Apia, Samoa

Having an intense interest in snorkelling was what initially attracted us to Samoa, but there is so much more to entice travellers to this Pacific Island paradise. Right at the top of that list is the people – so friendly and hospitable.

The first thing we learnt about Samoa is that it’s pronounced SAAmoa, not SaMOa. The second thing was that the maximum speed limit anywhere on the island is 56kmph, and you wouldn’t want to go much faster, given the condition of some of the roads. The third thing is that you are pretty much guaranteed a glorious sunset every, single day.

It was dark when we landed, but our driver was there ready with his sign and a smiling face and ‘talofa’ greeting. We stayed at the family owned and run Amanaki Hotel, and our room was spacious and comfortable – had the aircon on all night, which was a welcome relief from the heat. We had our first meal at the hotel restaurant, not knowing that that would be our choice for most of our dinners in Apia, because the quality was so good!

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Our first full day in the capital began with a morning walk through the centre of town and checked out a kick-arse Catholic cathedral in the centre – Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. So many churches and such poverty (a familiar tune in many Pacific nations).

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Our hire car arrived in true island time fashion (booked for 9am, arrived about 9:20am). When Sami was showing us the car, he noticed that it didn’t have a spare tyre. He told us that he would send a guy “straight back” with one. An hour later this still hadn’t happened, so we went to the Samoan Cultural Village so as not to miss the tour that started at 10:30am. The tyre was sorted later, nothing is a problem.

SAMOAN CULTURAL VILLAGE

Being our first visit to the country, we wanted to get a feel for the place by starting with a few days in the capital, Apia. We jumped straight into the action on our first morning with a walk through the main part of town and a visit to the Samoan Cultural Village. It was the perfect introduction to their traditions, informative and fun.

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The experience began with a lesson in traditional dance for the younger female guests, before we were all shown how to weave palm fronds into the ‘plates’ to be used for our lunch. Participation in an ‘ava’ ceremony followed before moving through the village to visit different fales, learning about various cultural practices that included watching demonstrations of wood carving and traditional tattooing.

Male volunteers were called on at the cooking fale to assist in the preparation of our lunch because men were traditionally the cooks. Fresh tuna, taro, breadfruit, banana and palusami (taro leaves in coconut milk) were cooked under hot rocks and served to us on the palm frond plates we had woven earlier. To accompany our feast, we watched some amazing music, singing and dancing to complete the whole wonderful experience. At 20 tala per person (about $11 AUD) this was a bargain!

AFTERNOON SHOPPING

Visited the local markets, Fugalei Markets (Marketi Fou to locals), with a drive through option on the side street (food booths on one side, clothes on the other) where you stop and place your order and pay in cash, delivered through your car window.

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Went to a big supermarket and got some 660ml bottles of beer, nuts, chips and taro chips (the taro chips are a new big favourite), and then spent the afternoon swimming in the hotel pool, snacking and sipping and finishing with dinner in our hotel, Amanaki (too tired to find another option, and why would you when it was so delish the night before and the service is top shelf?).

PALOLO DEEP MARINE RESERVE

Following the helpful suggestions of the staff at our family-owned hotel we headed to Palolo Deep Marine Reserve. Only 950 metres from the iconic Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel in the middle of the capital and 40 metres offshore, it was a delightful surprise to see the impressive colourful coral and large number of small fish, especially given the proximity to the city.

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The water was sooooo warm! The family whose land through which you access the reserve are friendly and kind, showing you where to swim and providing toilets for changing and an outdoor shower. The area is nice and shady, too. Best to go at high tide. A bargain at $5 tala per person. The young woman on the ‘door’ tried to give us change of a 20, we said ‘yeah, nah’. Put a big smile on her face.

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON MUSEUM

Having a hire car for our two weeks made it easy to get about under our own steam, so we drove 10 minutes out of town to the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, a beautiful sprawling 19th century property where Stevenson spent the final years of his life. As with so many of our experiences in Samoa, this visit was enhanced by the locals. Our guide, Ese was so knowledgeable about the property, the author and his family, but the highlight was her rendition of RLS’s poem ‘Requiem’ as a song at the end of the tour – pitch perfect and evocative.

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Our final afternoon in Apia was spent in the hotel pool, cooling off while watching the dragon flies darting like fighter bombers in an action film. This was followed by another dinner at Amanaki Restaurant…cause why wouldn’t we? Actually, we did go and check out the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s thinking we’d like to soak up a bit of history and ambience while sipping on a cocktail, but we didn’t stay. The prices were as you’d expect, but the range of cocktails on offer just weren’t doing it for us. Happy to spend our tourist dollars in a family owned and run business instead.

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Next stop – Maninoa on the south coast of the island.

Accommodation: Amanaki Hotel

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