Welcome to paradise 🌴🌴🥥🤿 We were all packed and ready for our adventure to the unknown - To the beautiful tropical islands of SAMOA!! For @terrybogan birthday 🎉🎉
We are traveling with our three and a half year old so we thought we would book a night time flight and he would sleep through it.... Oh how wrong we were haha.
We made it to Upolu Samoa, then lined up to exchange our money as the best exchange rate is at the airport which is crazy! Then made it through customs to meet our driver who would take us to Saletoga Sands which is an hour drive from the airport.
They have had some torrential rain so there was some water on the side of the road and some even flowing over the road at some parts.
The first thing we noticed as we drove is how many churches there are here.
We asked our driver and he said there are over 400 churches in Samoa and the only religion in Samoa is Christianity.
Samoans all live by the guide of respect, family, community and protection. This is a way of life I can get behind!
As we made our way to the resort. The clouds came over and it started to rain...
We arrived at Saletoga Sands and checked in to our room.. WOW!!
This place is amazing!
We were five metres from the ocean!
As it was raining we ordered some oka (tuna cooked in lemon juice and coconut milk just like ceviche) and Samoan nachos to the room.
After, we hit the pool and the swim up bar for a couple of cocktails. Cause hey we were going to get wet anyway.
The weather started to clear so it was time to hit the beach! This place truly is paradise!
After the swim it was time to explore the resort.
Saletoga Sands has a buffet breakfast which is included in your stay.
Staying here is like a time warp stepping back into the 1990's
There is only wifi at the reception and restaurant so no wifi in the fale. Unless your fale is near the reception or restaurant.
They do however have a DVD player in each room. At reception there is a huge wall of DVDs to choose from. So it was like going to blockbuster to choose what we would watch tonight.
So it's the perfect place to disconnect
Happy hour was 4pm to 7pm, with a daily cocktail on special. As well as cheaper beers and house wines.
There is an onsite spa if you need some extra pampering, so a Massage was definitely on the cards!
As we explored around the fale we noticed these photos that were scattered throughout the resort.
Not really sure what the story is behind these pictures.
And beware of falling coconuts !!!
Aside from the amazing pool, there is beautiful crystal clear lagoon. Which is perfect for kids, hippo-ing and kayaking as it's protected by an outer reef. Inside there is also plenty to see snorkeling with lots of colourful marine life.
The meals here are amazing! And every Wednesday night they have a cultural night with singing and dancing and even a fire show.
The resort also has daily day tours that you can join. Or if you prefer a more independent option they also have car and scooter hire too.
We decided to do a mix of the organized day tours and hired a car to do the rest - This is where the adventure begins!!
Stay tuned for my next Samoa adventure blog!