1 week in Samoa

Hi Guys
hoping for some advice. Have 7 days in Samoa end of April 2012 and wanting to know if you think its possible to have a bit of a look around both islands in that time without feeling 'rushed'. Add into that mix my wife will be 6 months pregnant by then so we will need to slow up a bit on our normal travel style.

I was thinking/hoping it would be possible to spend around 3 days on Upolu around the Lalomanu area. I'll get a hire car to make exploring easy and time efficient and then head over to Savai'i and do the same, probably based around the north/east end of the island.

So the question is does this sound achievable? Or am I better to just chill and soak up the sun and fun on one island? I don't handle sitting still very well however I'm thinking my wife will enjoy it.

Also, can anyone advise on the best snorkelling spots on both islands. I've heard that the coral and fish took a beating on the south coast of both islands from the tsunami's a few years back. Is this correct?

And finally, how long would you want to allow for a driving trip at tourist pace (stopping everywhere for a look and explore) to circumnavigate each island. Could you do it in 1 day?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Nonstop driving time around both islands is 4 hours each. So even with sightseeing and meal stops you can go and see every island in one day, as long as you start and end the trip on that island.

However I would build the whole trip around your wife being 6 months pregnant. I suggest to stay close to Tuasivi on Savaii and not too far from Apia on Upolu. Beach Fale accommodation with sleeping on the floor (no beds) might be uncomfortable for your wife - just have a close look on the websites.

Snorkeling is indeed still rather poor on the South coast of Upolu.You might consider staying near the Mulifanua Wharf area, if not in Apia anyway. You could do some good snorkeling at Palolo Deep, right in town, and go for a round trip on Upolu then for one day. Or go to Faleapuna (Le Uaina Resort). Then move to Savaii, i.e. Faga (Siufaga Resort) or Iva (Savaiian Hotel). Maybe Fagamalo (Le Lagoto / Savaiian Lagoon Resort) would be another option there (good snorkeling excursions).

Thanks wksamoa. I've read lots of your posts and there doesn't seem to be many samoa posts that you don't find time to respond to so thanks! And thanks for the tips about looking after the pregnant wife.... her needs do come first :)
I'm starting to accept that this trip will be a little different from past experiences for us. The problem for me is that I get bored quickly from sitting on the beach, reading books and having the odd swim. So ideally, I would be able to locate myself somewhere where the wife can be relaxing on the beach whilst I swim off and do some snorkelling. Of the places mentioned in your post, which one would have the best snorkelling?
Regarding basing myself near both Apia and Tuasivi, why do you say that? Is it because there is a better range of more suitable accomodation for the pregnant wife?
More questions..... regarding trips around both islands what would you say are the must do/see on both islands? On Savai'i I was thinking the Afu Aau Falls and Pulemelei Mound sound great but are they a long walk from the carpark?
Look forward to hearing back from you.

Spend a day/night in Apia and get a snorkelling fix at Palolo Deep.

Drive to the South Coast (The LeMafa Pass Road is spectacular) and spend a couple of days checking out the paradisical white sand beaches. At Lalomanu-you'll be able to pay extra for a modern enclosed fale with an off-the-ground bed.
The snorkelling is obviously not what it used to be but there were many colourful fish doing their best last year. It was still fun basking in the warm, turquoise lagoon.

The Sua Ocean Trench, nearby, is an awesome natural phenomenom. Your wife won't be climbing down the ladder with you(I'd assume) but it is situated in a lovely tropical park setting on a lava flow overlooking the ocean. Some blowholes and exquisite coastal scenary as well.
You could partake in some extreme snorkelling here. It's actually possible to swim/dive through the passage out into the open ocean(not recommended I understand-esp. at high tide). I didn't do it(no fins) but a group of young guys were braving it while I was there.
I can't recommend a visit here enough.

From Lalomano, give yourself 2 hours to drive across the island to the wharf and another hour(in the larger, preferable vessel) across the strait to Savaii.
Another hour drive to Fagamalo and Manase. Beautiful palm-fringed beaches with quite good snorkelling.
Plenty of fale accommodation in Manase. Or, as mentioned, a couple of resorts at Fagamalo.
Fagamalo also has a dive shop and they'll take you out snorkelling over coral gardens and a shipwreck.

It's a long day drive around Savaii if you want to stop at most points of interest. I left the Felealupo Peninsula(fantastic) for the next day.
I skipped Afu Aau Falls as I was there in the July dry season and the water wasn't falling!
Pulemelei Mound, I believe, is tricky to get to, which may be unsuitable for the missus.

Like me, have a great trip!

Thanks Jaded1720. Sounds like you had a good trip. How long were you in Samoa? Also interested to hear where you stayed and would recommend both in Apia, Lalomanu and Manase.
Agree that the wife will not want to do basic bedding..... she is already struggling enough in our bed at home. As for the Sua Ocean Trench, seen some pics and it looks awesome and Wife thinks she can handle the ladder however like you, I think once she gets there she might decide to stay in the gardens.

Sua Ocean Trench is really a must see site, as well as the Taga Blowholes in Savaii. Don't expect too much from the Pulemelei Mound; its very hard to get to and almost completely overgrown again. You will spend half of a day to get there and back and in my opinion its not worth that effort at all. If you want to do some small jungle hike, take the 700m walk at the National Park (check road signs close to the Togitogiga site).

I suggest staying in or near Apia and not further away from Tuasivi than maybe Fagamalo or Manase because of medical support. If you want some suggestions about accommodation, just PM me.

I was there for 3 weeks and had a pretty good look at both islands. You should be able to spend time on both without feeling too rushed.
The driving in Samoa is no chore. The roads are good, scenery often breath-taking and the villages are clean, interesting and exploding with colour. Locals are exceedingly friendly.

I stayed in a new eclosed fale at Lalomanu at a place called Litia Sini, which may be a little pricy but if you want the elevated bed... We were in the second row of fales but still had a good glimpse of the lagoon and were quite happy with the setup.
At Manase we spent 4 nights in an open fale. A budget option but a fantastic experience. A matress on the floor though.
Across the bay you can actually see where we stayed at Fagamalo. Savaii Lagoon Resort. Definitely not budget but in a sweet spot and we really enjoyed our time there. A darling of Trip Advisor no less!

The ladder is quite steeper than it looks in the photos. The good lady will have a magical experience floating about if she does take it on though. My missus settled for the view from above but my 7 year old daughter(with me hovering over) took the challenge.

Cheers Again Jaded. Those two places mentioned were among the ones I was looking at. The only problem for wife is the shared facilities at Litia Sini. Usually she couldn't care less but pregnancy hormones have changed all that! How far are the toilets from the fales and are they clean and tidy? Also, do they have hot water?
Did you spend a night in or around Apia? Have any recommendations there?
Wish we had three weeks to explore but sounds OK that I can squeeze in 3 or 4 days on each island. On Savaii, if you only had that number of days how would you do things and what would you recommend I check out? Also, did you hire a car for the entire 3 weeks?
Cheers

The toilet/shower block is immediately behind the 2 rows of fales. Around 30-50 metres from the furthest fale and dining area. They were fairly clean from memory but can't quite recall if it had hot water. Having an unheated shower in Samoa is no real shock to the system. The non-pregnant system anyway.

If I were you I'd check out the Trip Advisor forum for specifics. They're eager and full of info regarding the type of accom. that you'll find satisfactory for your trip.

In Apia, we stayed at a small hotel(Le Manumea) up the hill near the RLS house/museum. Pretty good value for the 4 of us in one room with breakfast and dinner. Good bar/dining area where you can rub shoulders with some locals and expats. Check out their website

I'd hang around Manase/Fagamalo and hit the road for a day west to the Falealupo Peninsula. Pretty rustic Samoan life in this part. The rainforest reserve walk is good with impressive views from way up in a banyan tree. The road to the extreme west becomes sandy(no 4wd drive needed-in July ie) and is almost tunneled over by palm trees. Very beautiful adventuring in what was, just last year, the world's most western tip.
The blowholes at the south of the island are exciting too If you depart early and do the round trip.

We hired a car in Apia after a few days there and left it at the airport when we flew out.