Apia is the charming capital of Samoa, situated on the north coast of Upolu. With a population of over 40,000, Apia is a fairly compact town with a central business district along the attractive Apia Harbour.
The pleasant beach road is the main stretch for shops, restaurants and hotels. Beach Road follows the harbour wall with its wide promenade. Before the wall was built, a beach lined the waterfront, but now little sand is left except on the harbour sea-bed which is a popular swimming spot with local kids. The only beach area is a ten minute stroll from central Apia at Vaiala which has several guest houses with ocean views but the main attraction here is not the beach but snorkelling at the Palolo Deep Marine Reserve with its deep blue hole and colourful fish.
Vaiala Beach
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Parade on Beach Road
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There are few distinct features about Apia, the Catholic church being the finest architectural building in town, but overall it has a laid back old world feeling and is swept meticulously clean every morning and afternoon. The small Samoa Museum on Beach Road has a fair introductory to Samoan culture and relics from the past. One of the South Sea legends, Aggie Grey's Hotel, also sits on Beach Road overlooking the harbour and non-guests can enjoy excellent breakfasts, cocktails and a culture show some nights.
Apia has a large selection of hotels, inns and motels. Quite a few are pretty ordinary hotels in out of the way locations and aimed more at visiting Samoans and businessmen than tourists. The best luxury hotel in Apia is Aggie Grey's, with the Hotel Kitano a slightly cheaper up-market option. Backpackers have a good choice, from the shared rooms and fales at Seipepa and the elegant and extremely reasonably priced rooms of Outrigger Hotel (some even have air-conditioning), but both these properties are a good 10 minute walk to downtown Apia. To be closer to town, with the bonus of ocean views, the Apia Lodge next to Aggie Grey's is an excellent choice and one of the best value in Apia. The Palolo Deep Marine Reserve, which has great snorkelling, is just close by as well as the Travellers Lounge.
Apia Harbour
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Catholic Church
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Nightlife in Apia is thriving with lots of atmospheric fine dining restaurants and good drinking holes including a few exceptionally rowdy local bars and nightclubs and the infamous drag act put on at Margary-Ta's Beer Garden.
Markets are great places to meet the locals in a more sedate manner and to buy fresh produce - Apia centre boasts three - the colourful fish market by the harbour, the fruit and veg market opposite the bus stand and the large flea market selling everything from fine crafts to tacky souvenirs and cheap Chinese clothes.
One of Apia's traditions is its early morning Police Band parade and flag raising ceremony at the government buildings when all traffic and anything else moving comes to a momentary stop.
A few places of interest on the outskirts of Apia are the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, the Papasee'a natural sliding rock and pools, several excellent trails through rainforest around Tanumapua, and the new 18-hole championship golf course at Faleata.
Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Fiji Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Tahiti Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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