Couple seeks Samoa’s laidback lifestyle

By Elizabeth Ah-Hi 10 November 2017, 12:00AM

Heading towards the S.T.A. center along Apia’s seawall was Dunedin couple, Diedre and Paul, who were in two minds when Dear Tourist caught up with them.

The couple had been finding Samoa hotter than they anticipated and were in a hurry to get to air conditioning but decided to stick it out a bit longer in the sun to share with Dear Tourist about their experience so far in Samoa.

“Yeah it’s good to feel the heat but it’s a bit too much at times,” said Diedre.

“But we love the air conditioning,” she added.

The couple was enjoying their accommodation and commented on how unique they both were but that they were pleased that high level of hospitality stayed the same.

 “At the moment we are staying at Coconuts Resorts and before then we were at Litia Sinis resort which was quite nice too,” Paul added. 

“Even though they only had a fan and the sweat was pouring off me there – it was still awesome,” he said of Litia Sinis resort.

Diedre agreed: “Yes even though they were two different styles of resorts, both places we’ve stayed at have been great.  They were quite different but they each had great beaches and the hospitality was great. 

“I really liked that Coconuts resort was great at telling us where to go and they helped us today (yesterday) with our bus tickets and showing us how to get into town and what to do. They are so helpful.”

Paul and Diedre are not big fans of a hustling and bustling tropical location which is why they have enjoyed Samoa’s relaxing environment.

“Diedre wanted to go to Fiji and I said ‘nah’ let’s go to Samoa because I wanted to go somewhere different and here we are,” said Paul. 

“We liked the laid back style because we don’t like people to hassle us; we just want to chill out.”

While Diedre had been to some Pacific Islands and was familiar with some of the similarities between them, she was pleased to discover that in Samoa, hospitality went a little further. 

“Yeah we just hadn’t been here so it just made sense to come here,” said Diedre.

“I’ve been to Rarotonga and Fiji and New Caledonia but what stands out about Samoa has been the hospitality and the people – they are so helpful and nice but then they also leave you alone so that you can laze on the beach and do what you like. 

“We came out on the bus this morning and that was great, it was something quite different to home and I think it’s a must when you come to Samoa.”

For both Diedre and Paul, it was the little things in life that counted and that included the freedom to have the best of both worlds.

“What’s good about here is you can do as much or as little as you like,” said Diedre. 

“We like to see things but then we like to have days off to read our books by the beach too so it’s all here.”

While Diedre was into her books, Paul prefers a little slapstick humour and a locally filmed movie.

“We watched a Samoan movie last night which reception put on it was called ‘three wise cousins’ and oh I loved it,” laughed Paul. 

“It was so cool! Yes I would definitely come back. Now that I know what to expect and I know that I won’t get hassled by people and I’ll be able to do my own thing which is very nice.”

By Elizabeth Ah-Hi 10 November 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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