Gary and I just got back from a week in beautiful Samoa. I can’t speak highly enough of this exquisite island. The people and culture, the stunning beaches and lush landscapes and the laid back lifestyle make this a holiday paradise.

We stayed at Saletoga Sands Resort in the village of Matatufu on the south east coast of the main island of Upolu.

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h i g h l i g h t s

exploring by scooter

Hiring a scooter for a couple of days and riding through a bunch of villages on the south east coast of Upolu was certainly a highlight of our trip. As we rode beside the lush countryside full of coconut, papaya and banana trees we dodged children, dogs, roosters and pigs with accompanying piglets, and villagers dressed in their white Sunday-best as they walked to and from their church services. We slowed down and slapped (low-fived) the hands of the local children walking roadside. Our rides along the stunning coastline through the villages of Lotofaga, Vavau, Lepa, Saleapaga and the beautiful Lalomanu beach (rated one of the world’s best) was exhilarating.

Gary and I also swapped roles and I was in the driver’s seat with Gary as my passenger.

sunday church service

Attending a Sunday church service in Malaemalu village was memorable . There must be at the very least, three churches in every village - no pubs, just churches. We thought we’d try a Methodist service because we thought the singing there would be extra good. We rode to the village where our airport transfer driver is from and wanted to attend his church. We found the Christian Congregational Church of Samoa (CCC) in the village, parked our scooter and were greeted by an elder who invited us to join the congregation in church. He showed us to our seats in the back row. Luckily I wore a white dress as white is definitely the go-to colour to wear to church on Sunday. The women were resplendent in their beautiful white dresses complete with hat and the men wore white shirts, jackets and lavalava. Most completed their Sunday attire with thongs and a Bible. The church service was very formal and long but the singing was breathtakingly wonderful.

Namu’a Island

Namu'a Island is a a small uninhabited island off the south east coast of Upolu. It’s a 10-minute boat ride from the mainland and has beach fale accommodation for visitors. It takes about an hour to walk around the island, which unfortunately we couldn’t do because it was high tide. We saw huge green sea turtles on our way back to the mainland.

Fia Fia

Fia fia night was fun. We enjoyed traditional cultural entertainment from thelocals in the restaurant – the real Fa’a Samoa (Samoan way of life). Traditional song and dance routines performed by professional males and females in traditional costumes. The fire dance was particularly spectacular

To Sua Ocean Trench

Hanging out at To Sua Ocean Trench which was a ten minute ride from where we were staying was THE highlight of our holiday. This natural wonder was so spectacular that I’m going to dedicate a whole blog post to it. Stay tuned!

Facts about Samoa

Location -

Samoa lies south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. The country is made up of two large islands - Upolu and Savai'i (which together account for 99% of the total land area) and eight small islets. Samoa’s capital is Apia.

Population -

Approximately 195 000 people

Climate -

Samoa has an equatorial/monsoonal climate. The rainy season is from November to April and the dry season is from May to October.

Food -

The staple products of Samoa are copra (dried coconut meat), cocoa bean (for chocolate), bananas, taro, breadfruit, papaya and a bunch of delicious tropical fruits.

Religion -

Since 2012, the Samoan Constitution states that “Samoa is a Christian nation founded of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Samoa hosts the seventh (of nine current) Bahá'í Houses of Worship in the world. When Christianity was introduced in Samoa, most Samoan people converted. Currently 98% of the population identify themselves as Christian. While driving from the airport to our resort, I have never seen so many churches. It seems that every village had at least three.

Some Samoans live a communal way of life, participating in activities collectively. Examples of this are the traditional Samoan fale (open houses) which are open with no walls, using blinds made of coconut palm fronds during the night or bad weather.

A measles outbreak began in October 2019 and has now been stabilised. As of the middle of January 2020, there have been 81 deaths and over 5667 cases of measles in Samoa, mainly children under four years old.