Nowadays it is re-establishing its position and although it falls far behind Sihanoukville in regards to attracting hoards of tourists that only elevates its charm.
With only a small beach in the town itself the main draw to Kep is its national park, visits to rabbit island off the coast and of course the town's infamous crab market.
We arrived and after settling into our hillside abode headed down to get our first glimpse of the working fish and crab market.
Despite the impending rain we got to see the locals collecting the crabs from the shoreline as well as fishing in the deeper water, preparing their goodies and then of course cooking and selling them to tourists and locals alike. On our first night we indulged in a couple of prawn skewers, which for £1 each were delicious and well worth it.
The delicacy of the region, however, is Kep Crab with neighbouring town Kampot's pepper sauce. We couldn't not try the dish and were not let down. The sauce in particular was gorgeous.
Aside from the town's culinary delights we spent the rest of our time there relaxing by the pool (on the sunny days) and taking walks by the coastline (on the rainy days).
There are a couple of interesting 'sights' in Kep to see. Worth noting is the Kep Crab, Siren and Vishnu statues which we came across on one of our walks, along with a couple of scavenger monkeys who were less than friendly.
Another spot worth visiting is the Sailing Club. In sunnier climes you can hire a kayak or sailboat here for the day. We instead used it as a base for some evening drinks and a game of pool.
All in all, Kep was a lovely place to relax for a few days, very similar to a Northumbrian seaside town like Craster. Don't underestimate the rainy season in Cambodia though. We did - waking up to a wipeout day after day and as a result were often confined to our hotel. We didn't mind that much though - it meant we could catch up on some much needed sleep and get to know the 'locals' a bit better.
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