Our Story
Background
Located in the shadows of the famed temples of Angkor, the 233 hectare Song Saa Reserve is the latest groundbreaking project of the Song Saa Collective, the developers of Southeast Asia’s pre-eminent coastal resort— Song Saa Private Island — and the founders of its innovative non-profit arm, the Song Saa Foundation.
With a combination of residential and hospitality initiatives, including resorts, restaurants and training centres, set alongside pioneering environment and social ventures, the Song Saa Reserve goes beyond business and seeks to protect and restore the environment of its home.
Inspiration
For Rory and Melita Hunter, the company’s founders, Cambodia and the Song Saa Reserve hold a special place in their hearts.
Rory Hunter: “Since our arrival in Cambodia, in 2005, we have seen the opportunities that exist, not only to develop and operate business successfully, but to also have a positive and lasting effect on the environment and people’s lives. At the Song Saa Reserve, with its unique location between a national park and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Angkor, we have the opportunity to create something special, a place that nurtures wellbeing and excites human imagination.”
Why Siem Reap?
The development of the Song Saa Reserve reflects an evolution of the thinking and experience of Rory and Melita Hunter. Key to this has been the recognition of an opportunity to ‘scale-up’ the work pioneered at Song Saa Private Island, by creating a new and successful business while generating further environment and social improvement within Cambodia. And in the process creating a global exemplar for regenerative and resilient design and operation.
The green rice fields of Banteay Srei, spectacular UNESCO temple and close proximity to the airport and international tourism hub of Siem Reap represented the ideal location for the next step in the Song Saa Collective’s evolution.