On a cold, rainy winter day, how many times do you fantasize about quitting your job and escaping to a tropical island? Two Brits did it for real a few years ago. They left cold and foggy London, went to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, in search of business opportunities and ended up opening a small tropical resort called Lazy Beach on the semi-deserted island of Koh Rong Samloem.

Lazy Beach,with its white sand, its crystal-clear water, its bungalows, and its open air restaurant, is the closest thing to my idea of Paradise and I’m grateful that I’ve visited it. If it wasn’t for Antonio, a long time friend who now works in Cambodia with an NGO, probably I would’ve never known about this place.

As we approached the beach on this converted fishing boat that picked us in Sihanoukville, I thought into myself “This just can’t be the 27th of December!” – I also spared a thought for all my friends in Dublin, which were dealing with extremely cold temperatures and the snow.

So what do you do all day in a place called Lazy Beach? The range of options is in line with the name of the place. You can go snorkeling, you can swim, get some tan, read or sleep in your hammock, sample delicious Khmer food at the restaurant (and yes, the chefs are all locals), enjoy a cold beer, play ping pong, chat with other travellers, walk in the jungle and explore the island… or if you’re like me, you can take some sunset pictures in the evening, with your ultra wide lens and a couple of filters for more dramatic effects

Our boat gave a lift to a local woman, who is among the few people living on the island. Her husband came to pick her up with this little boat

Approaching Lazy Beach

Crystal-clear water that almost moved me

Looking at the beach from the sea

Our bungalow

The interior of the bungalow. A very simple outline, with two beds and mosquito nets. A fully functional bathroom is on the back of the bugalows. There is no hot water (but do you really need it?) and the electricity only comes at night

Meet Big Gecko, he'll keep quiet while you're having dinner

Enjoying a dramatic sunset on the southern side of the beach. The lens flare came unexpectedly, probably because of the Neutral Density filter I was using

A slow exposure of the sea waves breaking against these rocks. Photographing water with slow shutter speeds makes water seem smoky and soft

A view of the beach at sunset from its southern side

In the next few weeks, when we leave Vietnam, I’ll post more pictures on our facebook page. So keep in touch!