Independence Beach is the small sandy crescent below the old Independence Hotel, a few minutes' drive north of the centre. It is less crowded than Ochheuteal and Sokha, with calm water that suits families and a couple of unfussy beachside restaurants.
The beach takes its name from the iconic 1960s hotel above it, built to mark Cambodian independence. The view is one of the most photogenic in Sihanoukville: pale sand, the hotel's modernist tower on the cliff, and the islands of the gulf in the distance.