House of travel Samoa & Vanuatu Brochure 2017 | Page 6

6 TIPS
for your
Samoa & Vanuatu
Holiday
© Samoa Tourism
Hire a car and
explore! Sleep in a fale on
the beach Snorkels and
Flippers
To make the most of Samoa, hire a
car. Book return airport transfers
beforehand and aim to pick up
your rental car on the second or
third day, this’ll ensure you aren’t
driving at night on arrival. Samoa
is left-hand drive and roads are
well maintained, but be prepared
to pay tolls or fees when you
venture off the main road and
keep an eye out for chickens, pigs,
dogs and livestock. For a memorable Samoan
experience, spend at least one
night in a traditional beach fale.
These thatched abodes are open-
sided and fairly rustic in their
aesthetics and amenities, but they
front the shoreline and provide an
idyllic beach base. Upolu’s Palolo Deep Marine
Reserve is one of the safest and
most impressive of Samoa’s
snorkelling locations. Costing
approximately five Tala to
enter, and conveniently close
to downtown Apia, there are
changing facilities, public toilets
and a few beach fales providing
shade.
Both Upolu and Savai’i can be
explored by car, and with each
island boasting scores of white
sand beaches, it’s not unusual to
find your own secluded cove. Head
to the South Coast of Upolu for
long stretches of perfectly pristine
coastline called Lalomanu. Take
plenty of cash as there are few
ATMs and if you’re taking your car
over to Savai’i, book in advance –
ferry spaces are limited.
2
Owned by local families; envisage
yourself as a guest in someone
else’s home, with facilities that can
be relatively basic and bathrooms
that are usually communal. It's
a good idea to take your own
snacks, towels and toilet paper.
Be aware it is common for local
dogs to visit in the dead of the
night. They’re harmless, but if
you’ve left food or shoes outside,
they will probably run off with
them!
Swim out 100 metres and you’ll be
rewarded with a relatively abrupt
drop-off, replete with marine life.
To avoid getting grazed by rocks
and coral, it’s best to visit Palolo
Deep Marine at high tide and if
you can, take your own snorkel
and flippers. There is much less
coral off the island of Savai'i but
day trips will take you exactly
where you need to be for good
snorkelling.