"Beautiful Samoa" Apia by Kaikoura

Well, Samoa is not in my list of countries to visit. But this year after returning from Perth I was coerced (just kidding) to go to Samoa. The short flight from Auckland was one good reason and having a chance to enjoy one day twice was a bonus! Yes, I got to enjoy the 1st of May twice this year!

I thought I was going to be bored in the little island but I ended up wishing I could stay longer. The port of entry at Faleolo International, just half an hour by cab from Upolu center, is quaint and reminded me of villages in my island country. We had no bookings as we were not sure if or when we can make it there. In the island they charge you if you cancel your booking anytime within the last 15 - 30 days prior to your arrival. I didn't want to risk losing money.

We got there and the cab driver was quite kind, he literally stopped door to door until we found a place to stay. Not so lucky me...all the places I would have preferred to stay at were all booked out. Luckily there was a place for us at Princess Tui. I am not hard to please and I know how to rough it. But roughing it and unclean are two things world apart! If you haven't backpacked before or stayed in dorms I suggest don't dare do it. I had to ask for another room and luckily one of the cottages was free. It was a little bit better but will not go there again.

The only good thing about having stayed there was meeting our Tour Guide Pete. Spent 2 nights in Upolu. Not much to see here except a bit of native products and their 24/7 fresh produce market which I really enjoyed. Great food at Aggie Greys but we also enjoyed dinner at the Paddles...food was good and prices reasonable although I was shocked at the prices of wine (but it does not worry me as I don't drink:-)) The only other reason I stayed there was to try and find a friend from my church who moved to Upolu from AKL a year ago.

The rest of our stay was spent in Lalomanu...and it was one of the few restful holidays I ever had...

It was the first time I found out about German's presence in Samoa. Now I understand why a lot of the Samoans have German surnames. Peter, our guide is one of them. He took my buddy on a historical tour...German history of course...and he managed to find my friend an old book about German history in Samoa. I thought it must have been hard for the Germans to adjust with the culture in Samoa...unstructured...island time. Anyway, it was nice to learn a little bit more about Samoa.

Peter looked after our trip to Lalomanu. We payed WST100 each for him to drop us off and pick us up and stopped at places along the way. I would be more than happy to recommend him. He was a former commercial pilot...
Contact Details: Peter Paul +6857774857

Lalomanu Beach is about 2 -3 hours from Apia. We did not take the buses that ply the route between Lalomanu and Apia but I was told it is about WST5.00 and the buses are old but colorful. Riding on them I suppose would be an adventure, they looked rather slow for me. The main bus stand is by the waterfront just across the dry goods market.

They have very late breakfasts ...brunch rather..between 0900 - 1100 This is true at Taufua Fales, although we found Litia Sini's have theirs a bit earlier.
At Taufua the rate was WST80 per pax inclusive of breakfast and dinner.

Again these two are different in the way they serve food. Litia's is served buffet style... Taufua is served more like a potluck...except they cook the food for you of course. To some extroverts...this will suit them well... but those like me who look at holidays as having a break...and I mean break including that from crowd/s which I have to deal with everyday at home/work, will probably prefer Litia Sini's. People tend to mingle together yet you have an option to sit outside in open space on your own.

• Pros:Cheap holiday, great beaches, lovely people, good food and taxi was very cheap too!
• Cons:There is not a lot of entertainment if that is what you are after...
• In a nutshell:Going to Samoa is like going home to the countryside...you return to the city rested, refreshed with a bit of natural tan!