27 Hours to Paradise

There’s a certain tiny island in Cambodia that I’ve been dreaming of for a good few years now… It’s called Song Saa and it’s more than a little bit special.

Just like any paradise worth waiting for, it’s a bit of a journey to get there, but I’ve yet to make a long-haul journey so worth the final destination… We arrived fairly bedraggled and pale after 27 hours travelling, but as soon as I was shown to my room on stilts and slid into the bath-like infinity pool as the sun set, the journey dissolved from memory. Cheesy yes, but sometimes you need to live that cliche and when you do, it feels pretty damn great.

Song Saa manages to combine pretty much everything you want in a desert-island-with-benefits destination. Four-poster beds draped in white muslin, outdoor showers, turquoise waters and icing sugar sand, inventive, delicious food and the infinity pool to beat all others. The sashimi is melt-in-your-mouth fresh, the staff are hands down the sweetest I’ve come across and there’s daily yoga and a barefoot spa to relieve all those inner and outer aches and pains. If that wasn’t enough, they even put on an outdoor film-screening of The Shawshank Redemption on the night of the supermoon complete with vats popcorn and mint tea. Clearly, they’d been informed about the easiest way to my heart: feed me and show me a great movie.

It’s easy to start comparing Song Saa to the Maldives given its island setting, long, boardwalks and general castaway vibe. But having done both, I came to realise its inherently different to the Maldives. While the snorkelling isn’t as great as the Maldives and the water isn’t quite so dramatically turquoise, the overall feel of Song Saa somehow feels more special, a lot of which is probably to do with the ethos behind Song Saa and it’s charitable foundation. I’m going go into this in more detail in the next blog post, but everything at Song Saa, both on the island and beyond is done with real heart and integrity, with sustainability at the core of everything they do. As such a luxurious resort in a country like Cambodia, this is a real must in my eyes, as it saves it from being totally at odds with its environment and community. Similarly to some of the lodges I stayed at in Kenya, included in your room rate is a a donation to the hotel’s foundation which contributes towards projects in the local community which we’ll be visiting in the next installment from Cambodia…

Big shout out to my talented and lovely friend Drea who is responsible for half these photos (we went to Tulum together earlier this year). She also runs an amazing travel site and publication called Elsewhere which you should 100% check out.

Orange string bikini | Asceno 
Silk slip dress | Maurie & Eve 
Stripe bikini | Zulu & Zephr 
Necklace | Lucy Williams X Missoma Limited Edition 
Straw basket | Kayu 
Floppy Hat | Asos 
Crochet bikini bottoms | She Made Me 
Shirt dress | Tularosa 
Sandals | Ancient Greek 

 

Ph. by myself and Drea Sobieski