Hello all,

My husband and I are planning a 2 week trip to Cambodia in late January 2020 (I've never been to Asia before but my husband has been to Vietnam and Thailand briefly)

We are thinking:
Fly into Phnom Penh - 3 nights
Fly to Siem Reap - 4/5 nights
We would then like to spend 5/6/7 nights at the beach relaxing and exploring the small towns/areas that would ideally be nearby. We like a bit of excitement and a range of restaurants/shops, and maybe a boat trip to some nearby island - but would also like a peaceful, beachfront hotel to enjoy reading a good book after the first week of the trip being more 'adventurous'.
Do we stick with one of the Cambodian beaches - if so, which?
Or should we consider flying over to Thailand for the second part of the trip as from my research it sounds like Thailand might have a better offering for what we're looking for? If Thailand is more suitable, what beach areas would you recommend?

Any advice would be fantastic!

Thanks

If it were me, I would take a night from Siem Reap and add it to Phnom Penh. Alternatively, if temples are your thing then head 150km north to the less visted Koh Kep for a day or two.

As for the beach, I think the coast has laregely been taken over by the Chinese, at least as far as the area around Sihanoukville is concerned. Personally, I would avoid. We liked the area around Kampot and Kep. Not the beach, but not too far. Some info and photos on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/cambodia/

A good resource for beaches in particular and Cambodia in general is. https://www.travelfish.org/country/cambodia#islands

January will see the best weather on the Anadaman cost of Thailand ( te best beaches too)