Koh Tonsay

If you like the rustic beachcomber lifestyle, Koh Tonsay’s 250m-long main beach is for you, but come now as the island is tagged for development. The beach is one of the nicest of any of the Kep-area islands, but don’t expect sparkling white sand. This one has shorefront flotsam, chickens and wandering cows. Restaurant shacks and rudimentary bungalows (from US$7 per night) rim the sand. Boats to Rabbit Island (30 minutes) leave from Rabbit Island pier at 9am and 1pm.

Return trips from Kep are at 3pm in the rainy season, 4pm in the dry season. Return tickets cost US$8. Kep guesthouses can arrange boat tickets or you can head to the Koh Tonsay Boat Ticket Office at the pier. Private boats to the island can be arranged at the pier and cost US$25 return for up to six people. Rabbit Island is so named because locals say it resembles a rabbit – an example of what too much local brew can do to your imagination.

Other Kep-area islands include Koh Pos (Snake Island; about 30 minutes beyond Rabbit Island), which has a deserted beach and fine snorkelling but no overnight accommodation. Getting out there costs about US$50 for an all-day trip by 10-person boat. There’s also small, beachless Koh Svay (Mango Island), whose summit offers nice views.