{"id":97183197,"date":"2016-11-14T17:56:13","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T17:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/?p=97183197"},"modified":"2016-11-14T17:56:13","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T17:56:13","slug":"wondering-why-savvy-travelers-are-headed-to-samoa-well-tell-ya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wondering-why-savvy-travelers-are-headed-to-samoa-well-tell-ya\/","title":{"rendered":"Wondering Why Savvy Travelers Are Headed to Samoa? We’ll Tell Ya"},"content":{"rendered":"

Need a break? How does the prospect of sipping from a freshly cracked coconut and lounging around on the beach of a quiet, pristine lagoon in the middle of the South Pacific sound to you? Ladies and gentlemen \u2026 tama\u02bbita\u02bbi<\/em> and alii<\/em> \u2026 I give you:\u00a0Samoa<\/a>!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve just gotten back from a visit to this tropical island paradise. The laid-back lifestyle, dramatic coastline, endless opportunities to get wet in scenic locations, warm weather, and equally warm welcome of the Samoans all completely blew me away. I don\u2019t think I was quite ready for just how wonderful my time there turned out to be. I certainly wasn\u2019t ready to come back home (and to the onset of winter!).<\/p>\n

Does Samoa sound like an ideal getaway to you? Here\u2019s some general info about this tiny island nation alongside a few highlights from my trip to help you start planning your own vacation in Samoa \u2013 the Pearl of the Pacific.<\/p>\n

Which one?<\/h2>\n

First off, it\u2019s important\u00a0to distinguish that the Samoan Islands are divided between the sovereign nation of Samoa (known as Western Samoa until the late 90s) and American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States. I visited Samoa<\/em> Samoa (the independent country not the US territory). Samoa has a population of around 200,000 people (with more than twice that number of Samoans living abroad) and is comprised of ten islands, of which four are inhabited. I got to three of them: the \u201cmain island\u201d of Upolu, home to capital city of Apia; the forested \u201cbig island\u201d of Savaii; and the teeny car-free and carefree isle of Manono.<\/p>\n

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A Few Useful Terms<\/h2>\n

Everyone you meet in Samoa will speak perfect English. Still, it\u2019s a good idea to learn a few Samoan words before you go. Talofa<\/em> means \u201chello\u201d as does malo<\/em>. To say thank you to someone, tell them fa\u2019afetai<\/em> to which the correct\u00a0response would be e la afaina<\/em>. Manuia<\/em> is a useful term to keep in mind if you\u2019re having a drink or have been invited to participate in an \u2018ava<\/em> ceremony. It means \u201ccheers\u201d or \u201cgood health.\u201d Known more widely as kava-kava, \u2018ava is a mildly narcotic and peppery root made into a drink. Participating in an \u2018ava<\/em> ceremony is to experience one of Samoan society\u2019s most important rituals.<\/p>\n

The Future is Now in Samoa<\/h2>\n

Samoa is located to the immediate west of the International Date Line, which puts it a day ahead of the United States. This wasn\u2019t always the case though. Samoa \u201cmoved\u201d to this side of the line in 2011 as a sign to further strengthen its ties with New Zealand and Australia \u2013 its biggest trading partners and providers of foreign aid and the countries where most of its tourists come from. Hardly more than 100 miles to the east, American Samoa sits on the other side of the line and is thus a day behind on the calendar.<\/p>\n

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Getting S\u2019Pacific about Culture<\/h2>\n

Samoans are rightly proud of their Polynesian heritage and are keen to share their culture with visitors. A great place to learn about traditional life is at the Samoa Cultural Village in Apia. Tours are free and include a delicious lunch (prepared in a hot stone BBQ known as an umu<\/em>) and demonstrations of carving, weaving, tapa making, and tattooing.<\/p>\n

Showtime!<\/h2>\n

One thing you\u2019ve got to see when in Samoa is a fiafia<\/em>. This is essentially a \u201cdinner and a show\u201d get together. Most resorts do these \u2013 and on alternating nights of the week to avoid conflict. I caught one on a Friday night at the top ranked Seabreeze Resort on the southeast coast of Upolu. Members of the resort staff performed it. Their talent and enthusiasm were impressive. I had a great time. I also had to give a speech, which apparently is a significant aspect of the ending of any fiafia. It was easy enough though. All I had to do was talk about how much fun I was having on my tour of Samoa.<\/p>\n

\"Ramunas<\/a><\/p>\n

Feeling Blessed<\/h2>\n

Samoans are deeply religious and passionate about their Christian faith. Church life is at the heart of society. There are a lot of churches and religious schools and church-funded organizations throughout the islands. Whatever your beliefs, if you\u2019re in Samoa on a Sunday I recommend paying a visit to a church while you\u2019re there. You\u2019re guaranteed to hear some beautiful music and a chance to immerse yourself in the lovely language of Samoan. The Immaculate Conception of Mary Cathedral in Apia (just across the street from the Samoa Cultural Village) is an especially beautiful setting for experiencing how Samoans worship.<\/p>\n

Must-See Sea Arches<\/h2>\n

Much of the shoreline of Upolu and Savai\u2019i is craggy and wild with sheer cliffs and surreal sea arches. The best spots I found for admiring the most panoramic views were on the flat and easy to access Coastal Walk at O Le Pupu Pu’e National Park in southeastern Upolu.<\/p>\n

Take the Plunge<\/h2>\n

Numerous waterfalls and cascades with idyllic pools, tide pools, coral reefs, lagoons, big surf, white sand beaches, black sand beaches \u2013 if you like playing at or in the water, you will fall in love with Samoa. An absolute mandatory stop on any sightseeing tour is the To Sua Ocean Trench. This unique land formation is a giant swimming hole reached by a climb down a rather long ladder. It\u2019s utterly gorgeous and as relaxing and scenic a place for a swim as anywhere I\u2019ve ever been.<\/p>\n

\"Martin<\/a><\/p>\n

The word is that divers are richly rewarded for choosing Samoa for their scuba time. But even snorkeling near the shore \u2013 or simply dipping your toes in the ocean \u2013 can result in plenty of glimpses of colorful fish and sea life. Heck, even just eating breakfast while staring out to sea might come with the surprise of watching a humpback whale breaching (over and over again). It did for me one magical morning.<\/p>\n

And it can for you, too — I mean, c’mon, aren’t you itching to get to Samoa?<\/p>\n

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Thinking of adding Samoa to your must-visit list? Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments section below. Fa\u2019afetai![\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Need a break? How does the prospect of sipping from a freshly cracked coconut and lounging around on the beach of a quiet, pristine lagoon in the middle of the South Pacific sound to you? Ladies and gentlemen \u2026 tama\u02bbita\u02bbi and alii \u2026 I give you:\u00a0Samoa! I\u2019ve just gotten back from a visit to this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":97183206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,67],"tags":[2550,2549],"class_list":["post-97183197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure-travel","category-beaches","tag-pacific-island","tag-samoa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97183197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97183197"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97183197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97183238,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97183197\/revisions\/97183238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97183206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97183197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97183197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97183197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}