Iโm a Kiwi and I visited Samoa in 2011. I stayed at the Taufua Beach Fales, Lalomanu Beach (Aleipata). It was a few months after the big tsunami had come through, but the place was fully functional, although they had some sad stories, of course.
It was a holiday holiday, so I didnโt take a laptop. If I had, I think I would have been frustrated by the infrastructure. Most of the people seemed very poor and most of the money seems to go into building churches. It didnโt seem like a place that was catering to digital nomads.
But if youโre just looking for a place to chill, Iโd definitely recommend it. The interior is really lush, the people and visitors are friendly and it has a very different pace of life to New Zealand. It seemed a little edgy in town in the evenings, so Iโd keep your wits about you there. I didnโt run into trouble, but I didnโt go looking for any. Also, the waves breaking on the reef are really loud, so take some earplugs to really make the most of your beachfront fale
I havenโt been to any other Pacific Islands yet, maybe one day. I have avoided Fiji on principle, due to the militaryโs involvement over the years.
The rates at Taufua (in June 2011) were:
- The rate for one person to be in a fale is 120SAT per night with breakfast and dinner.
- If you stay one week, you get a 10% discount.
- If you can share with another person, the rate drops to 90SAT
- If you can share with 2 people, the rate drop to 70SAT per night.
In 2017, 120 SAT (WST) = 65.1227 NZD. So yeah, not very cheap, but cheap enough for someone that was working full time for the man at the time.
Itโs a long way from the airport, so when you book your transfer, remember to take into account the time difference