NZ Weddings Magazine

CJ and Cameron's Honeymoon to Samoa

Where

Samoa. We flew two days after our wedding, honeymooning for five nights.

Why

Samoa is a destination where you can relax and unwind, but also have access to plenty of fun activities like the local flea markets, golf, quad biking and scenic nature walks on land, while on the ocean there’s deep sea fishing, water sports, diving and snorkelling right at your fingertips.

How

We booked our travel ourselves, online. It was easy because all we needed to do was book our flights and accommodation, with airport pick-up. Everything else we arranged once we were there.

Where to stay

We stayed at the luxurious Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa and were given a complimentary room upgrade to their Presidential Suite – we were stoked! We may have indulged in a massage or two at their spa as well.

The Food

Samoa has plenty of great restaurants. Our favourites were Giordanos Pizza, Paddles Restaurant for the fresh fish, and KokoBanana Bar & Grill for their surf and turf. If you want to try something traditional, try Umu (traditional underground cooking similar to a hangi), roasted pig and taro. Cam loved the locally brewed beer, Vailima, while I found cocktails all around the island, my favourite was a fresh coconut mojito served inside a coconut shell, from our resort.

Best Bits

If you like water there are a bunch of fab swimming spots. We visited To-Sua Ocean Trench – a picturesque, crystal clear natural swimming hole complete with a diving board, the Papase’ea Sliding Rocks – natural rock waterslides (lots of fun, but I scratched my new wedding band on the rocks here, so take off any jewellery before sliding), and Piula Cave Pool – a fresh water pool, right by the sea. Other highlights included a hike to the Robert Louis Stevenson Burial Site and the Fia Fia Evening at our resort – a cultural performance with singing and dancing, finished with a buffet dinner with roasted suckling pig.

Top Tips

Public transport (the bus) can be unreliable, so we would recommend renting a car. And don’t forget to pack the mozzie repellent!