#1 Melita Koulmandas Hunter followed her husband, Rory to South East Asia, where he landed an advertising job in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
In 2005 she thought she'd stay for 12 months and then relocate to New York, but instead ended up purchasing the tropical island below for only $15,000.
#2 Now a decade later, Melita who is originally from Australia is still there and she's turned Song Saa island into a 27-luxury villa resort surrounded by turquoise waters.
#3 Melita and her team received an award for the resort. Her project as a consequence additionally benefited the locals on the island to be more inclusive.
#4 Melita and her husband first visited Song Saa island as a holiday with their son, Naryth. Interestingly, her family had been the very first foreigners to visit its beaches.
She got to know the locals and saw they wanted change, and to "not be so secluded."
#5 The island was available for purchase, and Melita ended up buying it for US$15,000, and secured a 99-year lease on the land from the national government with plans to build a holiday resort.
#6 The island sits 18 miles off the coast of Sihanoukville, and building the resort was not a simple task.
At one point in 2008, Melita fell ill with cancer, but after overcoming it she continued her resort plans with designing and developing island Song Saa.
#7 Today the resort flourishes as a 27-villa paradise.
Prices for a stay on the island are $869 a night. Guests arrive either by private boat after arriving in Sihanoukville, or a helicopter ride straight to the islands beaches from Sieam Reap or Phnom Penh.
#8 Villas Are Also For Sale
Additionally the villas are available to purchase and sell between $600,000 and $1.75 million. Melita has spent millions developing the resort, and made a point to create a sustainable environment. She created the resort's designs, which many are made partially of recycled materials: "driftwood, wood from old boats, scrap metal, stone."
#9 The Island's Location
Employment at the resort is held by 80% local Cambodians. Natives from surrounding islands also boat into Song Saa for work. Melita has created more than a paradise for travelers, she's created a community and a viable industry for the locals too...!
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