virgin cove

Hi , my husband and i are going to Samoa in june we are staying at Tafuas for 5 days than virgin Cove for 5 days any advice on travelling food fishing etc.etc.. thanks

Hi,

I just came back from Samoa. I was there for 8 days (march 22- march 30th, 2009), and absolutely loved it. I stayed at Taufua Fales (at lalomanu beach.. is this the one you're referring to?) for 3 days, and then I went to virgin cove for 1 day before heading back to Apia.

Taufua was great - breakfast and dinner fully included in price of room, so you are only responsible for lunch - which you can buy there, or if you have a car or take the bus into town, can buy elsewhere. The food is good and plentiful. FYI, when they say "dinner is from 7 until...", plan to be there and seated at 7. Same thing for breakfast. The meals are served buffet style, but not where you go and get your own food. They bring the courses/plates plates to the tables, so you'll want to be there from the start so you don't miss out.

Virgin cove - I was only there for a day, but it also is in a really beautiful location and the fale I stayed in was great. FYI, BRING your mosquito repellant. They are vicious, especially at virgin Cove. Although Virgin Cove's website says breakfast and dinner are included, only breakfast was. Dinner is in the restaurant, and you can order from the menu.

Generally, I had a great beach getaway at both locations. You will want to bring a flashlight to Virgin Cove for walking at night because it gets PITCH BLACK. Taufua is better lit.

if you plan to see more than just the beaches at the fales (especially at Virgin cove), I would recommend having a car available so you can go and come as you please. At Taufua, the bus runs with good frequency, so if you want to go back into the city, etc with no car, you have that option. But at Virgin Cove, the entrance alone is about 1 mile away from the main road, so would highly recommend getting a car for your stay here, if you plan to leave and tour the island on your own.

hope this helps!

Oh yeah, one other thing: at Virgin Cove, there are a few stray dogs and cats that wander onto the property so be prepared for that.

Hi thanks for your reply i only just got it.I am wondering if 5 days might be too long at Virgin Cove? Where did you stay in Apia?

Depends on what your goals are. If you only want to lounge day in and day out on the beach, then 5 days at each place should be fine. Having a car at virgin cove will allow you to break away if you want. And each place also has island tours available that can be arranged, and Virgin cove schedules activities each day (free basket weaving demonstration, lesson on a particular aspect samoan life, culture, etc.).

When I was at Virgin Cove it was really, really, really quiet, whereas taufua had more visible life if you wanted it- but still allowed you to have your own quiet beach getaway if you wanted that too. However, if you're like me and need something else aside from just beach day in and day out, I would recommend at least a day or two in Apia. I know some people aren't big on Apia, but I enjoyed it. You can hit up the different markets, the "nightlife" if you're into that (it's very limited but I still enjoyed it and a good way to interact even more with the locals) etc., and also use it as a jump off point to see some of the nearby attractions.

Also, since you have 10 days, you may even be able to squeeze in a visit to Sava'ii. I unfortunately didn't make it on my trip, but hear it's beautiful. So maybe even doing a 3(taufua)-3(virgin cove)-3(savaii)-1(apia) breakdown. Sava'ii is supposed to be not only beautiful with nice beaches, but also more options for hiking, etc.

Oh yeah - one more thing for your planning. Taufua has its Fiafia nights on Wednesdays (included in the price), and Virgin Cove has theirs on Saturdays (not sure if included, I wasn't there saturday night).

When I stayed in Apia, I stayed at Hotel Millenia. It was fine... multi-ranges of accommodations - I stayed in just the standard rooms. they were basic, but clean. If you want something more, there are higher levels of rooms. The staff was cool and the hotel is in walking distance to the markets, and most things that you'd want to see in town. Breakfast is included.

good luck!