theceomagazine.com | 129The owners have thought of everything. There is a
special, familiar touch, and the Seabreeze team often
goes the extra mile to ensure that our stay surpasses
any other. We watch complimentary champagne being
given to a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary
- return visitors who honeymooned here. And we
witness wait staff at the on-site restaurant serenading
their goodbyes in the local dialect to a small group on
their final night’s stay.
Our first couple of days are spent relaxing at the
resort lazing about with books, taking naps and dipping
into the ocean. We get massages in our villa and dine on
our deck. We go snorkelling and kayaking, and have
cocktails by the pool. Once we’re feeling energised, we
decide to venture out and explore the island – but only
after we’ve received a thorough briefing of ways to spend
our time from Chris, who excitedly presses a marked-up
map into our hands and sends us on our daytrip.
We have a tour guide for one of our adventures
and he gives us a rundown of Samoan culture. We
drive through a village, called a nu’u (of which there
are 362 in Samoa), and wave to locals gathering for
church, putting on the brakes every now and then to let
a pig, chicken or dog cross the road. Our guide tells us
that the coconut tree is “the tree of life” for the Samoan
people thanks to its many uses, and he gives us a little
insight into traditional tattoos (tatou) – a highly refined
art in Polynesia with significant cultural meaning. We
visit waterfalls and white sandy beaches, before driving
through a gate into the pristine gardens that surround
To Sua Ocean Trench. Our guide waves us off and tells
us to enjoy ourselves, to which we reply with a big thank
you – fa’afetai. And before I can even whip my lava lava
off (the sarong I’d bought just the day before), my
partner has bounded off towards the swimming hole.
He’s already halfway down the wooden ladder and
signals for me to follow. “It’s easy,” he says. I take a deep
breath of courage and begin the journey down.
seabreezesamoa.com
EXPLORING UPOLO
Go for a stroll through the nearby villages, hire a car
from the resort to travel a little further, or book a guided
tour to learn more about Samoa and its people. There’s a
road that follows the perimeter of the island making it
easy to get around.VISIT THE CAPITAL, APIA
Find an abundance of tropical fruit and coconuts at
the food market (Maketi Fao), then meander your way
around the flea market to take a little piece of Samoa
home with you – perhaps a lava lava or some jewellery.TAKE A CULTURAL TOUR
In Apia, the Samoa Tourism Authority’s Cultural
Village is a must-do to learn about the unique traditions
and culture. Book in for the cultural show where you
can taste local cuisine cooked in an umu (the food is
wrapped in leaves and cooked under hot coals on
the ground), watch a tattoo artist at work and see
how a lava lava is made.BOOK A BEACH HUT
Visit the white sandy beach of Lalomanu and hire a
beach hut (fale) for the day.CHASE WATERFALLS
At Togitogiga Falls and National Park, there are
cascading waterfalls that take your breath away, as well
as swimming holes and walking tracks to explore.