Song Saa Private Island

Overview

A private island resort floating in the emerald waters off the Gulf of Thailand, Song Saa whisks you away to Cambodia’s untouched Koh Rong Archipelago. Song Saa is Khmer for ‘the sweethearts’ — and the resort is in fact two private, pristine islands linked by a footbridge over Cambodia’s first marine reserve that safeguards the islands’ reefs and burgeoning sea life — schools of fish, seahorses, and all.

Every moment spent at Song Saa can be described as sumptuous — the food scene included. The Vista Overwater Restaurant & Lounge is an intimate space serving contemporary fusion Western-Cambodian cuisine with a view that takes in the shoreline and reef. Or for more relaxed fare, head to the intimate beach where the Driftwood Bar & Kitchen prepares rustic wood-fired pizzas and tapas during the day alongside signature cocktails and wines and beers as crisp as island life calls for. Poolside and in-villa dining can be booked or make it a mealtime to remember with Song Saa’s Destination Dining experience where guests select one of its secluded hideaway spots from the dining room at the end of the Chef’s Garden to ‘The Point’ — the most romantic location of all surrounded by the ocean.

What paradise-found vacation is complete without a healing spa treatment? Song Saa’s Buddhist-blessed “Wellbeing Sanctuary” uses sustainable and natural products to support both the planet and the local community with treatments designed to echo its spa philosophy of stillness, healing, and blessings. Begin with an herbal infusion tea and then melt into a tropical fruit massage or rainforest facial. Or for experiences that are more active than aromatherapy, liaise with the resort’s Water Activities Team to explore the coral reef on Koh Rong Island by sea kayak. Or snorkel your way there if you’d rather letting the native needle nose fish guide you on your very own underwater adventure.

A destination with nature at its heart and within its reach at all times, it is through its various conservation and community programs that Song Saa does more than its share to protect the planet. The Song Saa Foundation is its official body and is responsible for initiatives such as creating Cambodia’s first marine reserve and island-based solid waste management program. Not only those, but its organic agriculture scheme helps to sustain local livelihoods and the Foundation is behind the coordination of the largest health and education program on any of the Kingdom’s islands.

It’s perhaps no surprise then that both 2023 and 2024 saw the resort making it onto the esteemed Conde Nast Gold list.