The One Resort

Rooms and decor

The heart of the place is the air-con sea-view bungalows, the feature reviews mention most. Many face the sea so opening the curtain or the balcony door fills your view with the blue water of Saracen Bay, and plenty of guests praise being able to look at the sea from bed in the morning without getting up. The air-con is a rare comfort on an island where many places have only fans. Beyond the sea-view rooms there are also garden bungalows, shaded, private and a little cheaper. The rooms are understated and warm in a boutique way, leaning on a romantic feel and open sea views over showy luxury, with a private balcony or porch for morning coffee facing the waves or the greenery. Many reviews call the rooms relaxing and private, good for falling asleep to the surf and waking to soft light through the coconut palms with a few steps to the sand.

Food and amenities

Beyond the sea-view rooms, the other corner that makes The One Resort appealing is the beachfront bar and restaurant, set right on the sand. It serves European, Khmer and Thai food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, eaten to the sound of the waves. In the evening the seaside bar is a favorite spot for couples to sit with a cold drink and watch the sunset in the soft light. For the beach itself, Saracen Bay sells calm and good looks, with long, soft white sand and clear, fairly shallow, still water good for swimming, walking and sunbathing without fighting for space. By day you can swim or borrow gear to snorkel over coral and small fish. At night the highlight not to miss is a bioluminescent plankton tour, swimming on a dark night with the water glowing blue around you, which Koh Rong Sanloem is well known for.

Location and getting there

The location's strength is that it sits right on the beach and is an easy walk to the Saracen Bay pier, making getting on and off the island and timing the boat simpler than at many places. Getting here starts with a ferry from Sihanoukville pier to the Saracen Bay pier, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, then a few minutes' walk to the resort. Once you arrive you barely need to leave, with the beach, restaurant and water activities all on hand. If you do want a snorkeling trip, another beach, or to explore a village on the island, the resort can arrange boats and tours. Because the bay faces east, mornings bring the sunrise over the sea as a bonus. This kind of location suits couples and people who mainly want a quiet, pretty beach, then head out on a tour now and then.

Things to know before booking

To help you decide, the biggest thing to weigh is the island location, reached mainly by ferry. Even though the resort is near the pier so boarding is easy, going into town, on tours, or to other beaches still means a boat each time and depending on the ferry schedule. Anyone who wants shops right outside the door, or dislikes multiple transfers, may find it less convenient, so check the boat times and arrange transfers with the resort ahead. Second, this is a small boutique that leans on simplicity and a romantic feel over full-on luxury, so the rooms and facilities are not as grand as a five-star resort, and set expectations to the beachfront boutique style. Restaurants and shops outside the resort around Saracen Bay are fairly few, so you mostly eat at the resort. Last, the island setting means the experience depends a fair bit on the weather. During monsoon or rough-sea days the boat in and out may be less smooth, internet and power can be less stable than in town, and you may meet insects by the beach at times, so check the season before booking and allow for the island's pace.

Our take

From reading the real reviews, The One Resort is a boutique that sells a quiet romantic beachfront feel on Saracen Bay, an air-con sea-view bungalow with blue water visible from the bed, a good beachfront bar and restaurant with European, Khmer and Thai food, and a location an easy walk from the pier, all at an accessible price. If your trip looks like waking to the sunrise over clear water from a cool air-con room on a beach that feels almost your own, a few steps from bungalow to sand, swimming and snorkeling all day, then dinner and a drink at the seaside bar with someone you love before swimming out to see glowing plankton at night, it delivers. It is best for couples and quiet beach stays at an easy price. If you are traveling as a big family, want lively nightlife, full luxury, or to get around without boats, the small island boutique and simple style here may not be the best fit. Overall we give it 8.7/10. Choose it for the air-con sea-view rooms, the quiet romantic feel, and the beachfront walk to the pier, and you will get a warm, memorable beach stay on Koh Rong Sanloem.