The Big Easy Koh Rong Samloem

This is a very honest review. The big easy is a friendly hostel, with a great location (1 min walk from onederz which is where most stuff goes on), and good facilities. They have the basics nailed down - AC, curtained dorm beds, private sockets, and a functioning shower. They host a great pub quiz night on Wednesdays which boasts a $150 prize to the winning team, with free shots and rounds of beer given out to the winners of mini games. It’s in the beach where you want to be - saracens bay - as you can take day trips to the other places but here is where the action lies. However, i did get bed bugs on my second night here and, after informing the staff, they changed my sheets but did not take the mattress away (bedbugs live in the mattress). If you go there I would avoid dorm 4 bed 6… I also booked the bus through the hostel. It was $22. I asked one staff member why it was $14 online and she said it included transfer directly to my hostel etc and was much comfier. I paid $22 but ended up on the same $14 bus my friends got which admittedly was funny but I was annoyed that the staff member had lied to me knowing she wouldn’t see me again. However, I must say that the staff were generally very kind and helpful and the breakfast roll is delicious. My one piece of advise is dont book the $22 bus from the hostel but the $14 bus on 12goasia. It only means you have to walk an extra 2 mins instead of getting picked up on a moped.

We stayed here in the last two weeks for a few days and at first glance the place looks like any other lovely hostel on the beach. Wow, were we wrong. The dorms are dirty, sand, stains, and smells (mainly damp) galore. The toilets do not flush whatsoever, so be careful what you do in them. The drainage system is none existent so enjoy having a shower in a puddle of filth. The air con doesn’t get switched on till 10pm so enjoy being hot and sweaty all day. And there’s no hand wash or anything (this one I can excuse as I bring my own anyway). Oh and I haven’t even mentioned the best bit! BED BUGS! Yes. I woke up after my first night COVERED in small red bites that at first I thought were mosquito bites but after a LOT of googling I quickly realised the horrifying truth… try sleeping the next night knowing the bed is riddled and you are going to wake up looking like a human dot2dot. Saving grace? The food is delicious and cheap compared to the other restaurants nearby. I’ve never got out of a place so fast in my life. Shame about that relaxing week on the island I wanted…