We spent ten days in Samoa in September 2011 and had a great holiday.
We spent the first few days on Upolu, the main island where the airport is. We hired a fale (traditional Samoan one-roomed sleeping house) at Samoan Outrigger Hotel in Apia, the capital. A good place to stay - very reasonably priced, nice though fairly basic accommodation, a yummy breakfast as part of the cost, good swimming pool, and we met many interesting and friendly people staying there. We enjoyed staying in the town, adjusting to the leisurely the pace of the place, visiting the markets and getting a feel for Samoan life.
A highlight of Upolu: swimming at the Palolo Deep just outside town, where you swim out about 200m to a deep hole ringed with coral. Bring your own snorkel, mask and flippers.
We hired a car and spent a day driving around the island. Unfortunately it was Sunday which the Samoans take very seriously - everyone goes to church, swimming beaches are closed, as are many eating places. However we had a good lunch at Sa'moana Resort at Salamumu Beach, and had a ball feeding the turtles at Malua pool, not far from the airport.
Another day we took a 'Beautiful Aleipata' tour around the island with Tupu from Polynesian Explorer, whose office is just down the road from the Outrigger. A great day - Tupu was friendly and informative and we learned a lot about Samoa and Samoan life. We visited some of the areas which had been devastated by the tsunami a few years ago and saw how much it had changed people's lives. But Samoans are strong in their sense of community and seemed to be coping well. We also dropped in on a tiny coconut oil factory and were stunned to be told that they supply the Body Shop! Mind-boggling...
Another highlight of Apia was the Robert Louis Stevenson museum just outside Apia. An amazing house, well restored, with lots of good information, and stunningly beautiful gardens. We also climbed the hill to RLS's gravesite (wear good shoes and take water and a snack). Also take time to visit the Botanical gardens next door to the RLS Museum.
A fire performance by talented young people at Ooh-la-la near the marina was another highlight, as well as delicious dinners at various restaurants - Paddles and Giordano's stand out, as well as cheap but very delicious oka (raw fish in coconut) from Mitty's, a roadside shop near the Outrigger. Don't miss the local Vailima beer, either.
We took the ferry to Sava'ii, Samoa's other big island, and had a change of pace with a few days at Stevensons at Manese, a resort. Our accommodation was a fale on the beach - more upmarket than at the Outrigger, and it was pretty special going to sleep with the sound of the waves, and waking up to a stunning view, coconut palms, clear blue water, coral reef just offshore etc etc. However the food at the resort wasn't all that special for the price, and personally I can only take so much lounging around and swimming before I get bored.
We hired a car and did a couple of good tours around, visiting the Alofaaga Blowhole (spectacular!) and Pele market, bought a truly delicious barbecue lunch from a roadside shack, and went up to the Afu Au waterfall (which was non-existent as there had not been much rain, but there was a nice swimming hole). Another good trip just near the resort was the Dwarves Cave, a lava tunnel (byo torch). Keep a store of cash with you to pay at these attractions as they are all controlled by the local villages. But the cost is minimal.
Another half day was spent on a dive trip with Sava'ii Dive - Pete went diving while I snorkelled. The corals in that part of Sava'ii are spectactular and we saw many fish and even a couple of turtles.
Niko from the resort took us on an early morning walk to his village - very interesting and another chance to learn about Samoan life and customs. All the houses no matter how simple have wonderful gardens and the flowers are fabulous. Truly a tropical paradise.
An unexpected highlight - because we found out about it by chance - was the 11am Sunday lunch at Vacation Beach Fales, just up the road from Stevensons. Delicious!! Taro, palusami (taro leaves in coconut cream), fish, lobster, pork, chicken, salads and vegetables.
NB If you stay at Manese and have a late morning flight out, as we did, you have to get up at 3am to catch the 5am ferry so as to make it to the airport, where you have several hours to wait before your flight. It was OK, but if I had realised this beforehand we might have gone back to Upolu for our last night.
Altogether a great holiday in a lovely country with friendly, relaxed and welcoming people, beautiful countryside and interesting things to do and see. Highly recommended!
