An Australian-based cruise ship online publication has categorised a Samoan resort among the Pacific's five "most sumptuous" resorts which should be on every travellers' bucket list.

The Cruise Passenger which publishes out of Sydney, Australia on Monday listed what it says were its "5 of the most sumptuous South Pacific Resorts" and included the Sinalei Reef Resort on the list.

In a glowing appraisal of the Samoan resort, the online publication said the resort on Upolu offered what its Fijian competitors used to offer "decades ago".

"The unsung Pacific paradise of Samoa – think Fiji decades ago – offers remote, pristine beaches peppered with coconut palms, welcoming locals and warm languid waters," the report reads.

"For the ultimate in amorous stays, check into the adults-only Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa, where 29 breezy fales sit garden, ocean or beachside, and an open-air spa delivers relaxing treatments to the soundtrack of lapping waves.

"Tucked away in a pocket of Samoa virtually untouched by commercial tourism, this magical resort is steeped in tradition, immersed in local culture and underpinned by sustainable practices.

"Join a Cooking with Culture experience, learn the ukulele with local schoolchildren, experience island artistry or visit a local village where the Samoan people, perhaps more than any other Polynesian culture, still observe traditional ways."

The other four resorts that Cruise Passenger listed were Fiji's Six Senses and Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Nautilus Resort in the Cook Islands and the Aore Island Resort in Vanuatu.

Writing about luxury travel, the online publication said today's traveller is "looking to be immersed in local culture, seeks life-changing moments and yearns for an experience that is both authentic and uncontrived."  

The Australian online publication has over 150,000 subscribers.