Reviews of Independence Hotel Resort & Spa 4 stars

POD village is comfortable and into the green. 5 minutes walking from the restaurant and the main building. 5 minutes walking from the ocean pool and beach. Breakfast very good with a lot of fresh food. Staff super friendly

Lizard in the room. But i think is possible when into the green

The rooms were spacious and the bed was big, and reasonably comfortable

The property was clearly very old and run down. There were lots of communal areas where the flooring was dirty and damaged. When we checked in, we were given information about breakfast, but nothing else at all about the hotel in terms of location of pools, restaurants etc. Given the size of the hotel, this would have been useful. We were taken to our room by shuttle, which was helpful, but we were not told we could use this to get around, I only found this out from looking up reviews online. Again, it would have been useful to have been told this. When we got to our room, the key didn’t work and as we had been dropped off, we had no way of communicating this to Reception. We ended up shouting down to someone else driving a shuttle to ask for help. The key then did work after about ten attempts. Later on when it was dark, we got the shuttle back to the Reception to order a Grab and it broke down in the middle of the resort. This made us very uneasy given the monkeys all around, and we had to sit on the broken down shuttle and wait for another one for a few minutes. Thankfully one did come. Whilst we understand the hotel is busy and the shuttle ran out of charge, we feel that overall the communication and running of certain things could be improved. If this hotel had been a lot cheaper we may have made more allowances, but at 97 dollars a night we expected more. We were only here for one night passing through from Koh Rong so the hotel did the job but we were a bit disappointed given the price and the star rating.

we stayed in tinny villa but full of nice wooden smell which i love it!. there are so many monkeys in morning, kids could enjoy we took them. swimming pool is spacious and clean enough with beautiful infinity view.

property is too huge and tired to walk although they have free cart service but good to walk around if you are not lazy

Location, staff, foods

The place is magnificent and ideally located, the staff are adorable

Nothing

The hotel has a great location up on a very green hill. There is an interesting access to the beach and the beach pool.

The hotel needs major renovation and better maintenance. It is massive and once upon a time has been a great place to stay. But now, everything gets old and often stinks.

Beautiful and quiet, good noodle soup, its own secluded beach

I was not comfortable with the monkeys, however docile they appeared. I avoided walking around certain areas of the compound

The staff is very friendly, and the room is clean and tidy. This is my second time here, and everything is once again at the highest level! There are monkeys on the property — you need to be cautious, but they add a special vibe. The included breakfasts are great: a wide variety of dishes and everything is delicious. The beach is a separate love: clean, almost deserted. The perfect place for recharging and relaxing! 🥹😍

-

Maxi Pod was very comfortable as were the beds. Set away from the rest of the hotel complex. 5 min walk to the pool and beach. Although I didn’t spend much time at the pool it looked pleasant. Bar is up a set of steps and after stand for 5 minutes waiting to be served I gave up. Walk way along the beach to a beautiful white sandy beach. Breakfast served at the main hotel area, lucky I had a car!

Staff at pool, isolated area for Pod location.

The beach is still very nice and natural.

We've stayed at Independence many times over the years and this is the worst condition I have ever seen it in; the beachfront facilities were mostly broken (tables and chairs), the walkway between the pool and the beach was at places dangerous with railings fallen into the sea and broken lights, the pool was dirty with many missing tiles, the food was frankly AWFUL. I have never sent a dish back in my life, anywhere. I sent back a carbonara that was swimming in raw egg yolk and had to explain to the staff that it was unsafe to eat.

The pool has a stunning view of the gulf and is very well maintained. The property's location is amazing with lush greeneries meeting with the aqua blue waves of the sea. I love the tranquility of our pod village and the serenity of the property.

It would be great if the aircon at pod 742 be checked as it is noisy.

The facility is stunning but visibly outdated and in need of some maintenance in the pool, but otherwise fantastic. We stayed in the pods, which were super quiet and really beautiful - it was very charming with a large family of monkeys living nearby. The pods are farther away from the main facilities, however a simple call and the staff would come pick us up within 5 minutes to go where we needed on the resort. The pool and beach views were unbeatable, the beach itself was the best part of our stay and was super quiet, with soft white sand and warm waters. The breakfast buffet added great value for the cost that we paid, and the buffet itself was tasty.

The resort was great and we stayed here for 2 nights before going to Koh Rong. The area itself is not one we can recommend unfortunately. Sihanoukville is a very strange place that we felt lucky to get through safely in hindsight. If we had of done this differently - we would have gone straight to the island and skipped this area. This resort is almost on its own and very isolated on a coast line that is almost entirely full of abandoned commercial projects, giving the area an eerie feeling. Food at the resort and in the area was also limited, so this was a struggle and we ended up using grab to get food delivered. For that reason, it was more expensive to be here. Traveller to traveller, if you can bypass this location - do so, but if you are to stay here, this hotel is a safe place and beautiful. It’s a great place if you’re just looking to stay within the resort.

The king pod we stayed in was really good! Monkeys everywhere! A great experience. The staff were all really attentive and lovely.

Sadly what let this place down for us was the sea side pool - it is tired (run down), tiles are missing, the pool by the hotel is green in places and could do with more cleaning / chemicals. Only one restaurant was open.

We loved the pools. The staff was very friendly and responsive to our requests. The buffet breakfast was fantastic and considerably upgraded from our prior visits. The food at the restaurant was very good as well. The beach was beautiful. We were happy with our room. It was quiet and comfortable.

Daytime guests.... The Internet in our room was not good. But 4g speeds for Smart compensated.

Lovely old hotel, nice grounds

All facilities far a we away Have to wait for staff to take you to restaurant or beach really inconvenient.

Good size room, clean, and modern

None

The pool area was great, although partly in need of repair. Very good breakfast. The room was spacious and clean, although also old and worn. Very nice stuff.

Food and drinks were very expensive at the pool bar and the hotel restaurant. Coffee about 5 us dollars etc.

Private beaches and ocean pool. Lots of animals. Contemporary 1960s vibe but modern conveniences of course. Staff willing to take any needs on board with a smile. Buffet breakfast with lots of choices Openable windows..great if Aircon can't be turned up to a higher temp, like 26° Outside lift down to sunset restaurant or beach and pier brilliant if you're not fit enough to climb mountains The views...to die for. And pay for an upgrade the room space is amazing. Great beds. House keeping spotless The history of the hotel and location. You feel part of something special if you stop and take the time.

Lack of TV choices but that's a govt link issue affecting the hotel. Snobby geese! Would not talk to us 😁 Ocean pool hard to get down to or into if you are a bit elderly or disabled. Lack of hot water for showering. Everyday over a 5 day stay and various times. But guys, seriously Nescafe? Everywhere. No tea in the rooms. No proper coffee in buffet breakfast, just a pseudo espresso vendor. Make some brewed local coffee guys! The town. Sihanoukville has been plundered by Chinese lack of commitment. No actual centre. Western tourists not supported. Everything in Khmer or Mandarin. Buildings deserted mid build. Very sad.

We had a very comfortable room with balcony and sea view. Short walk to pool area and to reception (the hotel offers a cart to reception on request but we didn’t use that service). The breakfast was great (quite few options for different tastes). My both sons had great time at the pool and the sea.

Our room was infested by mosquitoes. We had to go to town and buy Raid (insect spray) to treat the mosquitoes. After that all was good and he rest of the holiday was pleasant.

Pool on the ocean was great. Nice sunset spot.

Don't change it.