Samoa. What a good decision. As a family we were looking for a battery-charging break from the last few months. Within hours of being in Samoa, the warmth of both the people and climate was a much-needed balm.

Samoa, a beautiful place just 3.5 hours from Auckland, consists of two islands. Upolu, where you can explore the markets of the capital Apia, is smaller but more populated. Savaii may be bigger but has fewer people. From what we learnt, Savaii is set amongst reefs, beautifully crystal-clear water and moves at a gratifyingly slow pace. (We’ve already booked to go there next year.)

We chose Samoa as an alternative to the more developed and touristy places like Fiji, and we were not disappointed. Samoa is a place to snorkel, swim, eat well and acclimatise to island time. It is the place for the kind of holiday that involves lying in the shade on the beach, or by the pool, with a book, beverage and snack in hand. We went in August, the dry season, and the daily temperature was a lovely 28-30^oc.

Where To Stay In Samoa?

You can choose from the cheaper, more rustic, family-run fales right on the beach with uninterrupted views, a comfortable mattress, mosquito net, and woven curtains. Or you can opt for deluxe accommodation at one of Samoa’s newly built resorts. We chose to stay in two resorts.

Return To Paradise is on the south coast of Upolu where most of Samoa’s beautiful beaches are found. We spent the first 6 days of our escape there, delighting in the peace and quiet, good food, helpful staff and great snorkelling just off the beach. We followed that up by two nights at Aggie Grey’s near the airport: the most junior member of our group absolutely had her heart set on a kids’ club, so off we trudged to hang out in beautiful grounds and a huge pool with a watery bar while she skipped about the place being spoilt by the staff.

There are two Aggie Grey hotels in Samoa: the original one in Apia and a second newer one by the airport. They are both part of the Sheraton chain, so they are more polished than some other accommodation options in Samoa, which suits some. I was pleased the hotel still had some of the Samoan charm and friendly, yet not too organised, approach to tourism.

Why Choose Samoa?

If you want excitement, partying up large and late, planning and punctuality, then these balmy Pacific Island are probably not the place for you. In Samoa you just have to go with the flow and let yourself, and everybody else, just be. It’s good. Just soak it up.

A Few Tips For Your Samoan Escape:

• We had trouble finding accommodation that would suit a group our size. To solve this, I rang a travel agent. The team at Mondo Travel were very accommodating and found us exactly what we needed.
• If hanging around in the shade is not your thing, then consider renting a car. You can get an international licence through the rental company for WST$30. Go around the island: waterfalls, lagoons, turtles, marine reserves, clear water caves teeming with fish, swimming holes and surf spots. Somehow, we got lost twice on a ring road round an island, but I guess anything is possible when you’ve completely unwound.
• Get a massage while you’re there. You’ll realise you really deserved it.
• Carry loads of cash; credit cards are not much used. We found this out after we filled up our car and had already spent all our cash. This was solved with a promise and a smile!
• Take food with you. Samoan customs are very relaxed about packaged foods: we took salami, cheese, crackers, nuts, olives, chips and muesli bars. If you’re partial to a gin and tonic, take the tonic with you as we could find not find any.
• Don’t forget the mozzie spray, reef shoes and Betadine for the odd coral cut.

Why choose Samoa? If you want more reasons, or ideas about where to stay or how to get there, get in touch.

A blog post for Mondo Travel Takapuna after they organised our holiday in Samoa. 

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