Park Hyatt, Sofitel, Aman and Raffles are among the ranks of luxury hoteliers with interests in Cambodia, alongside a raft of boutique hotels and resorts such as Song Saa and Phum Baitang.
The 30-acre Six Senses Krabey Island is being created off the southern tip of Cambodia and will offer 40 pool villas and a Six Senses Spa.
Making its debut in 2017, the resort will have a reception area to greet guests on the mainland in Sihanoukville before sailing them over to the island.
It’s expected most guests will fly into Sihanoukville Airport - less than 10 minutes from the jetty – to where the likes of Vietnam Airlines/Cambodia Angkor Air operate.
Cambodia Angkor Air has introduced a six times a week service linking Sihanoukville with Ho Chi Minh City and also already flies from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville seven times a week; while Phnom Penh International Airport is a three-and-a-half-hour drive.
“We are delighted to add this gorgeous gem to our portfolio of island escapes,” said Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas’ president Bernhard Bohnenberger. “It is a great pleasure to align with a like-minded and committed owner when it comes to sustainability and wellness.”
He added that Six Senses was working with RPB Investment company based in Cambodia, which he said “has taken careful steps to preserve and protect the island of Krabey” and is employing “thoughtful and conscientious design into the project’s building practices”.
Six Senses Hotels Resorts has 10 resorts under its Six Senses and Evason brands, including two Six Senses properties in neighbouring Vietnam, at Ninh Van Bay and on the island of Con Dao and Evason Ana Mandara; its Seychelles hotel opens this autumn.
The resort will offer the Sleep with Six Senses experience which includes Naturalmat mattresses and the counsel of sleep ambassadors, while the spa will have visiting practitioners and will also feature a meditation cave, nail bar, gym, outdoor yoga sala and outdoor treatment sala.
Retreat and Reserve villa categories will also come with their own mini wine cellars
, while the resort will offer an all-day restaurant, poolside dining, a deli and ice cream parlour as well as speciality restaurant Indochine, complete with show kitchen and cooking classes.
Six Senses Krabey Island will also feature Cinema Paradiso, a poolside outdoor cinema featuring classic movies, and an observatory is planned, which will house an astronomical telescope and stargazing sessions with expert talks.
