Guide to Finding Hotels in Samoa

a beach hotel in samoa

With only one large beach hotel in Samoa and two international airlines servicing the islands, tourism in this Polynesian icon is surprisingly limited. The most common type of accommodation in Samoa is the beach fale, a traditional hut. For tourist accommodation most are simple open sided huts with coconut palm roofs and set alongside the local village beach aimed at budget travellers. More recentlly the more upmarket boutique resorts have adopted its style and created elegant and intricatlly hand crafted villas from this concept. Visit Samoa hotels for the cultural experience, for tropical rainforest walks and waterfalls and for secluded beaches, but come with an open mind for life here moves at a very slow pace.

About Samoa Hotels

Boutique style resorts are found along the south coast of Upolu and around Manase Beach on Savaii. The huge popularity of locally owned beach fales has placed Samoa firmly on the map as one of the best backpacker destinations in the South Pacific. There are beach fales in Samoa on both Upolu and Savaii islands with most fales being absolute beach front and make great for exploring the nearby Samoan villages.

There's only one large beach resort in Samoa which is located close to the international airport and recently taken over by Sheraton management. In Apia there are a couple of medium sized hotels mostly aimed at business people, conferencing and Samoan families returning from overseas seeking out long-lost family ties.

Samoa Accommodation Specials

Samoa Hotel Search

Helping you select the perfect beach resorts in Samoa islands from exclusive private island retreats to budget huts.

beach at a luxury resort in samoa

Luxury Resorts

There are only a couple of luxury hotels in Samoa found on the southern coast of Upolu Island and these are at the lower end of the luxury stakes. These boutique style beach resorts with spa centres and lots of water activities complement the laid back and intimate ambience of the islands and make a pleasant honeymoon or romantic escape.

affordable accomodation

Deluxe Resorts

Looking for an affordable beach resort on Upolu or Savaii? Samoa remains one of the best value islands in the South Pacific offering holiday-makers excellent value for money. There are a handful of small resorts around the islands which offer simple accommodations in beautiful rural locations. Apia Town has some great value hotels and with its excellent restaurants and night-life and makes a good base for exploring the island.

Where to Stay in the Samoa Islands

The two countries that make up the Samoa islands offer a very contrasting holiday. Samoa, the western portion and what used to be called Western Samoa, offers boutique beach resorts, traditional beach fales and a cultural holiday experience for holiday-makers mostly from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. By contrast, American Samoa, just 150 kilometres to the east, is a relative tourist back-water with no beach resorts and just a handful of hotels aimed at business travellers and Samoans visiting from overseas - and the majority from mainland USA.

On (Western) Samoa, there are a handful of small beach resorts on the main island of Upolu, a couple of which offer excellent surfing breaks. There's plenty of comfortable hotels in the main town of Apia which is a good base for sightseeing and exploring. Apia has great restaurants, lively bars and clubs and excellent local produce markets selling vegetables, fresh fish and local crafts. Savaii Island is the other destination to visit on a holiday and people come here mostly to relax on its beaches, snorkel in the lagoons and visit some of the extraordinary volcanic sites around the island including caves, blow-holes and vast barren lava fields.

Samoa Holiday Guide