Sihanoukville

Welcome to Expat.com RobSchneiderOz!

Thanks for bringing your help to other members.

Harmonie.

Hi Rob,  I'm new on Expat.com too,  as you can see! And wow you've been in snooky since 06!!  Me and my partner are planning to join the expat community in June next year, so just starting to make plans, there's so much to consider and plan! But with hard work and commitment all should go well! I see you open to questions? Well I'm guessing I will have plenty flying your way since you have a wealth of knowledge to tap into!!  

So I guess I'm just saying hello for now!
Ps how's the weather at the moment??
Regards
Nikki and Shelly

Hi, the weather's perfect right now. November is one of the best months here. Really appreciate the sunshine after a long rainy season.

Hi
I'm Christine I was over there during the wet season...Ausgust September  Oct....I meet afew expats, meet an english woman who got me interested in renting an apartment overlooking the beach for 140 per month? Im going back feb, march april and would seriously like to rent something similar to her digs. I would appreicate it if you could forward me some websites or blog whatever I could contact to line up my pad whilst at the beach.
I am looking to maybe entre into a business but prefer to go very slowly and observe howw htings are done there. Really loved the people places atmosphere and cheap yummie seafood.
any ideas please drop me a line
regards
Christine

I'm really not very clued in about rents here, but I'll ask around and get back to you if I hear of anything. Definitely don't jump into a business venture here until you've sussed it out well. I can think of far more business failures here than successes. You have to be able to wait out a long, slow rainy season and you need to have a solid business plan or plenty of money to burn.

Hi Rob! My name is Tom. I found your comments on the expatblog and I was wondering if you could help me out.

I am currently in Europe but I am planning to buy (I thin it is called Leasehold) a small guesthouse in Sihanouk Ville anytime soon. Now I heard a lot of bad stories about the places at the beach. Government can remove you and so on. Also, most of the expats leave the place after some few month (when the money was gone). Is this all true? I am kind of worried what might happen....

Greets
Thomas

Things have changed here a lot in the past five or six years. When I arrived, one of the first people I met had just been kicked off of Victory Beach, where he had built a bar. Since then, we have become a province and most of the land title disputes have been settled. That's why there's been such a building boom in Ochheuteal and now along Otres Beach and on the islands. Well, everywhere, really, but the Western foreigners are most interested in those areas.

You still have to go through the proper channels to get a legal lease. There are lots of negotiations to be made and papers to be signed in front of legal witnesses. Most of the mistakes being made now are made by people who assume everything's casual here. Check out the comments on this post on my blog for more information: http://www.sihanoukville-cambodiajourna … res-beach/

RobSchneiderOz wrote:

Things have changed here a lot in the past five or six years....

Good to hear that things change! Actually, the reason why I put that message is because I read your blog and I got a lot of input (not only the beautiful stories you hear from the real estate agents).

My major concern is to loose everything when buying a business on the beach. If it is not 100% legal and government can remove you anytime, the risk is high that either they remove you, or at least they come and ask you for some bribe, right?

Rob, I read that your wife is working as some sort of consultant when it comes to foreigners who want to move their. I am in Sihanouk-ville next week or the week after. Maybe I can hire her expertise when it comes to all that things? As an example, the real estate agent told me that he can make perfectly secure rental and purchase contracts, I dont need a lawyer. I kind of doubt that! So it would be good to have somebody with me when visiting all that places together with the real estate guy.

Anyway, thanx for your input so far! I love your blog and your writing style, its great!

Thanks. Sopheak is on Koh Rong as I am writing this, acting as translator and go-between for someone who wants to lease land for bungalows. I'm kind of jealous. She took the camera with her last time they went over and it looks like an amazing island. Why not leave a comment somewhere on my blog and then I'll have your email address. I can then email you her phone number and you can take it from there.

RobSchneiderOz wrote:

Why not leave a comment somewhere on my blog and then I'll have your email address. I can then email you her phone number and you can take it from there.

Will do... thanx!

Hi Rob, i,m Dave from UK, sounds great place Silk, i,m coming to Cambodia for 12mths, and maybe permanent, wonder if you could advise me where i could rent a reasonable property in Silk? Also a hotel untill i find my feet. Will prob spend a couple weeks in thailand then travel to silk, Can you fly to anywhere near Silk and if so how long will the journey be from the airport, sorry to bombard you with questions, but the fact that you been there for 6yrs qualifies you as somewhat of an expert, many thanks Dave.

Renting property is tricky. There's plenty available, but getting it in the right place and at the right price is the hard part. I recommend giving yourself a month or so to shop around. The only flights into Sihanoukville are the 3 weekly flights from Siem Reap. Otherwise you have to fly to Phnom Penh and then take a bus. The bus trip is usually around 4 hours, but as far as I know you still have to go into Phnom Penh to get one. Usually better to stay in PP for a day or two. Overland from Thailand takes about 8-10 hours, I think. Sorry to be so vague, but I'm not the best person to ask. I've been here for six years, but haven't been out of the country, so don't know much about travel.

Thanks for your speedy reply Rob, very helpfull, if you don,t mind i,ll pick your brains on other aspects in the future, many thanks Dave.

Hi Rob,

   Have you ever been to or heard anything good or bad about the WOK bar in Sihanouk Ville. How is the living there both in the off season and high season. How are the locals and Expats? Thanks for you time.

Paul

Sorry, I haven't been to the WOK bar, but will keep an eye out for it. Personally, I prefer the rainy season to the dry season and like the locals better than many of the expats, who seem to be a negative bunch. I hate to generalise, though, because that puts everyone in the same basket. A lot of good things are happening here and the area is attracting more expats who are coming here to live rather than try to escape, if you know what I mean.

Hi Rob,

  Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. You are living the dream. I am still in the States for the moment, but ready to leave in the next two weeks. Things in the States are getting worse and worse I am sad to report. I wanted to move to Thailand till I found out about Cambodias' business visa minus the visa runs. Huge benifit. I heard from some expats that Cambodia is like Thailand in a way ten or more years ago. I was looking into buying a business in snookyville, but would never do so until I thoughly investigated it and the law of the land. I have done some research on  Sihanoukville, it looks like a cool place to live. Could you tell me a little about the people and the place from your experience? Like I said thank you and appreciate it.

Kindest Regards Paul

Hi all; we have decided now we are both just turned 50 that the UK is just too cold and expensive to live in and the crime is getting out of control. We are looking at retiring and setting up home in Cambodia this year, we are in the process of selling all our worldly goods and coming over to live in the wonderful country; we are heavily into our scuba diving as we teach and love the water.
We might even consider opening up a dive centre if the trade is good, but we are financially secure and really just looking for the quite life, with warm weather. Oh and great food....
Love to hear from people who have made the jump, and any good or horror stories would be appreciated

Hi

whats the chances of finding some teaching english work in sihanoukville, just finished tefl course, have no degree but want to get some experience as i have none, i know the rates for sihanoukville are fairly low $5 -7 an hr also any info on cheap apartments, price, whats included etc, any info would be much appreciated

thanks

It's been 5 years since I tried, but I had no luck at all and I taught ESL in Australia. At that time, you had to be lucky enough to apply on the day they needed someone. They didn't really keep your CV. The rate was $3 an hour then. I took up writing instead. Was making about the same when I started, but am doing alright now - averaging around $30 an hour.

As for apartments - you can get a decent one for as little as $75 a month for a studio apt (1 room + bath + fan + kitchenette). Have to do some looking, though.

Thanks for info Rob

Out of interest what kind of writing do u do?? and how did u get into it??

It's a long and painful story. You can read about it on my blog, Starting from Scratch. The blog is a little dated and I'm happy to say I'm just about at cruising level now.

Hi Rob,

I will go read your blog.  Thanks.

Kaz

Hi people
Let me ask you, can you put any link about condo or house renting pages in Sinville?
I was checking the classifinds but no match..
Thx

Hi Rob, thanks for your Blogs and all the information you've supplied about ShVille.

I am ready to leave Oz again soon-ish and want to try a new country - one to stay if all things work out ok. Like the Visa multiple entries situation too.  Nice one!

I'm a screenwriter (unpaid as yet and may always be lol)but figure I can do that anywhere in the world. I noticed internet is there and well - albeit some power cuts periodically.  That's life.

I really appreciate your info on the new International Airport and more infrastructure with the train from PP. 

Either way, I love the beaches and the laid-back way of life.  Not to mention fresh seafood there.

Anyway, I'll soon be looking for digs at a reasonable cost.  Seems like plenty there to choose from. 

Dengue was mentioned and is in Cairns now in FNQ so what's the dif really I concluded.

So thanks and look forward to being there - just in time for the wet season. lol  Just my bad timing - Doh!

Cheers,

Kaz

Hi RobSchneiderOz,
     Myself and a female friend are considering places for retirement/living, and we like the look of Sihanoukville a lot. She has a pension which is adequate for her needs, but I'm a few years (5) off pension age yet - I'm British BTW - and would need some form of income. I'm a qualified ESL teacher with 12 years' experience teaching in Asia, so the education market is my main interest. So far though, I've found it difficult to get any info on the availability of teaching jobs for foreigners.(Some reports/blogs concerning teaching jobs in PP are not too positive, and I wondered if there similar problems elsewhere.) I did look on your other blogsite, but nothing there either - though the rest of the news was entertaining stuff!
     I'd be very grateful for any links you might be able to suggest....thanks in advance!    Didens

I've been traveling to Snooky (Sihanoukville) for a year and a half and love it.(couldn't live in Snooky officialy as it was on the banned list to collect US Social Security benefits) I had been traveling to Thailand for 31 year and was going to retire there until I found Snooky. If your an American and collect Social Security, you can now live/travel in Cambodia. I spent 6 months battling the US Social Security Administration and contacting my US Congressman, senior citizen organizations, veteran organazations, cambodian ministers, ect. Cambodia has just been taken off the banned country list for receiving Social Security.(Anita Allegra, Head of Consular Affairs US Embassy Phnom Penh was made to finally do her job in co-ordinating this instead of using American funds to plant trees and smooze with feminists from the US. She is/was one lazy embassy employee.)

Cambodia has its ups and downs. I hate the garbage all over the place (this will change as it did in Thailand), the dangerous unkept roads, the dangerous drivers, the insects, the corrupt government with no regard for the roads/garbage/power/water (unless they can line their pockets), the power outages, most NGOs  (you know, the ones that the head people live in palaces and drive new SUVs),the loud wedding/funeral partys, the loud music from business's that are having special sales, sewarge flowing into the water from the beach shacks and hotels on the downtown beach, no AirAsia flights to Snooky from Bangkok due to AngkorAir/government being owned by the Vietnamese and they want to funnel people to their beachs and not Snooky (maybe not a bad thing.)

I love the beachs (except the one in downtown Snooky as the beach venders/sewage can be a pain)(4 other better beachs and island beachs), the food, the price of housing, the weather, the basic cost of living, the little fish n' chip place by the Utopia bar (very cheap), Pizzianna Deep fried chicken, the little hole in the wall/very inexpensive Itailian place just behind the new/terrible The Pizza Company Restaurant on the main drag, the islands, Lazy Beach Bungalows on the islands (a special place), the price of getting laundry done, the price of buying a fresh tuna in the big market ($2.), the price of fresh pork (really good pork),the fact that they use American dollars, the one year visa's, the one year drivers license, New Years on the downtown beach, Independence beach, the long beach at Ream Park (down the dirt road from the oil tanks), the entertainment of watching what can be put on a motorbike as in 5 people, gas tanks, logs, rebar, wood planks, glass windows,etc.
All and all an interesting place to live.

Hi Rob,
Sounds like you found a home there. It sounds really good, are the houses as cheap as they say to rent? what about cable tv? let me know if you can.

I just moved into a two bedroom house at $500. a month. At this point, its the only place like it in Sihanoukville, but the owner here is building 40 or 50 more houses and I have a Cambodian friend that is building 20 or 30. They are built with westerners in mind, unlike most houses in Cambodia and will be the trend in the future. Western kitchen, carport, cable TV & water included in lease, grass yard, big shade trees, good security,5 min walk to beach.

With Cambodian Airlines set to start flying into Sihanoukville, investing 1.5 billion dollars in airplanes, links to Philippine Airlines, and backed by one of the largest corporations in SEA, the population and popularity of the Cambodian coast will explode. People with only 2 or 3 weeks vacation are not usually going to fly into Phnom Penh and spend 3 or 4 hours riding a bus/taxi on Hwy #4 (The Death-Highway-To-Hell)to get to a Beach/Casino, but they will step off of one airplane and on to another to be at a casino on the beach the same day. (Sihanoukville)(Bangkok to Snookyville soon?) Where else can the Chinese and Koreans with new disposable income fly from their home and be on a beach with a Casino the same day? Think of Pattaya, Thailand (only cleaner) with an airport 15 minutes away, Casino/hotels, nicer beach's, islands with beach's, beach bars, hotels/casino's on the beach and cheaper.

I can see tours that go to Ankor Wat for a couple days then a couple days at the Hotel/Casino's on the beach in Snookyville. I don't see much attraction in Phnom Penh and believe it will be a tourist backwater and just an administrative hub. Phnom Penh by law only has one casino/hotel (Naga World) so gamblers will be stuck in one gambling hall, where Sihanoukville has many smaller (soon to be larger) casinos and Bokor Mtn. casino/resort isn't that far away. Sihanoukville also has the only port in Cambodia so it will be cheaper for companies (Chinese) to build factories close to the port for cheaper shipping than paying shipping to the port from Phnom Penh and this will bring more customers (Chinese factory managers/staff) to the beachside casinos in Snookyville.

The happenings on the Cambodian coast in the next few years will be very interesting to watch from the sidelines.(I'm retired and never want to work again.)

What's the real cost of living. Rental, etc

jparson wrote:

What's the real cost of living. Rental, etc

Try www.numbeo.com for cost of living.

Hi Rob, I'm Peter.... nice to read factual comments from you about S.V. instead of negative and uninformed B.S. I've read posted by 'experts'.
I too came here in 2006 and I love it. I run a business with my wife (who also has a good job.... dont know how she does it).
I also have a few irons in the fire ... in progress.
Like yourself, I'm pretty familiar with how S.V. works and have to say that, with a few exceptions, I  haven't had much in common with many ex pats since I came but I agree that things have now changed here.... mostly for the better. Many 'runaways' have now gone (one way or the other), the place has a more comfortable feel about it and this is a good blog to meet new friends, make new aquantances and to give and ask for advice.
If I can be of any help, please feel free to contact me.
I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Best wishes, Peter.

i am planning my first trip to work in snooky with a friend who has a business there, my biggest concern that i am getting conflicted info on is about pets. I have two Daschunds that i do not want to leave behind. they have all the required vaccinations, but with the long hours ahead via flights, i am stressing if i really should bring them with. Has anyone here brought there animals with? I am flying from Cape Town South Africa within the next 2 months, possibly less, depending on the passport arrival from EU. Any info advice, slap to the head is welcome. My friends say dont worry to much, yet i am the worry wart.

Hi all ! I was woundering is there any were to fish in sihanoukvile ? Lakes or rivers

Hi Rob, I'm Australian been living (working 12 years & now retired 10 years; 22 years in Thailand. Computer savvy, active swimmer, non drinker, non smoker, vegetarian, good cook, looking for a place in the sun, without a Thai wife talking non stop about money. Enjoy Asian cultures & foods. My destination Sihanouk ville for the sea, sun & easy going life style. A girlfriend if possible educated or at least aware. (Asking too much?) I'm parking the car in Pattaya & will tour bus to the border next week. Intention is to give myself a good understanding of what I'm getting into.
Been to Poipet on several occasions, that's me in 5 lines.
Your thoughts will help.
Thanks
napho
PS emailed ANZ ROYAL Bank 4 days ago no answer! will they?? to organize online transfers from OZ. or Thailand.

I would take some cash and open an account with ANZ Royal. Usual Asian thing not to reply to emails so best to front up when in country. You can use ATM's for cash. Good scheme to come over and check things out first.
The educated girlfriend might take a bit of finding but I have no doubt they do exist there.

Hi Stumpy, I have now 3 replies from ANZ Royal Bank Cambodia advising that I must have an employment contract to open an account. Three times I have explained retired people do not have an employment contract!! Does Cambodia not want retired people? Getting any information out of Cambodia is proving very difficult.
Any light on this subject greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Napho

Hi Rob,
Hubby and I are Aussies running a small guesthouse here so should you want to catch up and chat and ask questions feel free.  Look us up on FB Peach House.
facebook.com/GuesthousePeachHouse
We have been here since October, made some mistakes but seem to be going ok.  We managed to open an ANZ account but we do run a business.....we will do what we can to assist you.

Hi Peacheycatz, Thanks for your info. It seems Cambodia do not want retired westerners! Been living & retired in Thailand for 23 years. Just looking for a change. ANZ in Australia don't reply to emails either. Are you suggesting if I register a business ANZ will open an acct? (is that an employment letter?) Main reason for an acct is transferring funds from OZ or Thailand to Cambodia online. Can't understand why poor Cambodia rejects much needed funds.
Thanks from a confused Ozzy!