Samoa has left Gemma Butler-Cooper lost for words.

That’s how captivating Samoa’s natural scenery is. 

Being an avid traveller, having travelled to most places around the world, Gemma has never seen anything like Samoa – simple yet beautiful. 

She is from Australia and is here for a holiday. Her trip turned out to be more than just a holiday because she made new friends who share the same interests as her.  

“I put pictures on my social media as well from here, so that everyone can see how beautiful it is. This is one of the best places and I travel a lot, so I would want to come back,” she said.

 “It is just about everything this country is offering. The resort is beautiful and when you go out, you feel absolutely safe and it is so peaceful you can go for a beach holiday.”

It was through the simplicity of Samoa that has allowed her to really enjoy her short trip.

 “I did not really want to go to Fiji because I feel it is a little bit more commercialised, so I looked up the internet and saw hotels here and it looked really nice. 

 “There are a lot of activities to do and the weather looked good and that is why we chose to come to Samoa. 

 “I have been to Bali twice. A lot of people from Australia go to Bali. I was wondering why you should go there instead of coming here, it is shorter and has so much more to offer. I definitely will bring some friends next time.”

She explained: “We have tried different kinds of food, so we have been to some local restaurants in Apia. We have just been asking people where it is good to go for food.

 “Trip advisor is great but we like to ask the locals where it is actually good. So people were referring us to places.

 “I think there is saying that someone said that Samoans are the friendliest people of the Polynesia islands, which it is true.”

After going to Lalomanu beach, the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum and exploring the many sites in Samoa, she feels more than just relaxed and happy.

 “One word is not enough to describe everything of Samoa. It still has that raw beauty of nature. It was absolutely stunning.

 “So I am in my 30s, single and don’t have any kids. The benefit of that is you get your own income from your job, so we really have these opportunities to go wherever we want. 

 “This Easter we wanted to go somewhere for a holiday. So we were looking at Thailand and other areas and then found Samoa.”