There’s an inspirational story behind Cambodia’s
first island resort, Song Saa Private Island, and
it reveals a whole new archipelago to explore,
writes
Laura Miller
.
W
e all dream of
changing our lives
sometimes: moving
somewhere exotic,
starting a charitable foundation,
buying a remote tropical island – or
two. Most of us stick to planning a
holiday when daily life becomes a
little humdrum, but Rory and Melita
Hunter went the whole hog, including
creating a destination you’ll be itching
to escape to the next time you have a
few days off.
Now based in Hong Kong, the
dynamic Aussie couple moved to
Phnom Penh in 2005, planning
an experiential year out before
settling in New York. Little did they
know that this spur of the moment
decision to run an advertising agency
in the Cambodian capital would
lead to the adoption of their son,
the establishment of Cambodia’s
first marine reserve, a working
relationship with Prince Albert II of
Monaco and the founding of Song
Saa Private Island.
Beyond the ruins
A private island resort in Cambodia?
Yes, Cambodia. Long since associated
with ruins and backpackers, there is
in fact much more to the country than
Siem Reap’s Angkorian relics and
Phnom Penh’s harrowing reminders
of Pol Pot’s cruel regime. Vast tracts
of jungle remain almost unexplored,
endangered Irrawaddy dolphins
ply the waters of the Mekong River
near Kratie up north, and the coast
offers quaint seaside towns such as
Kep and Kampot, their shores lined
with convivial crab shacks. And then
there is the little-known Koh Rong
Archipelago. An hour’s speedboat
ride from the town of Sihanoukville,
the archipelago consists of 15
forested islands with beaches rivaling
Thailand’s – sans the tourists.
As Cambodia opens up and
travellers venture beyond Siem Reap,
it’s inevitable that some things will
fall victim to tourism’s fast-buck
mentality. Just inland from Kampot
for example, Bokor Hill Station – a
1920s colonial ghost-town atop a
verdant escarpment – has already
been ruined by a monstrous resort.
Luckily there are those with a longer-
term view: the Hunters and their
Song Saa Foundation are determined
that this will not happen to the Koh
Rong Archipelago.
Koh where?
Lying off Cambodia’s coastline
almost directly across the Gulf of
Thailand from Koh Samui, the Koh
Living
dream!
the
January 2016
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