Faofao Beach Fales & Hotel, South Coast, Upolu Island

"We had the most enjoyable, memorable experience. Tapu and his family at the FaoFao Beach Fales made us feel most welcome into their village and their lives for the three days we were there. The fales are clean and comfortable and everything we expected and wanted them to be. The proximity to the beach was fantastic and we felt like we had our own snorkelling playground literally at our doorstep. I do feel though, that travellers must be made aware that the credit card facilities are not available. We were lucky, we checked and made sure we had enough cash before leaving Apia. The food was plentiful and absolutely delicious and the Fia Fia extremely entertaining. Once again, we were made to feel extremely welcome at this show and our family thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you Fao Fao Beach Fales for the most relaxing, refreshing and memorable holiday ever."
Ms. Karen S. - Australia on 02/10/2009

"The fales on the beach at Fao Fao had a magical atmosphere being so close to the water.

The bathroom facilities were amazing having regard to the basic nature of the accommodation.

The owners took care to ensure the safety of its patrons when there was concern as to the height the waves were coming on to the beach on our last night - our children moved in to our fale."
Mrs. Debbie W. - New Zealand on 16/09/2009

"Fao Fao was an excellent place to stay,a fine mix of tourist facilities whilst keeping the local ambience intact.The fales were great and the food was excellent all being local with plenty of it.We thouroughly enjoyed our 1 weeks stay there and would reccomend it to anyone."
Mrs. Jenny F. - United Kingdom on 08/09/2009

"When we arrived on a wet stormy night we were offered an upgrade to a fale with private facilities at no extra charge.
This was appreciated and we were impressed by our hosts' concern for our comfort. A much drier alternative to sleeping in an open beach fale. The bathroom had not been cleaned prior to our arrival but this was soon rectified. We enjoyed meeting members of the family, good food and bar on the beach. In spite of the wild weather we enjoyed our three nights at Fao Fao and will return to this friendly and quirky place."
Ms. Maggie B. - Australia on 09/08/2009

"Due to an over-booking by FaoFao we were relocated to another Beach Fale establishment 200m down the road. This was all organised by Faofao before we got there, so there was no hold-up for us. Here we got an absolutely basic fale - no veranda, no steps and tarpaulin roll down sides (3 sides only), and a severely leaky roof - but only 2 metres from the beach. It was great for our two nights - but I'd go for a bit more "structure" for a longer stay!. There was one other party of travellers there and I know they paid less to the actual people running these fales than what we paid for our booking at Faofao - so Faofao made money out of us! We still ate at the FaoFao restaurant where the food was good, and the setting amazing! The Saturday fire show was a delight. The only fact I need to mention is that the Eftpos credit card machine at Faofao was not operating (and apparently had been out for a couple of weeks) which was a real pain for many travellers, as they would only accept cash. This resulted in many having to make the trek over to Apia to an ATM (at least an couple of hours round trip) -as we were there during the weekend. I luckily had some $NZ so they took them as well as the last of my Samoan $$. In hindsight Faofao need a hand zip-zap creditcard machine, for times like this when phone lines and technology fail"
Mrs. Jennifer M. - New Zealand on 29/07/2009

"Accommodation was as expected and as advertised. The staff were friendly and welcoming. This is the third time we have stayed at Faofao and we will return and would recommend Faofao to other travellers. We travelled with 2 toddlers and the staff were fantastic with the children taking a special interest in them and helping us to keep them off the road. Nothing was too much trouble. The food was wholesome and plentiful and served at regular times. The entertainment and fiafia nights are an added bonus."
Mrs. Sharon T. - New Zealand on 29/07/2009

"Faofao beach fales are at a a great beach location. The fales are adequate however we did feel that the areas where the beach fale's were two deep they were too closely packed together to be comfortable. Also the two bedroom fale could have a small modification to create an open deck to the seaward side

The staff were all friendly and helpful and the food was of a good standard and quantity.

We found the ablution facilities not consistently clean. In addition, the cleanliness of the sheets and dishwashing also did not always seem to be up to standard.

Overall a good experience."
Mr. Paul M. - New Zealand on 23/07/2009

"Beahc Fales are in a great location and lovely surroundings. Better pillows and thicker mattresses would help."
Mr. Richard B. - Australia on 21/07/2009

"Lovely location and friendly people but a few grumbles that need mentioning.
Quality of food was less than expected for the price paid.
Men's toilets facilities was very substandard for a tourist place but women's was fine.
Person in charge of paper work needs to have a better system as our booking ( 3 fales!!) was not there and she had no fales available for us of the one's we had booked. She said the phone was down and could not take visa or our booking but someone had rung to organise a shuttle the day before we had been told by someone staying there. It didn't add up.
Despite this we enjoyed our stay but would not take the meal option as there are a couple of nice places to eat nearby."
Mrs. Lynley A. - New Zealand on 19/07/2009

"A brilliant introduction to Samoa - highly recommended"
Mr. Andrew M. - New Zealand on 28/06/2009

"very nice welcoming! awesome experience if you want to enjoy samoa! we drove around the island and this was definetly the best beach on the main island. awesome palmtrees and sun-downs and the best experience: snorkeling with hundrets of paradie fishes. nice staff, funny fiafia and small but friendly fale, which made the stay more "samoan".
breakfast and dinner was always much and good. bar prices are a bit too much, but still ok. lot of the guests said, that this would be a secret place to stay, and for that price it really was!
thanks a lot to FAOFAO!"
Mr. Sven L. - Germany on 04/06/2009

"Would stay there again. Nice place."
Ms. Diana E. - New Zealand on 20/04/2009

"Excellent experience highlighted by the friendliness of all at Faofao Beach Fales. Stayed four nights (not long enough) will be going back. Beautiful safe beach for swimming and snorkling,hospitality and entertainment wonderful, excellent food (plus shop & restaurants handy). We took our two children (16 & 14 yrs) who also enjoyed Faofao and wish to go back.
Thank you Vaa & team.
Jenny, Peter, Sam & Georgia (Darfield, New Zealand)"
Mrs. Jenny G. - New Zealand on 20/04/2009

"Stayed in Satuitua beach fales, Savii. Owner didn't offer good service shut the food service around 8pm so we couldn't even ask for desert or another drink. Fales were not tidied or swept during our stay. Gave inaccurate poor information about services so that we missed ferry connections and had to forfiet one lot of booked accommodation and incur cost of booking another night on Savaii"
Ms. cynthia g. - Australia on 17/04/2009

"Would definately go back, had a brilliant holiday."
Mr. Kara G. - Australia on 02/12/2008

"this place is basic but charming. the food was fresh and abundant, the fiafia lively and fun. the beach is perfect for swimming all tides and the snorkelling was some of the best we encountered on both islands. it is near several day excursions. green drinking coconuts are avail on request and the bus timetable works well for arriving and leaving.
very, very happy and recommend especially to families wanting safe, easy place to stay."
Mrs. nicola k. - New Zealand on 17/10/2008

"FAO FAO resort is not what it claims to be. I booked a single beach front fale with a balcony. So did my 3 friends. 4 units in total. When we arrived we were told that we would have to share 2 between us - even though we had paid for 4! They have no register or administration so they just put people into units as and when they arrive - no planning.The bathroom facilities are really not up to standard. They have no bikes or Kayaks either as mentioned in their ad.

We were asked to pay in full before being shown our rooms. We all decided to eave the next morning as this is not what we had booked and we were told that we would have to lose all our money as it had been sent to Apia and they had no money to refund - so we lost everything - NOT GOOD. I lost 544 Tala! We moved to Taufua at Lalomanu which for the same price was a completely different experience - I would recommend Taufua to anyone."
Ms. tracey f. - United Kingdom on 13/10/2008

"Beautiful location, friendly staff and very relaxing feel, meals are good. The enclosed fale we stayed in would benefit from a 'lick of paint' to smarten it up.

Maybe also a reminder in the toilets to warn people about drinking/using the local supply of water as my wife became ill after brushing her teeth."
Mr. Alan A. on 03/10/2008

"We were made to feel like part of a family. "
Mr. Michael B. - New Zealand on 15/07/2008

"fia fia night was great, the children of the village put on a great show. Faofao is a good solid choice, the food is adequate and the snorkelling is just as good as lolamanou and it is alot more quiet here."
Mr. Nathan D. - Canada on 14/04/2008

"Very safe beach and very friendly people and the food is very nice."
Mrs. Mary G. - New Zealand on 08/10/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mr. Mark S. - Australia on 21/08/2007

"Booking through WHL was a very positive experience, the staff provided an enormous amount of support and the choice of Faofao Beach Fales was totally right.
Bringing a large group to stay at Faofao Beach Fales for a cultural exchange was way beyond what I had anticipated. The family and village delivered an extraordinary cultural experience and my group who were of all ages were thrilled and will talk about their stay for the rest of their lives.
Thank you.
Jen"
Ms. jennifer r. - Australia on 16/07/2007

"Had a wonderful experience with the family who own and run FaoFao Beach Fales. The simplicity of lifestyle and the warm nature of the Samoan people is overwhelming.

The beach that FaoFao sits on is beautiful - small and private without large numbers of tourists. If you're looking for a getaway with a loved one or want a quiet & relaxing destination this is the place to go. Different to the fales in Lolamanu (Tafua etc.) which host a busier place for tourists with more fales available.

Would recommend this accomodation, especially after watching the fantastic Fia Fia (traditional dancing) and enjoying delicious BBQ dinners.

Will never forget this trip away.."
Ms. Kara B. - New Zealand on 02/07/2007

"This is such a great place. This was our second year here and we are planning to be back next year too. They really go the extra mile and you truly feel like a guest. We were travelling with a toddler and the whole family made our stay a lot of fun. The facilities are quite basic but all you need and they are improving every year."
Ms. Angela K. - New Zealand on 19/06/2007

"This was one of the five places we stayed....beaut position but the facilities were a big let down. We went there for the Fia Fia night (sat night) but they didnt have it. The sunday feast was beaut!! The toilets are a bit scary....a fair trek and not very appealing at all. Overall, the crystal waters made up for a good portion of the let down. Would still recommend it to others...."
Mr. Andrew G. - Australia on 16/03/2007

"If you want to experience the Samoan way of life this is a great place to stay. The facilities are very basic, comunal showers ect but what is lacking in the comforts of home is more than made up for in the hospitality of the hosts. Great service, food and a great night watching the traditional dances. The ocean views are just spectacular. Loved our time at Fao Fao."
Mrs. Christine F. - Australia on 16/05/2006

"It would be helpful to provide some of the local customs, ie what to do when offered food you are unable to eat, some of the words broken down into syllables like thank you, hello, we like this very much. In written form when Australians arrive.
The lack of cold beer, maybe a cooler with ice maybe helpful.

the hospitality was great which overrode the lack of amenities, food was great. I had the lovliest holiday, thank you to Corsetta, Tapu, Ava,Ace and Rosa."
Ms. Tracy G. - Australia on 12/05/2006