Le Uaina Resort

Snorkelling was really good once we swam far enough from shore, though the currents can get strong, so watch the tides. The highlight for us was Fia Fia night, with nearly 30 musicians and dancers and some incredible fire dancing. It felt completely authentic, with traditional drums and guitars and no amplified music. It runs every Saturday and is donation-only for hotel guests. We were honestly surprised it hadn’t been advertised more before we arrived.

We stayed for two nights at the start of our Samoa trip. The location is handy for the cave pool, and the pool itself was nice, but the tiles are really slippery. The rooms were okay, though much more dated than the photos, and taking the key out cuts the power, so you can’t leave the AC on to cool the room. There was confusion over our deposit when we arrived. They said it hadn’t been taken and asked us to pay again, but luckily I had a screenshot showing it was paid when we booked. I can’t tell if they were trying to charge us twice or if the woman didn’t know about the payment. I also found the staff rather standoffish with me. When they brought food, they didn’t smile or say much, while my partner and I noticed they were friendly with him. The food was some of the worst we had on holiday. It took ages, wasn’t very good, and felt overpriced. Breakfast was confusing too. We ordered from the menu headed “complimentary breakfast” on our first morning because nobody explained where the included breakfast was or put up signs. We were charged extra for an average breakfast. Another group mentioned bed bugs, but we didn’t see any ourselves, so I can’t say whether that was true. With better service and a few fixes, this place could be great, but it’s not there yet.

We arrived exhausted after a late trip from Savaii and had booked three garden villas plus a guesthouse. Two villas didn’t have enough towels for the number of guests, and one towel was stained. We stayed two nights, but our toiletries weren’t replenished at all, so there was just one small shampoo and conditioner bottle between two people for the whole stay. There weren’t any pool or beach towels for guests either. Breakfast was very limited. There are plenty of cheap, tasty options like koko alaisa, suafa'i, or round panikekes that would have made it better. This place has real potential, and with proper housekeeping and breakfast, the experience would have been much better.

We couldn’t justify staying or eating here, so we left to find somewhere else and are now out of pocket. It’s an old, run-down hotel being sold as independent villas on Airbnb, and it badly needs maintenance. Mangy street dogs were roaming through the property, even in the lobby. The receptionist said we hadn’t paid, then showed us to a dark, dirty room full of ants, with a giant cockroach being eaten alive in the middle of the floor. They left us there despite seeing it, and we were appalled by the room’s condition and cleanliness. The vague photos on booking sites suddenly made sense. I can’t recommend booking this place.