Independant State of Samoa Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Litia Sini Beach Resort: Paradise - found?

by worldkiwi

Litia Sini Beach Resort is situated on the beautiful Lalomanu beach, at the south-eastern tip of U'polu Island. I had hired a car while in Apia and enjoyed a scenic drive here via the Richardson Road.
If you want to get away from it all and blob out on a stunning beach, eat real Samoan food, and get to know the locals and some of your fellow guests, this is the place to come.
I can easily understand why so many kiwis make this a regular holiday destination.
If the pictures on my VT pages don't give you an idea of how fantastic this place is, make sure you visit the resorts website: www.litiasinibeach.ws.

Where do I start? The beach, the fale (beach huts), the food, the people...
First big decision some travellers would have to consider is, can you live with no hot showers for a few days? If not, then try one of the very expensive small resorts down the coast (but I don't think many of them have hot water either!). Secondly, facilities (toilets and bathrooms) are shared here.
The accommodation is in sparkling new fale, with ample room inside and inviting decks (balconies) out front. There's no air-con, just ceiling fans, but there's plenty of windows to let those tropical trade winds waft in and cool you down at night. I had a fale right on the beach front and the minute I saw it I know I had found the perfect holiday destination! Then there's the food. After my Apia eating expereinces (or lack of them), I was fearful of going ten days without any decent Samoan culinary experiences. Well, Litia Sini's kitchen put pay to that! Buffet breakfasts and dinners incorporating fresh tropical fruit, delectable fresh fish, homemade soups, local delicacies like the banana 'pancakes' (more like doughnuts), breadfruit chips, and even a whole suckling pig on the Sunday night I was there, made meal times a great and memorable experience. Breaky and dinner are included in your tariff. The staff here get to know the names of their guests and make you feel like part of the family. I really hope I'll get a chance to return here one day!

The Tanoa Tusitala, Apia.: A nice resort in Apia.

by worldkiwi

As I've got older, I've found that I like to finish a trip to a country with a little bit of luxury. Although the Tanoa Tusitala is definitely not a "luxury hotel" by international standards, it is at the top end of the market in Samoa. I spent two very relaxing nights here at the end of my 10 day trip to Samoa in 2011. Interestingly the Lonely Planet writers hadn't written anything about this place in the copy of the LP Samoa & Tonga that I had (actually LP have obviously gone cheap on their guide to these two countries, lumping them in one book, and really only offering the merest surface scratching info on them - unusual for LP not to be more thorough - a sign of the times I guess...). Once more, friendly staff make this hotel more than just a faceless commercial entity. I hope Samoa's tourism industry will safeguard this human asset as time goes by. The pool here is surrounded by loungers and the bar staff were more than happy to bring the drinks!

The Tanoa Tusitala is immaculately presented, surrounded by clipped tropical gardens. The pool area isn't huge, but as there was, seemingly, only a handful of guests during my stay, it never felt crowded. A bar and eating area sits at one end of the pool and the main restaurant sits at the other. Perfect planning, I'd say! The rooms are of an excellent standard for a hotel in this category; cool and spacious, with big ensuite bathrooms. They even had BBC World, for catching up with the outside world before bed. Don't let the 1970s concrete blockhouse appearance of the accommodation wings get you down. Once through the door, the rooms are contemporary (if a little dark). Despite an ok meal there one night, the next night I elected to dine out in the town and felt I got a better quality meal at much the same price. I also did not eat breakfast here, choosing restaurants a short stroll away in the city centre. At WST$35 for a buffet breakfast that looked pretty ordinary to me (cereal and fruit), I'd definitely recommend a couple of places in town are far better bets.

Eden's Edge Hotel.: A not so "budget" hotel in Apia.

by worldkiwi

For my first three nights in Samoa, I elected to stay in the capital, Apia. Eden's Edge was one of the 'cheaper' hotel options in the city. At WST$150 a night, the hotel provided very clean, if rather insipidly spartan rooms, with comfortable beds and ensuite bathroom (with hot water). My room had an empty min-fridge which I used to store some drinks in. I chose to stay here basically because of the price and proximity to the town centre, which I wanted to explore.
The staff are very friendly here and there is plenty of parking room if you have hired a car.

Beyond the rooms, described above, the hotel has a small pool. This communal area would have benefitted from having a few sun loungers around it. The hotel also had a bar and restaurant. This is where my only criticism falls. Despite an alluring blackboard menu in the restaurant, the restaurant had no food. I ended up having to walk into town to find places to eat each night and on the holiday Monday I was there, the only place I could find open was McDonalds!! Breakfasts were included in the tariff, but they were pretty hit and miss (more miss than hit). The first morning was pancakes and papaya. The pancakes were stodgy, thick, grey and tasteless, but saved by a liberally filled bowl of maple syrup and papaya. Next morning was Weetbix! Kiwis will know what these are... Last morning was more of a hit, with eggs and bacon, toast and mango. In defence of the hotel, I think I was the only guest there, so I guess they were saving a bit of money on food! The bar can be popular at times... happy hour beer is cheap - WST$4 for a small bottle. On my last night there though, the throbbing base from the stereo system in the bar was a bit annoying at 10pm.
This hotel is very easy to book online.

Aggie Greys Lagoon & Beach Resort: Aggie Greys

by PFC75

i stayed for 5 nights. I found the hotel was in a lovely setting .The hotel has a lovely relaxed ambience it was so peaceful and walking around the hotel was a pleasure. There was a lovely little beach a great pool and bar. The rooms where nice and clean with a great view from the balcony.
The staff where very friendly and helpful. The food was good not outstanding. Breakfast although good lacked a bit of variety. The restaurants where very good mainly asian food.

Having a massage in the spa is a must.
The beer Vailima is a must as well one of the best ive had.

Make sure you are in the hotel for the fiafia night, fantastic samoan dance & songs

The hotel is in a good location for the Airport ans also the ferry to get to Savaa'i

The only slight negative was the internet connection didnt work at all during my time there

The relaxing and enchanting atmosphere around the hotel just wonderful

Tanu Beach Fales: Tanu Beach Fales

by ippel

Nice fales at the beach.
Friendly staff.

Aggie Grey's Lagoon Resort: Lovely resort

by davidfaroe

I've stayed in Aggie Grey Lagoon Resort, coming after 7 days of backpackers accommodations in Yassawa and Tonga, so maybe I was overreacting being happy for the simple fact of having hot water...
But, anyway, the rooms are very spacious, perfect fitted. The amazing thing is the sea-view, especially on the sunny days (see photo). Great restrooms, satellite TV, 24h room service. I liked very much also the breakfast restaurant, the swimming pool and the pool-bar, where you can have almost any cocktail with international drinks
The beach it's not the best, especially if you know that not too far away you can find breath-taking beaches. As almost everywhere in Polynesia, the internet si extremely slow and expensive.
It's a good place to stay, enjoy the view, the facilities, the luxury and rent a car to explore

On Upolu there are only 2 resorts that can pass a 4-5 star test: Aggie Grey and Coconut. I only have lunch at Coconut's, so I don't know about the rooms, but I prefer Aggie Grey's because of location (close to airport, Apia - the capital, but also to the south beaches) and of being a larger resort, with many restaurants and options. The sea-view was really amazing.

Sunset View Fales: Wonderful Samoan resort

by ChrisFJ

My wife and I highly recommend Sunset View Fales on Manono Island in Samoa. Manono is a small island, 2 hours to walk around, in between the two main islands. There are no dogs and no vehicles at all on it, big bonus for us!
We phoned Leota in advance and he arranged for us to be collected from the airport at 11pm and taken straight to the resort (30 min in vehicle, 30 min by boat), which was wonderful since it meant we didn't have to find alternative accomodation for one night. They also dropped us back to the airtport at the end of our stay.
We had been travelling for a long time so decided that if the place was nice, we would just stay there for our whole week in Samoa, which we feel was a good idea for us. We received a discount due to our longer stay.
Great things about Sunset View Fales:
Run by Leota and his family - they are lovely and helpful people. Also we felt happier staying in a local run place than a foreign-owned/managed one. He's a nice chap and has done a good job and is constantly improving the place. We stayed in some recently finished fales with en-suite bathroom.
Snorkelling - we are not experienced snorkelers, but thought the reef surrounding the island was amazing - loads of creatures, fish, colours, clear water etc. Someone took us out most days, sometimes twice a day, to the reef.
Traditional meals yum yum yum. I have dietary requirements which were accounted for very well - I had to request and inform them of what I had to avoid/what I liked, and once I had explained they were very happy to provide. Western food has entered Samoa in the last few years/decades, tinned goods and white bread, probably associated iwth the recent obesity issue there. Sometimes they would serve some of this stuff up, but if you just let them know you like fresh preferably local produce then they are usually happy to help.
Sometimes in the day when it was clear it was a bit hot and humid for us, we were there in April.
Enjoy!

People.
Snorkelling.
Cocoa - they make their own from their own trees. Samoan cocoa is meant to be the best in the world since it is less bitter than others. I had just cocoa and hot water - I avoid sugar which they usually add. It was wonderful.
Anyway the rest you can pick up from the other reviews.

Caroline's Boutique Accommodations: Samoan Hospitality at it's best

by ktthorn

The home of Caroline.. is a haven. The warmth of her family matches the beauty of the home.
When you stay here.. you feel as if you are HOME.

This accommodation most unique quality is it's proprietor. She is an amazingly warm and caring person.. and treats each guest as if they are family.

In this home.. you can make your own meals or can eat a continental breakfast that is adorned with flowers.

The aircon's..are a blessing.

Carol.. knows the island.. and will not lead you astray. This.. is where you will gain the greatest blessing. She guides you... and cares where you go.. where you eat.. and will always be there to give you advice.. and help you have the most blessed time.

Virgin Cove Resort: Great quiet retreat

by prrl

This is a great place for a very quiet retreat. Great food, good snorkeling, a morning activity daily. I was only there 3 days and only did one morning activity - the mangrove walk; I recommend it. Beautiful beach, great clambering over the rocks. If you need internet, you can take their van into town for 15 tala return. [The best internet is in Apia one block south of the clock tower.] Don't book any accommodations through Green Turtle; use the visitor center in Apia, they are very helpful and it will cost much less.

Don't do the kayak in the mangrove. While it is a nice excursion, at 100 tala it is way overpriced. That trip is not offered by Virgin Cove, just advertised there.

The shared shower is open air, built of lava rocks! Wash up under the stars! Beautiful!

Sunset View Beach Fales on Manono Island: Sunset View Beach Fales on Manono Island

by zwieciu

I was lucky enough to find out about this place on virtualtourist, so now after getting back from Samoa I want to return the favor by further recommending it. We were originally going to spend 2 days there but ended up spending almost all of our time in Samoa there (except for 2 places in Apia and 1 in Savaii). Once we arrived we didn't really want to go anywhere else (all the other places were much less interesting)! We met a great guy from New Zealand there - his name was Bruce, he said he first arrived on Manono in 1948 and the place hasn't really changed since then. This probably best describes the experience you can have there. No cars, only a single path leading you around the island in about 1.5h-2h (we did the walk every day, we liked it so much). The people on Manono are amazing, so friendly and always willing to talk to you. There are not many tourists there so you're as interesting to the people of manono as they will be to you.

Leota and Sau are running Sunset View Fales with their children and they really do treat you as a part of their family while you stay there. There are three very good meals per day plus there will be umu demonstrations (traditional way of making food on hot stones) and daily trips to the coral reef. (you can see there how the samoans do spear-fishing). The reef btw. is great, better than what we saw in savaii or upolu (ok we haven't been everywhere so this may not be true for the places we haven't seen). In the evening you can enjoy very nice music performed by Leo, Aivan, Junior, Miko and the other boys. (it was way better than the american-show-style fia fia's we saw on savaii.)

Leota is nice enough to arrange free transport to/from the island, just give him a call. (the phone number is in the other reviews, if i remember correctly, or if not, just look this up on the internet or at the tourist office).
Even though the price is 90 Tala/person/night, considering free transportation, free daily activities (boat trips to the reef), free meals (3 per day) and free drinking water, this is a very good price. You can also rent a traditional canoe from the neighbors for 5 Tala/person (very cool!)

What else can I say? If you're interested in getting to know samoan people and their traditions, don't like touristy places (the cliche white sand beach, a senseless swimming pool next to the ocean etc) then you should definitely go to sunset view fales. You will not be disappointed. On the other hand if you're the kind of person who wants private tv, air conditioning, swimming pool etc. while on samoa, just ignore my review.

You can find my photos from Manono at http://www.flickr.com/photos/zwieciu/sets/72157594346761983/

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Independant State of Samoa Hotels

11 Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Litia Sini Beach Resort: Paradise - found?

The Tanoa Tusitala, Apia.: A nice resort in Apia.

Eden's Edge Hotel.: A not so "budget" hotel in Apia.

Aggie Greys Lagoon & Beach Resort: Aggie Greys

Tanu Beach Fales: Tanu Beach Fales

Aggie Grey's Lagoon Resort: Lovely resort

Sunset View Fales: Wonderful Samoan resort

Caroline's Boutique Accommodations: Samoan Hospitality at it's best

Virgin Cove Resort: Great quiet retreat

Sunset View Beach Fales on Manono Island: Sunset View Beach Fales on Manono Island

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