Rory is an advertiser in Sydney. The two came to Phnom Penh to work together in 2005, mainly responsible for the renovation and sale of French colonial villas in Phnom Penh. The second year they came to Cambodia, they stumbled upon Koh Rong Island while they were sightseeing in Koh Rong Islands on a fishing boat, and spent two weeks exploring all the surrounding beaches and islands. The local fishermen, eager to return to land, casually asked the couple if they wanted to buy the entire island in disrepair. The couple who were ready to try their luck returned a week later with bags full of money. The local navy witnessed the adventure - $15,000 to buy.

​

The twin islands are called songsaa - "couple" in Khmer. The duo had planned to build a massive resort, but were affected by two crises: the global financial crisis, and Melita's cancer attack. While returning to Australia for treatment, the pair decided to downsize and decided that Melita would be the designer herself. This is also the charm of songsaa now, the hotel was built in 2012! After 7 years of continuous improvement (now the island is closed for a month in August every year to maintain the hotel and the surrounding environment), the resort has a beautiful design while still maintaining a rustic integration with the surrounding environment. and privacy, which a large, well-known resort might struggle to achieve.

​

The sandy beaches of the two islands are connected to the rainforest by a wooden bridge. One island was developed as a hotel, the other kept its original appearance. The entire hotel has a total of 27 villas, including 9 water houses. The room of the water house has an indoor area of ​​about 86 square meters and comes with an outdoor balcony with a wide view. The design of each villa is unique and artistic. At the same time, the hotel pool facilities pay great attention to privacy. Take a vacation with your lover without worrying about the discomfort caused by the crowd. Many building materials come from local nature or some recycled materials.

​

The hotel's restaurant, the restaurant mainly provides local Cambodian specialties and Western food. The ingredients in the restaurant are also very particular, and the ingredients come from the pure natural green vegetables grown in the Chef's Garden in the resort. The local chef in the resort will bring guests the most traditional Cambodian cooking and exquisite Western food. The main purpose of the chef's garden is to bring the most nutritious meals to the guests.

​

Most of the hotel staff are from the local village of Prek Svay. Songsaa has now set up a foundation to fund and arrange volunteer teachers to educate children in local villages (the local villages are very poor and few children could receive education before). The Songsaa Foundation teaches these children English and sponsors high-achieving children to go to college. After they graduate, they can choose to return to songsaa to work, and the hotel will give priority to hiring them.