5 Best Sights in Samoa

One great reason to venture over to Samoa's other island, Savai'i, is to witness the power and beauty of the sea at the Alofaaga Blowholes. The phenomenon was created when lava flows formed tubes that connect the ocean to the rock platform—at high tide, water rushes into the tubes and blows up through holes in the rocks. Local villagers add to the entertainment by dropping coconuts into the holes just before a blow, which shoots the nuts high into the air to the delight of onlookers. You can bring your own coconuts, too. Access to the blowholes is via the village of Taga (where you pay a 5 tala entrance fee) and then a walk along a trail. Taga is southwest of the terminal where the ferry from Upolu calls.

Fancy a touch of paradise for a day, or perhaps even a week? Lalomanu Beach, on the southeastern tip of Samoa's main Upolu island, is just that—a long, white stretch of sand, edged by a grassy verge with low-slung palm trees and lapped by azure waters. The long beach is dotted with fales (open side huts) available for overnight stays, and there are a few restaurants within walking distance. Back in business after being washed away in the 2009 tsunami, Lalomanu is perhaps the most beautiful of the many south coast beaches. Unfortunately, the once colorful coral was destroyed, although snorkelers will see a few fish, and the swimming's great. Other beautiful beaches a little farther to the west along the South Coast Road include Salepaga and Tafatafa, also great for swimming and dotted with fales.

If you like sliding down big rocks on your backside and splashing into refreshing waterholes, this is the place to go. Set in an absolutely beautiful garden, about a 15-minute drive southwest and inland from Apia, it's a great place for families—especially teenagers. There's a long, 100-step walk down to the rockpools, past lovely waterfalls and foliage. If you don't like slipping and sliding (there are three levels of natural water slides—the highest is about a 5-meter, 16-foot, drop), simply have a refreshing dip and enjoy a packed picnic lunch. It's best to leave your valuables in your locked car, or there's the quaint option of paying the Women's Committee a small fee to mind your belongings. It's a good idea to bring reef shoes. Basic toilets and a changing room are near the parking area.

The Samoans called him Tusitala, meaning "the teller of tales." Scottish novelist and poet Robert Louis Stevenson arrived in Samoa in 1889 and built a beautiful two-story white mansion on Mt. Vaea, in the village of Vailima, a few miles south of Apia. Stevenson lived there for the last five years of his life, with his wife Fanny and her two children. After a painstaking restoration by an American philanthropist, the house (set in lovely gardens) was opened as a museum in 1994. Guides show visitors the Tapa Room, various bedrooms— including Fanny's, complete with a secret doorway—and the library where RLS had fireplaces installed to remind him of his Scottish homeland. You can view rare first editions of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Energetic folk may want to make the 45-minute walk to the top of Mt. Vaea to see the graves of RLS and Fanny and take in the glorious views down to the coast.

Samoa has no shortage of waterfalls, natural-rock swimming holes, and coastal blowholes. To Sua, which means "big hole," is one of the most impressive natural sights on the main island of Upolu. It's a crystal clear, turquoise-blue 30-meter (100-foot) hole, accessed by a very steep wooden ladder, which some people might find vertigo-inducing. The ladder leads down to a small wooden platform from which swimmers jump or dive. Those who don't want to venture into the trench can take photos, as it's a great sight, and nearby are gardens, a blowhole, and a small beach. It's near Lotogaga village on the south coast of the island—a small, faded sign marks the spot (look out for it, as it's not easy to see).