instruments. With the added natural noise of the sea, it was like an original composition played just for my pleasure.
On other days, I attended outdoor yoga and I had an outdoor massage. Again, the sounds of the sea formed rhythmic, background music.
Sweethearts
In Khmer, Song Saa means sweethearts. It is certainly a place for sweethearts to enjoy and to reconnect with nature and themselves. It also suits families (there was a young family and a family with adult children during my stay) and it suits solo travellers (there was a woman there enjoying a wellness retreat including one-on-one yoga sessions in the jungle).
My few days at Song Saa passed all too quickly but the memories will linger…the barefoot luxury, the gorgeous design of the resort, the flavourful meals. Knowing that, in the midst of all that pampering, I was helping both the local community and the environment.
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On my last evening, I found another tiny parchment scroll inside my Villa, sitting on top of a couple of stones. I unfurled the parchment, “Song Saa is a magical place and we hope that it has touched your heart with moments and experiences that will last a lifetime…think of the things in your life that bring you joy…hold that thought and make your way to the water’s edge before dropping your wishing stones into the water…The Song Saa Family.”
I smiled and gently dropped my stones into the sea.
The Writer was a guest of Song Saa Private Island. See here to learn more about Song Saa Foundation including how you can support the work of the Foundation.
Feature image: Leonie Jarrett
You can follow Leonie on Instagram and YouTube.
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