Samoa even better second time

By Anina Kazaz 27 March 2018, 12:00AM

Naz Rafig, Sean Campbell and Sheetal Naudhana, are from different countries but their mutual friend is why they are in Samoa.

Their friend is half Samoan and her partner is from Samoa, so they are here to celebrate their wedding.

“Samoa reminds me of Fiji, where I come from,” Naz said. 

“The biggest difference is the size of the island. The beaches and landscapes are about the same. The people are lovely. I met some nice Fijians and of course Samoans.”

Sean added: “The staff members here at the Taumeasina Island Resort are really nice.”

Sean lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

For Sean and Naz it is their first time in Samoa. Sheetal shared her first experience on Savaii. She was born in Fiji but is currently living in New Zealand. 

“The first time I came here was for vacation as well,” Sheetal said. 

“I went with my Kiwi friend to Savai’i. I did not like it much. The way the locals treated us was really bad.” 

“They grabbed our suitcases from our hand to get us in the taxi for a ride.” 

“In the hotel, we found out the taxi driver charged us two times what he was supposed to. Just when we were going to Apia, we kind of started relaxing.”

The first impression of the country for Sheetal was soon forgotten this time around.

“When I heard that our friend was getting married here, first I was not excited to come back because of my first experience. But since I am here, I really loved it. Maybe it was just bad luck last time. They are really professional here. They look after you and treat us really good,” she explained.

Naz added: “It depends as well on which part of Samoa you are going to, it happens everywhere.” 

“There are bad experiences all around the world.”

For a vacation resort, Naz totally recommends the Taumeasina Island Resort.

“The experience we’ve had, we love it. The resort here is awesome. I have not seen the rest of Samoa yet. I am looking forward to doing that over the weekend. I would definitely come back again,” Naz shared.

The friends have already listed a few things they want to do. The To Sua Ocean Trench and the Papaseea Sliding Rocks are top on their list. They also plan to go shopping for souvenirs as well.

“I definitely want to go snorkeling,” Sean said.

“Compared to New Zealand, all the resorts there are really expensive, here it is really affordable. A huge difference, it is insane,” Naz said.

The food impressed Sheetal.

“I loved the dessert. It was Brulee and I was expecting a small portion, but wow you are treating us too good, was my reaction, it was definitely too much for just one person,” she said. 

They all plan to return for more island time. 

By Anina Kazaz 27 March 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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