Samoa is not a big place with lots of different accommodation types. We are still in the beginning of developing a quality tourist destination.
Some of the bigger hotel has got a well organized infra structure with their own black and grey water cleaning systems. Samoa in general still has a long way to go to get all areas of service working properly.
Some tourists are telling us that they enjoy the old way of doing things, which is fine. The reality is that not every old practice is environmentally friendly. As the progress is slow we will not change too quick anyway.
We get requests from people that are interested in home exchange, which I think is a great idea. I use your home and you use mine…
This is a simple idea and it works really well. You save all hotel expenses and just need to save up for the travel and food and drinks. Many families also let people use their cars and bicycles.
So far this is a new idea in Samoa and very few people have used the system. We hope that we have an opportunity to change this which could be a great experience for both Samoans and people from outside.
I am not sure though, that everyone would exchange their nice house for a small Samoan Fale?
You can go to almost every country in the world and use this system. have a look at how it works and save yourself all the hotel costs on your next trip.
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The family operating Fao Fao Beach Fales at Saleapaga have demonstrated an extreme willpower and determination to get their accommodation business up and running again, regardless of what have happened in the past.
When everyone left the village heading for higher ground to settle down, the Fao Fao family took what they had and started rebuilding shortly after the accident, not waiting for the government to support them.
After many years of operation they are known worldwide and have many supporters. Private people offered money to help to start-up again. Four new fales directly on the beach was quickly built and taken into use. Already at Christmas time the restaurant and bar was ready to welcome the first guests in the new Fao Fao Beach Fales.
At this time there is not much competition around as the closest resort would be The Virgin Cove Resort at Saanapu Village which is more than 1 hour drive from Saleapanga and Fao Fao Beach Fales.
Building up a new resort from scratch is a big challenge but it also gives the family the opportunity to do things in a new and better way. One of the changes planned is to go more up-market with self-contained bungalows close but not directly at the beach.
To begin with the family had to stay in tents during the building period before the first fale was ready. It will take some time before the nature has recovered and all the remaining debris has been cleared in the area.
The thankfulness of the family for everything people from other countries have done for them and their business is enormous.
The Taufua family was the family in Samoa who lost most members during the tsunami catastrophe. Despite of the loss they are determined to build up the very popular “Taufua Beach Fales again. The family has such a strong vision of what they want to create that nothing can stop then from making their dreams come true.
After all the emotional wounds and long hospitalization, the owners Sili and Tai tells us about their plans to have Taufua Beach Fales up and running the same way as before and their former guests should arrive to the new Taufua Beach Fales with the feeling of coming home as nothing has happened.
We want you to come home!
Sili and Tai wants you to come home and enjoy their heart-felt hospitality the way it always have been. After the tsunami disaster they have had lots of time to reflect and plan their future life which also gave them many new ideas about how to construct their new Beach Fales and what their customers actually would like to have and experience.
The new fales will have no metal parts on the roofing that could be a danger to people, plus that the whole layout of the resort will be better planned for a quick exit in any difficult weather condition.
Going up the hill.
Up on the steep hills above the Lalomanu coast line, the Taufua family have already compleated a brand new big building that will serve as their private residence and accommodation for future guests. There will be a great new restaurant caring for the guests who are enjoying their time in one of the four luxurious bungalows that overlooks the ocean. The ocean view is absolutely spectacular and you will be able to see as far as American Samoa during clear days. From this new resort area with swimming pool up the hill you only have a short 15 minutes walk down to the well-known Lalomanu Beach and the famous traditional Taufua Beach Fales.
Let us explain……
Thank You James!
We like to say a big thank you to James Buffin for coming the whole way from Canada on his own expenses to help us with the professional video clip above plus many more to come in the following weeks….
We recently picked up 2 huge bags with cloths that came the whole way from Sweden. The swedish travel and tour agent “Tour Pacific” sent the bags with two of their clients. We were sure that they were happy to carry the big and heavy bags half around the world. The people in Samoa were at least very happy to receive the cloths. Among the cloths there were about 30 Swedish T-shirts in bright yellow and blue. We walked around town yesterday and we saw 2 kids with a swedish T-shirt.
Money from Australia and Europe,
More people have been donating money for Samoa. We got all together 3,200 Tala paid into our account from staff at “Intrepid Travel” in Australia plus from private people in Europe.
We decided to get the shopping done and filled the car with rice and canned fish (sorry, this is what the Samoans like most) and had it delivered to 16 different families.
As we are moving around in the affected areas, we realize that the progress of rebuilding is slow and we would like to see more organized efforts from the government to have villages cleaned up, businesses up and running and families getting one of the new buildings that was promised.
We will continue to add more reports about the progress inn a near future.
I like to start to introduce Samoa to you in a more official way with all the facts and details about our country and culture to make you have a greater understanding where we are coming from.
This cover all aspects like culture, politics, geography, economics, demographics and sports. I need to have a closer look myself as I am not sure I know all this although I live here.
Time for new accommodation ideas!
