I wish TA would allow half stars as I couldn't quite give a full 5 stars to this lovely resort - it's almost there.
* fabulous location - can't beat the beauty of the ocean here with good snorkelling and stunning sunsets
* restaurant overlooks the beautiful pacific ocean
*friendly, wonderful staff - special mentions to Tala for a warm welcome, Ata our lovely waitress and Line (sorry if I got spelling wrong) - however everyone was very caring
*spacious, clean and comfy bungalow
* first night dinner was delicious - Oka (seriously good here and we had to have at least one bowl a day) followed by Lobster
*beautiful gardens and a few hammocks to laze in
* had a short massage at spa (book in advance - we sadly didn't) - really lovely
Although we found the bungalow clean and well maintained, in general, it's time to restore the bathrooms. A repaint with some anti mold paint is needed and time to re-tile the shower, as well as replace the cracked basin.
The other thing that added to taking off half a star was lack of food variety - especially seafood. We only stayed 3 nights but the first night was the only night to have lobster and tuna was the only fish they ever had. It was normal to have things printed on the daily menu and not be available. So the second night we had dinner next door and they had 4 varieties of fish and lots of fruit varieties, (and it was a much smaller resort). The breakfast was okay but the only fresh fruit is papaya, avocado and fresh coconut each day - it wouldn't be hard to add some bananas and pineapple given they are plentiful in Samoa. Yoghurt would also be a welcome addition (and making it themselves is cheap and easy to do).
We brought our own snorkel gear which we used daily and my husband enjoyed the kayak. I lasted less than 5 minutes on their huge heavy plastic SUP with its broken paddle. If you have your own SUP - bring it to Samoa with you!!! Almost divorced hubby because he told me to leave my inflatable Red Paddle SUP in Australia because the resorts advertised having SUP's. Same at the next resort - terrible SUP. They know the paddle is broken and I don't think it will be replaced anytime soon. A shame as it's a great place to paddle, especially for a beginner - calm waters.
The beach and ocean bungalows are the same with the ocean ones set back a little but still with great ocean views. We loved our Bungalow 10, beach front. Also pick up some big bottles of water on the way there as you only get 2 small complimentary bottles on arrival.
We can't wait to get the chance to stay here again - Savai'i has the best beaches and we were very comfortable at this resort. Thank you to all the wonderful staff for making our stay so friendly and memorable.