Beautiful Samoa Holidays

a beach holiday in samoa

What's Unique about the Samoa Islands?

Lush and intensely tropical, Samoa holidays are are amongst the most affordable in the South Pacific. These beautiful mountainous islands are a popular destination for adventure holidays with virgin rain forest, breath-taking waterfalls, blowholes and lava fields to experience, but also have excellent golf courses, and attract anglers and surfers. The islands are a hot spot for backpackers too, with simple beach huts scattered around the islands and making the country both cheap and easy to explore.

Traditional Samoan culture is an integral part of the country and one of the best reasons for heading to Samoa for a holiday; visit a village to experience its genuine island hospitality and perhaps see a game of Kilikiti, the Samoan answer to cricket. Samoan food is another reason to visit: unique and delicious – the national dish, palusami, consists of coconut cream and other ingredients wrapped in taro leaves and baked in a traditional umu.

The Samoa Islands are a series of paradise-like volcanic mountains covered in rainforest that drop down to pristine sand beaches. In the lush emerald valleys, banyan trees tower high in the sky, surrounded by tropical flowers and vegetation. Swim under waterfalls that cascade into pools and then to rivers that cut through the valleys on their way back to the sea, and there are natural rock slides to plummet down. Hikers and photographers will be in heaven or just enjoy wandering among the people and learn the way of life they've been faithful to for generations.

local samoans on holiday

Samoa Islands Tourist Information

Samoa is not widely travelled and there are only a half dozen resorts all buit one on the main island of Upolu which has the best beaches and some excellent surfing breaks. There are some wonderful natural sights on Savaii including blowholes and lava fields but few beaches to enjoy so it's a toss up between relaxing at a beach resort on Upolu or exploring the sights of Savaii. Samoa is one of the cheapest destinations to visit in the South Pacific and is popular amongst backpackers with plenty of budget accommodation by way of beach fales, although the majority of these are very rudimentary. By contrast, American Samoa has virtually no tourism infrastructure although it has several breathtaking National Parks protecting its beautiful tropical rainforest and wild coastline.

samoa islands

Fun Things to Do on Holiday in the Samoa Islands

Samoa Holiday Inspirations

scenery upolu island

Upolu Island

Upolu is a lush mountainous island with heaps of waterfalls, good hiking and several lovely beach resorts to unwind. Surfing, kayaking and visiting Samoan villages are the main activities. Location of airport.

view of apia town

Apia Town

The capital of Samoa, Apia sits on a pretty waterfront with great restaurants, lively bars and some beautiful historic buildings. Visit the old home of RL Stevenson in the hills and the sliding rocks for fun.

sightseeing on savaii island

Savaii Island

Savaii is a volcanic island with lava fields, blow holes and a rugged landscape dominated by its volcanic peaks. Great for sightseeing with most accommodation at the lovely beach enclave at Manase .

national park in american samoa

American Samoa

Seldom visited by holiday-makers, resorts in American Samoa are non-existent but the country does have some of the best preserved rainforest and coastal scenery all managed by US National Parks.

samoa beach fale

Sightseeing Holidays

With forest trails, waterfalls and a rich village culture, travellers will enjoy the authentic laid back Samoa Islands. There's plenty to see and it's a nice 'n cheap destination to visit.

an  honeymoon beach hotel in samoa for honeymoon

Romance & Honeymoon

Not only are the exquisite beaches empty but you'll find even the largest resort in Samoa has a very intimate ambience. An intriguing place that will surely make you the envy of your friends.

 

map showing the samoa islands in the south pacific

Our Samoa travel guide provides more detailed information on all the different regions to visit to help you decide where to go and what to do. Alternatively, try out our interactive Samoa picture map above to help you visualise the islands and find out where all the different hotels are located:

Holiday Accommodation in the Samoa Islands

sunrise over a small island in samoa islands

There are only a handful of holiday beach resorts is Samoa but these generally offer better value for money compared to those in comparable in Fiji and the Cook Islands and certainly a lot cheaper than Tahiti. Even more affordable are the simple beach fales (huts) which seem to appear in every village. Some are well run and aimed specifically at international travellers, whilst the majority are there for the locals to enjoy at weekends. These beach huts make Samoa a fantastic destination for budget travellers to explore the islands and the immerse in the village culture.

tourists sunbathing at a beach resort in samoa

If you're searching for the ideal place to stay check out our Samoa hotels guide for independent reviews on all luxury resorts, beach fales and hotels in Apia. We feature both the popular beach resorts sold by most travel agents, as well as highlighting the lesser-known properties including locally owned beach fales. If this is your first time visiting the islands, we recommend you use our Samoa Holidays Planner. Here you'll get a great overview about what there is do on holiday in Samoa along with general tourist information such as travel, weather and other handy tips.