Not quite sure how, but I seem to have missed the changes that have occurred down on Serendipity Beach, in particular what’s been happening at the ever popular Coasters Bungalows and Restaurant.

Coasters themselves still have the same great service and prices that they have become known for, but now the partners have expanded their operations and added a brand new restaurant and bar to the side at ”The Aquarium”.

This space is extremely well laid out with a rustic yet ‘trendy’ decor that is in well keeping with the area, prices (particularly Cocktails) are very well priced and it seems to be becoming increasingly popular as a ‘hang out bar’. That said, don’t ignore the food!

A wide selection of both western and asian dishes are available to suit most tastes and wallets, and like Coasters, the service is pretty much flawless without being ‘robotic’ and delivered with the best of Khmer smiles and personality.

The major feature of The Aquarium (and benefit during the current Rainy Season!) is the full length sliding glass panels that protect diners from the elements, yet still provide the wonderful panoramic view that Serendipity is so well known for.

Music in the restaurant is served up by a live band which plays to diners and guests every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. ”The Beer Brothers” are a duo of popular local characters who have been playing in various bands around town for some time. This reincarnation however, is really well suited to the size and ambiance of The Aquarium and they seem to be well received by dining crowd ….. some of whom are even invited to join in with the band!

For those with a more active lifestyle, The Aquarium and Coasters have also setup a Power Snorkeling / Power Diving Centre right on the beach. For only $10 (rainy season price) you can experience diving for the first time in complete safety with an experienced team of qualified divers.

Power Snorkeling is unlike regular diving as you are limited to a dive depth of 3 metres, plenty enough to experience the corals just off Serendipity Beach. Air is supplied via the regulator ‘mouthpiece’ from a floating battery powered compressor attached to your dive harness, this provides complete freedom of movement around the shallow coastline.

Nothing could be more safe for the complete novice, but for those after a little more action, you actually get around by steering your own battery powered ‘torpedo shaped mini sub’! Great fun!

Rooms are available from around $15 dollars in the low season, upto around $100 for a suite in the high season, and of course they offer the full range of Island tours, Kayaking Equipment and local knowledge.

For more information visit their website at www.cambodia-beaches.com

All three commented on how ‘laid back’ the place feels, and that was in ‘downtown’! I decided that it was time for them to see the beach and arranged to meet then down at Tranquility Guesthouse on Serendipity Beach the next day for a Sunday Lunch.

Whilst i’d been to the bar and checked out the rooms at Tranquility Guesthouse, I’d never actually been down for Sunday lunch, but i’d heard some good reviews of the food and I know the location is one of the best in town.

We arrived seperately at 2:00pm, nobody had a problem in finding the place as Serendipity is a quiet little stretch of beach, and we all arrived on time. There is no ’set time’ for lunch and it seems to be an ‘all day’ event, great stuff for the spare of the moment thought.

The three guys were amazed by the view and location, there really is nowhere like this in Pattaya or Jomtien and they were suitable impressed. From the wide ranging menu, three of us went for the Traditional Sunday Lunch ($6.00) and one guy opted for the ‘Surf ‘n’ Turf’ ($8.75).

The food was all served at the same time, nice touch and pretty rare for Sihanoukville! and it looked great. I was well impressed with the Sunday Lunch, the roast beef with ‘Yorkshire Pudding’ was perfect, but made a promise to myself to return and sample the Surf ‘n’ Turf too. With Steak, Barracuda, Shrimps and Salad it looked extremely appetising.

Portions were more than ample and quality was high, all agreed that this was one of the better meals they’d had for some time.

The food was great, but what really made this ’special’ is the location, right down on Serendipity Beach, there can’t be many places like it!

Take at look at the website here – http://www.tranquility-sihanoukville.com