An English tourist has recommended that more restaurants serving local Samoan food are established in Apia.

And the proposed eateries should be open throughout the week including Sundays.

Thirty-seven-year-old Charlotte Hird, who is British but lives and works in New Zealand, told the Samoa Observer that tourists wanted to taste something different other than what global restaurant chains like Mcdonalds offered.

“But I wish there were more places in town where tourists can have some traditional food. When we arrived on Sunday all the shops were closed, and it limited us to just eating hotel food and obviously there were no Samoan food there, particularly.

“I know MacDonald's in Samoa opens every day but as an explorer you just crave something different. I do recommend a few more restaurants in town but then you don’t want it to become overly touristy," she said. 

Visiting the country for the first time, Ms Hird said Samoa is like a "tropical heaven untouched" and the hospitality of its people made it stand out. 

“Samoa is unique because of its people, they are very friendly, it feels like a tropical heaven untouched - there are some westernised changes but it does not feel heavily touristy."

Asked how she decided to visit Samoa for a vacation, she said a conversation with a nursing colleague in New Zealand ultimately led to her choosing to fly to the country. 

"A lady I worked with in New Zealand, she spent a lot of time in the South Pacific and she was a nurse here, I asked her which island I should travel to and she said Samoa is perfect in comparison to Fiji, where it gets quite touristy," she added.

Immediately after arriving in Samoa last Sunday, she and the others in her group were taken on a tour of the island and they got the chance to explore the To Sua Trench and visit the beach. 

“We arrived on Sunday morning; we did a tour around the island, got the chance to explore To Sua trench, which was absolutely beautiful. I was kind of scared of heights. I wish I could go down but the garden there was extra. We also spent time at the beach."

Ms. Hird returned to New Zealand on Friday but she said she has plans to return to Samoa and hopefully visit the big island Savai'i.