Boat International – September 2019

boatinternational.com

I

D

oesCambodiahaveacoastline?”wasaquestionIwas

askedonmorethanoneoccasionwhenItoldpeople

ofmyupcomingtravelplans.Theanswerisyes,more

than 200 nauticalmilesofit,butit’snotcompletely

surprisingthatpeoplearen’taware.

Thecountry’straumatichistoryiswellknown:from 1975 to 1979

thebrutalKhmerRougeregimewasresponsibleforthedeathsof

morethantwomillionpeople.Overthepastfourdecadesthecountry

hasworkedhardtorebuilditseconomy,andtourismisakeyfocusfor

itsexceptionallyyoungpopulation(morethan 65 percentareunder

30 andthemedianageisjust25,comparedto 40 intheUK).The

attentionhasmainlybeenontheTemplesofAngkor,whichlurein

theculturevultures,grouptoursandbackpackers,whiletherocky

coastline,withidyllicbeaches,forest-cloakedislandsandaquamarine

waters,hasslippedundertheradar.ButnowCambodia’srivierafinally

lookssettogetitsshareofthelimelight.

Inthe1960stownssuchasKep(formerlyKep-Sur-Mer)onthe

southernstretchofcoastwerebooming.KnownastheSaint-Tropez

ofSouthEastAsia,Kep’sonekilometreofpebblebeachusedtoattract

theCambodianroyalfamilyandPhnomPenh’sgoldenyouthfor

weekendgetaways;JacquelineKennedyandCatherineDeneuvewere

evenspottedonitsshores.

Partoftheappealwasitsnotorietyaspartofthemodernist

architecturemovement,withmorethan 200 LeCorbusier-inspired

villasbuiltalongitsshoreandupitsleafyhillsides.Kep’ssocialcircle

enjoyedthegoodlifeinthesespaciousabodeswithdaysspentatbeach

partiesonKohTonsay,thelargestislandofthenearbyKeparchipelago,

andeveningssplashingthecashatthetown’scasino.

LeftasaghosttownaftertheriseandfalloftheKhmerRouge,Kep

isoneareathatisslowlyregainingitsreputation.Leadingthecharge

isBelgian-bornCambodiannationalJefMoons,whopurchaseda

collectionofderelictbuildingsonKep’sseafrontin 2003 andsetabout

resurrectingthemasaluxuriousbutunderstatedgetaway.“Everything

hastobereal,it’sstillaworkinprogress,”heexplainsasheshowsme

aroundtheproperty,whichconsistsofthreevillasthatformerly

belongedtothegovernorofKep,arelativeoftheKing.Nowcalled

The view from Kep

beach, which lies

40nm east of Krabey

Island (opposite

page, bottom left)

PHOTOGRAPHY: REN FULLER; KNAI BANG CHATT; SIX SENSES KRABEY ISLAND
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