Australian couple Jesse Cakra and Renee Murranthave been on Upolu for a week and have picked their visits to the Lalomanu beach and To Sua Trench as the highlights.

Teachers by profession in Australia’s largest city Sydney, the couple told the Samoa Observer that they have been to most of the tourist attractions on Upolu and will now set their sights on the big island of Savai’i.

"We have visited a couple of places, the Lalomanu beach is the best one for us and the To Sua Trench," Ms. Murrant said.

It is the first visit for the couple to Samoa and upon their arrival, they said they found the country and its people to be beautiful and appealing.

"Everything in Samoa is beautiful, clean and everyone smiles and always waving at us," they added.

But if they were to make recommendations to visitors to make the best of their trip to Samoa, they suggest that getting a car to drive around the island would work wonders.

"I recommend getting a car and driving around to see how beautiful Samoa really is and to make sure to visit the To Sua Trench," says Mr. Cakra.

Having already clocked one week in the country, the couple said they are visiting Savai’i to see what it has to offer in terms of attractions.

And they are hoping that by the time they return to Sydney, the bushfire crisis which left 27 people dead and led to the loss of thousands of homes in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia will be over.