Honeymooners enjoy Samoa

By Ivamere Nataro 15 November 2017, 12:00AM

Love and life work in mysterious ways and if they do intertwine, memorable experiences are created and it lights up a smile when you walk down memory lane. 

Dear Tourist yesterday met newly-wedded couple, Ryan and Kate Cupples, from Gold Coast, Australia, at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel while on their way to town.

With smiles on their faces, the couple shared they were in Samoa for their honeymoon. 

Ryan and Kate have been in a relationship for about 10 years before they decided to tie the knot last week at home. 

Their love life started when Ryan was 21 years old and Kate was 17 and looking back, one can tell it was definitely love at first sight. 

They said Samoa was unheard of as a tourist destination but the couple chose our shores because it was different from the more westernized and touristic destinations in the Pacific such as Fiji. 

“We chose Samoa because of its untouched natural scenery and it is still raw in terms of culture and development with little western influence. It is also not over populated so that was great,” Ryan said. 

 “We are here for a week and we have two more nights here at the Tanoa Hotel before we leave for home,” Kate said. 

“We spent the first five nights at the Saletoga Resort and it was amazing. The team at the last resort sang a farewell song and that was really nice,” she added. 

The natural scenery, local cuisine, local ava and the friendly faces and personalities are a huge giveaways the couple will treasure when they return to their homeland. 

“The Tosua trench and waterfall were amazing. The local hospitality was really great and it feels safe here. We were walking on the beach the other day and then some locals just came out of nowhere holding some little roots and started talking to us; it was really great and fun. Everyone has been really lovely,” Kate said. 

“We’ve learnt bits and pieces of the local culture, so we’ve learnt a couple of words at the resort on the first night we did the ava ceremony, the fiafia night and there was a little bit of dancing and at the end we danced too and Ryan had a taste of the ava and there was little to go around so only one from each table had a taste of the ava. That was fun,” she added with laughter. 

“We’ve tasted bits and pieces of the local food, at the fiafia night we had local buffet, we expected a lot of seafood but it hasn’t been too much.”

“Hotel service has been really lovely, except for some people who are a bit grumpy but I guess that’s everywhere,” she said with a smile. 

“It has been really overwhelming as well because at the Flea Market everybody is like at you so that was a little bit overwhelming for us,” Ryan added. 

Not only has Samoa and its people created an everlasting memory for the couple, they have already planned their next visit. 

“It’s our first time being here and we will definitely be back, it’s been really great,” Kate said. 

“We were talking last night over dinner and we were planning to return maybe after every three years. We really love it.”

The couple said they would advise their friends who would be travelling to Samoa to hire a car and drive around the island because it was a good feeling of freedom to just stop at a place that you fond beautiful and attractive.

By Ivamere Nataro 15 November 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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