Winter Escape to Samoa

Winter Escape to Samoa

Aaron and Leigh Searle- clients of Margo - House of Travel, Parnell email

After leaving NZ on a very cold and windy winter’s night, we took a 4 hour flight to paradise. We had been lured to Samoa by those tempting ads on TV and were keen to support the Samoan community after their terrible tsunami last year.

We stayed at an amazing resort, nestled between traditional Samoan villages on the south coast of Upolo (main island). Sinalei resort had been recommended by our house of travel consultant and it lived up to expectations. Our beachfront fale had an amazing view and excellent facilities, the pier restaurant was breathtaking and there was good quality watersport equipment available also. The spa was a highlight – having a massage in a stand-alone fale, built over the beach hearing the waves roll in, while the skilled masseuse gave an excellent relaxing massage.

We had made the decision prior to arriving to hire a car so we could explore all that both islands had to offer and it was well worth it!! It was easy to see why Samoa is famous for its waterfalls. These were all on private land but for a few tala the locals were very happy to guide you to them and they were quite spectacular emerging from the bush, seemingly out of nowhere. Other scenic highlights included the Piula cave pools, To’sua ocean trench, and many picturesque beaches. The Robert Louis Stevenson museum is a must see and has been well restored with relics from when the great writer resided in this grand homestead.

We were very keen to make the trip to Savaii, (the larger island but much less inhabited) so we took the car on the ferry with us. The trip took about 2 hours and the ferry was quite basic, and seemed to be on island time itself. On arriving in Savaii we soon saw there was a slower, more relaxed pace of life over there. We stayed at Tanu Beach Fales, a family owned accommodation. We had booked this style of accommodation so we could experience staying in a ‘real’ Samoan fale that were about 5 metres from the beach. This accommodation was extremely good value for money with the cost per night including breakfast and dinner that was served at a large communal table for all guests. You were made to feel so welcome here – like part of the family. Once a week they have a Fiafia night – traditional Samoan performance with singing, dancing and fire dancing, was outstanding. The snorkelling in Savaii was also amazing and better than on Upolo as a lot of the better snorkelling spots there had been affected by the tsunami. The blowholes were magnificent and a must see. We felt incredibly relaxed here and the day would just go by in a blur of sunbathing, snorkelling and relaxing with a book. At the end of the day we were treated with brilliant sunsets, washed down with island cocktails.

We only spent 9 days in Samoa but it felt like it had been a month. We returned home feeling relaxed and rejuvenated – we will definitely return to this paradise. We would absolutely recommend this as a holiday destination.