This Pristine Island In Asia Is One Of The World's Most Underrated Tropical Escapes

Have you ever wondered what visiting Phuket, the Thai island beloved by celebrities, felt like before throngs of tourists transformed its fishing villages and isolated beaches into a world-renowned destination? The Cambodian island of Koh Rong, in the Gulf of Thailand, has just started down that development path. A 40-minute ferry ride from the coastal port of Sihanoukville, it still has rustic charm aplenty for explorers who like their island adventures a little on the wild side. Like Phuket, Koh Rong is the quintessential tropical island, complete with palm trees, white sand beaches, and jungle waterfalls. In fact, several seasons of the global "Survivor" franchise have filmed there over the years.

Paved roads and electricity have appeared only recently, so you can happily zip around the island from beach to beach on rented scooters without the traffic risks you'd face in Thailand. But if your party is large enough to, well, have a party, then renting a traditional long boat, which comes with a captain, to tour the more remote beaches is a decadent, day-long must-do. Visitors rave that Sok San Beach is the prettiest they've seen anywhere in the world. Whether you're on a gap-year backpacking tour or a romantic anniversary trip, there's a beach shack with your name on it at day's end, though it's up to you and your budget whether it will be a bungalow on stilts over a river in a real fishing village or a villa at a resort.

Touristy (in a good way) Koh Touch beach is a burgeoning backpacker-circuit party mecca lined with beachfront bars and hotels where you can sun, swim, dance ride a zip line, kayak or even sail a catamaran without ever needing to don shoes or put down your beer can. Did you really do the limbo under a flaming pole at the Nest Beach Club's Saturday night "Nestival" rager last night? Apparently so! Local nightclubs can keep going until the wee hours, so you might want to pack the ibuprofen and plan to spend Sunday lounging in a hammock strung between two palm trees.

Just up the beach, a favorite place to stay is the Tree House Bungalows. Its thatched or wood-slatted beach shacks sit high up on stilts, tucked into the jungle along the beach. Grab a loaner snorkel and mask and wade right on into the pristine waters for some float time with the fishes.

For more wildlife and less nightlife, you can find a more serene scene by seeking out a bungalow at the less-developed north end of the island, where you can canoodle the day away in one of the many signature swing sets built for two. If you're ready to go off grid, you can go for a thatched-hut dorm bed or private bungalow in Sangkat village's Coconut Beach, where daylight filters through the wood slat walls, waking you in time for just another day in paradise. The Lonely Beach Resort also offers solar-powered thatched cottages called "bird's nests" right on the beach. From there, you can trek through the jungle to a quaint Khmer fishing village.

For an upscale version, head to one of a growing number of luxury resorts. The Sok San Resort offers an elevated take on the beachfront shack experience, with all of the charms of the castaway lifestyle, but also electricity, plumbing ,and plush towels. For a splurge, all-inclusive Song Saa Resort is a magical quiet getaway that occupies an entire private island.

Seafood-forward Cambodian cuisine is distinctively sour, sweet and salty all at once, and more subtly spiced than Thai or Vietnamese food. At The Moon Restaurant you can sample local seafood — along with tropical cocktails — right on the beach while lounging in cushy papasan chairs. Feast on dishes such as amok, a local fish curry served in a banana leaf.