Onederz Koh Rong Sanloem — Hotel in Koh Rong Sanloem

Perfect place to relax on the beach for a few days! The beds here were the comfiest I've slept on in a long time, rooms had AC on from around 2100-0900 so they stayed cool overnight. Each bed has a big locker, fan, light and plug sockets. Main downside to the room was the curtains on the beds - they covered maybe a quarter of the length of the bed, so were quite pointless. They also only covered the side of the bed and not the foot of it. If you go to the effort of hanging curtain rails and curtains, why not get curtains that fit properly?

Bathroom facilities were great: separate mens' and womens' bathrooms, with plenty of individual toilet cubicles and separate shower cubicles with shower gel and shampoo. Every time I went in there seemed to be people cleaning them and they were kept very clean and fresh throughout my stay. You can rent a towel for a refundable $5 deposit.

Location is amazing - right on the beach, and there's loads of chairs, hammocks, cushions etc to spend the day lazing around on. The beach is clean and the sea was crystal clear, warm and litter-free.

Food was quite cheap ($2.50-5 for breakfast, $4 for pasta and local dishes as an idea), but it wasn't great. I had beans, toast and eggs for breakfast and it was very sweet and greasy, although did come with a hot drink and fruit. The spaghetti sauce tasted suspiciously like ketchup. The vegetable Amok curry ($4) was some shredded carrot and cabbage in loads of sauce. Mostly it was all fine though, just nothing special. Definitely better food to be had if you explore a bit.

Bar prices were good, with two draught beers for $1 during the day and a few decent cocktail and mixer offers too. Water refills are offered for 1500 rial for 1.5 litres.

Most people staying here seemed to be in small or big groups already, and there were no organised activities on when we were there, so it seemed like it could be a bit more difficult for a solo traveller. Although the bar's decent and there was plenty of drinking going on, the vibe is definitely chilled and it's not a party hostel. Definitely recommend it if that's what you're after...

Pros: Rooms and bathrooms are very clean Rooms are nicely air conditioned Great location and beach

Cons: The restaurant takes a while for meals (quickest 40mins, longest over 2hrs) Their restaurant is definitely overpriced compared to other spots along the beach Do NOT book tours with them as it is a nightmare! Very inconsistent and incorrect information

Examples: We got the 12:30pm ferry and wanted to book the 3pm bus so we wouldn’t feel stressed but the staff insisted we book the 1:45pm bus instead, low and behold the ferry doesn’t leave the island til 1:30pm even though the hostel dropped us off at the pier at 12pm and we get to the bus station at 2:45pm obviously missing our bus. We decided to book an afternoon tour of snorkelling, bbq dinner, fishing, bioluminescent plankton, sunset views and fishing villages. The snorkelling was not the best spot on the island to go, the bbq dinner was so bad (besides the overcooked and tiny piece of chicken everything else on our plate was cooked before we even got on the boat at like 1:30pm), and the fishing village was just the town over where they said be back in an hour with no highlights or recommendations. The bioluminescent plankton was really cool but you can book those tours separate with more time and cheaper at other resorts along the beach. One night for dinner it took over 2 hours for them to serve us one plate of BBQ. We asked numerous times where it was as we’d seen many people who ordered after us get their meals before us. The server told us that he was on it before finally after 2 hrs admitting he had forgotten to give the...

I was a bit hesitant with staying here since I normally don't like staying in hostels (I prefer a quiet nights sleep) and previous reviews warned me about the noise until late into the night. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I stayed in a 6 bed dorm (which was located all the way in the back so you hear less noise from restaurant) and besides the occasional roommate rummaging through their bag at 3 AM I did not hear any actual music from the room.

This is also by far the cleanest hostel I've ever stayed in. Usually bathrooms in hostels are comparable to those in a train station or a not so fancy mall but at this hostel I never saw a dirty toilet or shower. My compliments to the cleaning staff.

The reception is friendly and helpful and can arrange transportation to your next destination. The hostel also offers pick-up and drop-off to the boat pier. I got picked up when arriving by local boat when I didn't even ask for it.

You can rent a padlock and a towel for free, it only requires a deposit of $5 each.

I did not eat at the restaurant so I cannot comment on that but the menu is pretty extensive, however, prices at the neighbours are a lot cheaper (for breakfast and dinner) so I recommend going there if you are on a budget.

If you want to stay in Saracen Bay but can't afford the resort hotels I definitely recommend staying at Onederz and book a 6 person dorm so you sleep as far away from the restaurant...