The Royal Sands Koh Rong
by the TopOfHotel team
The Royal Sands is your own villa by the sea on the quietest kilometre-long white-sand beach on Koh Rong, with turquoise water out front, a pool on the sand, and a restaurant where you eat dinner to the sound of waves; you trade the remote location and reliance on boats for the beach, the privacy, and rooms that run larger than anywhere else on the island.
The Royal Sands is your own villa by the sea on the quietest kilometre-long white-sand beach on Koh Rong, with turquoise water out front, a pool on the sand, and a restaurant where you eat dinner to the sound of waves; you trade the remote location and reliance on boats for the beach, the privacy, and rooms that run larger than anywhere else on the island.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
The heart of the place is the 67 all-villa accommodation, designed to feel spacious and close to nature. There are beachfront villas where opening the terrace door puts you a few steps from the sand and sea, and garden villas tucked privately among green trees. Rooms are done in a warm tropical-resort style with wood and natural tones, high open ceilings, soft beds, and many have a terrace or porch for morning coffee with a sea or garden view. Plenty of reviews agree the rooms here run noticeably larger than other resorts on Koh Rong, which makes them feel like good value and easy to settle into. You wake up, open the curtains to soft light, the sound of waves and birds, and a few steps later you are on the beach, the kind of setting that makes people want to stay longer than they planned.
Food and amenities
Next to the sand sits a beachfront pool where you can look straight out to the sea and the horizon as you swim, a popular daytime spot you can easily swap for the water. For food, the beachside restaurant serves both fresh seafood and international dishes, and the draw is eating dinner right by the sea to the sound of waves. Because the beach faces west, the sunsets here are especially good. The resort can also arrange boats and tours if you want to go snorkelling over coral, see the glowing plankton after dark, or visit another beach on the island, so once you arrive you barely need to leave for anything.
Location and getting there
The Royal Sands sits on Sok San beach, a location that sells the beauty and quiet of the sand to the full. The white sand runs about 550 metres, the water is fairly shallow and calm, and you can swim, walk, or sunbathe without competing for space. Getting here starts with a roughly 45-minute speedboat from Sihanoukville pier to Koh Rong, then a short resort transfer by road or boat to Sok San beach, which the resort helps arrange. Once you are there you have the beach, the pool, and the restaurant all on site, so this location suits people who mainly want to relax on a beautiful beach and head out on a tour only on the odd day.
Things to know before booking
To be straight with you, the thing to weigh most is the location on Sok San beach on the far side of Koh Rong, reached mainly by boat. Heading into town, joining a tour, or visiting another beach means a boat trip every time and waiting on the boat schedule, so anyone who wants shops right outside the door or dislikes multiple legs of travel may find it inconvenient; check the boat schedule and have the resort arrange transfers ahead of time. The other thing to know is that there are relatively few restaurants or shops outside the resort around Sok San, so you will mostly eat on site, and resort food and drink prices run higher than in town, which is worth budgeting for. Finally, as with any island stay, the experience depends a fair amount on the weather. During the monsoon or on rough days the boat ride in and out can be bumpy, you may run into beach insects at times, and the internet can be less stable than in town, so check the season before you book and come ready for the rhythm of island life.
Our take
From reading through a lot of real guest reviews, The Royal Sands Koh Rong delivers the quietest long white-sand beach on the island, spacious private villas, a beachfront pool, a beachside restaurant, and warm, easygoing service. If the trip in your head is waking up to clear, quiet water on a beach that feels almost your own, reaching the sand a few steps from your villa, swimming between the sea and the pool all day, and ending with dinner by the beach as the sun sets in the west, this place fits it about as well as anywhere. It suits couples, honeymooners, and families who genuinely want a private seaside escape. But if the heart of your trip is hunting for new restaurants every night, going out after dark, or getting around easily without a boat, the remote location will cost you some travel time. Overall we give it 9.0/10. Choose it for the beautiful, quiet beach and the private villas, and you will have a seaside trip on Koh Rong worth remembering.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The private white-sand beach runs about 550 metres and is the softest, quietest stretch on Koh Rong, with clear turquoise water you can see straight through to the sand. You can walk it all day and barely cross paths with anyone.
- Accommodation is all-villa, 67 villas spread along the beach and through the garden. Rooms run noticeably larger than other resorts on the island, decorated warmly in wood, and many open straight onto a full sea view from the terrace.
- The pool sits right by the sand looking straight out to sea, so you can swim a few laps and then walk into the water. Reviews mention it often as a favourite daytime spot.
- The beachside restaurant serves fresh seafood and international dishes, and dinner comes right by the water with the waves. Because the beach faces west, the sunsets here are especially good.
- Staff draw consistent praise for being warm, friendly, and attentive, and they help arrange boat transfers and island tours, which makes the remote location far easier to handle.
- The resort sits on Sok San beach on the far side of Koh Rong, reached mainly by boat. Heading into town, joining a tour, or visiting another beach means a boat trip every time and waiting on the boat schedule, which can feel like a hassle if you dislike multiple legs of travel.
- There are relatively few restaurants or shops outside the resort around Sok San, so you will mostly eat on site, and food and drink prices at the resort run higher than in town.
- On an island beach the experience depends a fair amount on the weather. During the monsoon or on rough days the boat ride in and out can be bumpy, you may run into beach insects at times, and the internet can be less stable than in town, so set your expectations accordingly.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Koh Rong
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Koh Rong — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Insider Tips
- If the budget allows, pick a beachfront villa. Opening the terrace door and reaching the sand and the sea in a few steps is the part reviewers say is most worth it about staying here.
- Ask the resort to arrange your boat transfer from Sihanoukville pier ahead of time and confirm the boat schedule before you come, since every trip depends on a boat. Planning your island-tour days in advance makes things smoother.
- Walk along Sok San beach toward the fishing village in the late afternoon to see the simple local life and the west-facing sunset, the highlight this side of the island has over the others.