Where sustainable luxury, wild adventure and sea-sparkled serenity redefine what it means to travel well.
Words & Images Justin Jamieson
Where sustainable luxury, wild adventure and sea-sparkled serenity redefine what it means to travel well.
Words & Images Justin Jamieson
Where sustainable luxury, wild adventure and sea-sparkled serenity redefine what it means to travel well.
Words & Images Justin Jamieson
a cocktail in one hand, the other hand waving frantically at my three daughters who are, quite literally, launching themselves off the edge into the ocean like caffeinated dolphins.
My wife Vicki is somewhere inside the villa muttering about “five minutes of peace” while Molly, our eldest and most committed teenager, is dramatically refusing to get her hair wet because “saltwater is basically poison.” Parker, our 13-year-old action addict, is doing backflips and Charlie, 11, is snorkelling with one fin and a pair of goggles that aren’t hers. Just another typical family holiday.
But this place is anything but typical.
a cocktail in one hand, the other hand waving frantically at my three daughters who are, quite literally, launching themselves off the edge into the ocean like caffeinated dolphins.
My wife Vicki is somewhere inside the villa muttering about “five minutes of peace” while Molly, our eldest and most committed teenager, is dramatically refusing to get her hair wet because “saltwater is basically poison.” Parker, our 13-year-old action addict, is doing backflips and Charlie, 11, is snorkelling with one fin and a pair of goggles that aren’t hers. Just another typical family holiday.
But this place is anything but typical.
This is not the Maldives.
Song Saa is an absurdly beautiful private island just off Cambodia’s Koh Rong archipelago. It’s the kind of place where you half expect a celebrity chef to pop out of a coconut tree and start plating ceviche. It’s luxurious, yes, but not in the 'champagne-in-the-bath' kind of way… actually, hang on a sec, Vicki did have champagne in the bath. Song Saa is barefoot, jungle-meets-beach, sustainably-sexy luxury. The sort of place where the Wi-Fi is strong, but your will to use it is weak.
A friendly welcome.
Molly wanders a jungle path.
Our villa looks like Robinson Crusoe won the lottery. It’s all reclaimed wood, hand-carved furniture, and billowing white curtains that flap dramatically every time you walk past them, like you’re in a shampoo commercial. There’s an infinity pool looking out over the ocean, a glass panel in the floor for fish watching, and a bathtub with sunset views that just begs for bubbles in a glass as well as the bath.
Let's start a petition: pool lounges should always be in the pool.
The whole resort is the brainchild of Melita Koulmandas, a visionary who stumbled across these two little islands (Song Saa means “The Sweethearts” in Khmer) that were littered with rubbish, washed up from local villages and beyond. After making it her mission to clean up the mess and educate the locals on the importance of not polluting the sea, she only then decided to create a resort that would prove luxury and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive. Instead of bulldozing paradise, they built it up with reclaimed timber, solar panels, composting systems, and a healthy dose of idealism. And it worked.
This isn’t just an island resort, it’s an ecosystem with a cocktail menu.
I like my breakfast floating. And only floating.
Question, how many spa treatments are too many?
Day one, we try snorkelling off the villa deck. The water’s so clear it looks Photoshopped. Molly snorkels for a full seven minutes before returning to the villa to “chill,” which loosely translates to lying on a sun lounge scrolling TikTok and pretending not to notice when a parrotfish swims past. Parker is out chasing fish like she’s auditioning for Finding Nemo 3: The Wrath of a Teen. Charlie keeps yelling, “I FOUND NEMO!” even when she hasn’t. I float between them all, trying not to drown in parenting.
Later, we hit the Song Saa Spa, which is less of a spa and more of a spiritual awakening. Treatments are inspired by Buddhist traditions and local herbs, and the massage therapist manages to untangle knots I didn’t even know I had. Vicki emerges from her treatment practically levitating. Even Molly admits the foot massage was “actually, like, kind of okay,” which is the teenage equivalent of a standing ovation.
But the real magic happens after dark.
Bath with a view. And champagne (of course).
Off to Vista for dinner.
One night, we’re taken down to a quiet cove for the bioluminescence swim. The kids are sceptical—until they dive in and the water lights up like we’ve all become human glow sticks. It’s like swimming in stardust. Parker is spinning in circles. Charlie is squealing with delight. Molly is—wait, no, Molly’s on the shore filming content. Still, I’ll take what I can get.
The water lights up like we’ve all become human glow sticks. It’s like swimming in stardust.
Back at the villa one evening, just when we think the day couldn’t get any better, the staff casually ask if we’d like them to set up an in-room cinema. “Uh… yes,” I say, trying to play it cool while internally squealing like Charlie at a dessert buffet. Within minutes, the living room is transformed—plush cushions, popcorn in handmade baskets, a projector beaming a movie onto a massive drop-down screen, and the sea breeze gently wafting in. It’s like Cannes meets castaway chic.
The kids stretch out like royalty, Charlie insists on watching an animated film so we settle for Inside Out. Parker hogs the popcorn and Molly rolls her eyes at everything until someone suggest ordering dessert.
Vicki and I collapse onto the daybed, sipping cocktails and watching our makeshift cinema glow against the ocean backdrop, wondering why every hotel room in the world doesn’t come with a private movie night and a side of stars.
Inside Out in.
And then there’s the Song Saa Foundation—easily the most inspiring part of this magical place. While most luxury resorts slap a 'green' label on their mini shampoo bottles and call it a day, Song Saa actually walks the talk. The Foundation started even before the resort did, which says a lot. They’ve established Cambodia’s first marine protected area around the island and run everything from coral nurseries to plastic recycling programs and sustainable agriculture training in nearby villages.
The incredible Song Saa Foundation headquarters.
We spend a morning with the amazing Sideth Chuun who leads the Foundation. We learn how they work with local communities to protect the reef and provide education. Sideth's passion is heartwarming as he tells us of the Foundation's relentless work. The constant rubbish collection would break anyone's spirit and the head office has huge bags of it piled up. But Sideth and the team persevere. This coupled with building schools and providing future opportunities for the island's children is truly remarkable. My girls get a crash course in marine biology, which leads to Parker declaring she wants to be a marine ecologist and Charlie asking if she can adopt a hermit crab. Molly, of course, says she’ll “write an awareness post later.”
The Foundation even launched a floating education centre called the Boat of Hope—an old fishing vessel transformed into a mobile classroom that brings environmental lessons and literacy programs to kids in remote island communities. Back in 2016, they even added a floating library to the mix, because apparently Song Saa can’t stop doing good things, even on water.
The sign says it all, really.
Sideth Chuun and bags of his tireless endeavours.
Each night ends with a feast. Song Saa has a couple of beautifully designed dining options, and because it’s all-inclusive, we don’t feel even the slightest pang of guilt when ordering like mildly unhinged aristocrats. At Vista Restaurant, perched on stilts above the water, we eat everything from tamarind-glazed snapper to caramelised pork belly that disappears from the plates in record time. Meanwhile, Driftwood Bar & Kitchen becomes our go-to for lazy beach lunches and sunset snacks. We're talking grilled squid, spicy mango salad, and thin crust wood-fired pizzas that Charlie insists are the greatest ever made.
But the real star of our dining experience is Bong, our lovely waiter, whose warm smile, effortless charm and sixth sense for our next craving elevates every meal. We call her Bong because she ends every sentence with “Bong,” a respectful Khmer term used when speaking to elders. It’s become so familiar and endearing that Parker starts calling everyone Bong by day three, including me. Bong brings drinks before we ask, teases Charlie about her fruit obsession, and makes Molly blush with compliments, before quietly placing a dish of freshly sliced mango in front of her with a knowing smile.
Breakfast with an even better view.
This was the moment Molly realised she can order mango anytime, anywhere. The concept of 'all-inclusive', which is another thing that makes Song Saa so epic, suddenly became clear. She tests this theory thoroughly. Mango by the pool. Mango in the bath. Mango before breakfast, mango instead of lunch. It becomes her own all-inclusive challenge. I think she’s trying to see if there’s a mango limit. (There isn’t.)
Vicki, meanwhile, has her own revelation when she discovers that her beloved French Chardonnay is also part of the deal. The joy on her face when Bong appears unpromted with a chilled glass is something poets should write about. “She just knows,” Vicki says, gazing at Bong like she’s a wine whisperer.
And then there’s the villa fridge. Now I've been lucky enough to raid many a mini-bar in my time, but this is a fridge bigger than our family fridge. It’s packed with Cambodian craft beers, spirits, boutique wines, local snacks, coconut water, and, gloriously, a make-your-own mojito kit. Mint, lime, sugar syrup, rum, the works. I take on the role of Beverage Director with enthusiasm, Parker becomes my sous-mixologist, and Charlie uses the leftover mint to garnish everything she eats like a tiny gourmet chef.
It's 'make your own mojito' time!
A negroni kinda afternoon.
By the time we leave, we’re all sun-kissed, waterlogged, well-fed, and slightly more eco-conscious. I don’t know if we’ve achieved enlightenment, but we’ve definitely achieved relaxation and a renewed appreciation for marine conservation, Cambodian hospitality, and the fact that you can build paradise without destroying it in the process.
Can we go back?
Song Saa doesn’t just set the standard for sustainable luxury, it makes you wonder why every other resort isn’t doing the same. And if you can do all that while sipping cocktails and swimming in liquid starlight, well… that’s a holiday worth repeating.
Even Molly agrees.
Kind of.
Maybe.
She posted it on her story, anyway.
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get in the know Deep in the rural provinces of Cambodia, locals tell stories about "Neak Ta" spirits, including giant forest guardians that punish you if you chop down trees without permission. They're basically nature's bouncers.
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