Samoa is known for its beautiful tropical islands and beaches. Samoa is best combined with a trip through New Zealand (four-hour flight) or Australia (six-hour flight). We ourselves visited Samoa as part of our world tour, where on our trip from New Zealand to Hawaii, we visited the islands of Tonga, Fiji and Samoa. One advantage of Samoa with kids is that it is not yet super touristy. We will list below the different activities in Samoa with kids that you can do on the island with kids.
What to do on Samoa with kids
#1 Visit the capital city of Apia
A tour of downtown Apia, the capital, is a great activity to spend a morning or afternoon on your trip. In the center are several markets, such as the fish market that are fun to visit.
In addition, you can also see some beautiful churches in downtown Samoa with kids. For example, the Catedral of the Immaculate Conception is a very beautiful church in the center, which you can also visit for free. We walked around there for a couple of hours, had lunch and an ice cream and it was an excellent half-day visit.
Tip: Are your kids having trouble with Samoa food? A McDonald’s can be found in downtown Apia.
#2 Drive around the main island in a rental car.
It is possible to rent a car on Samoa with kids. Dozens of rental companies can be found in downtown Apia. Take a look at our travel blog to see exactly what to look out for when renting a rent a car abroad.
Of course, the roads are not like those in the Netherlands, but we have seen worse roads while traveling. The island of Upolu has some beautiful sights that are also great to visit with kids:
- To Sua Ocean Trench. An hour’s drive from the center of Apia in the south of the island is To Sua Ocean Trench. The beautiful lake is formed by two sinkholes connected by a lava tube and fed with water from the ocean.It is a beautiful place, surrounded by high rocks and trees on the side. There is no age restriction, but the ladder down is steep and with small kids the descent can be tricky. Kids under 6 are free and those over 6 pay a few euros.
- A twenty-minute drive from To Sua Ocean Trench is the beautiful Lalomanu Beach. This beach was chosen by Lonely Planet in the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. Other beautiful beaches on the island include Salamumu Beach and Matareva Beach.
- Papapapaitai Falls. In Samoa, it rains often and because of this, waterfalls can be found all over the island. From Apia on your way to the previous two sights, you’ll pass the island’s largest waterfall. You pay a small entrance fee and the falls can be seen from a platform a long distance away. Great for stopping by with your family on the way to the other two sights.
#3 Go for a day of snorkeling in the sea
Most hotels do offer these snorkeling trips. At our hotel we could go snorkeling for a day. We took a motorboat out to sea from Apia, to different places with beautiful fish and coral.
Check with the hotel where you are staying to see exactly what the options all are. Our daughter has taken several snorkeling trips with a life jacket on. This kept her afloat and she could use her goggles to get a good look at the fish.
As you can see, there are not super many attractions for tourists on the island. Consequently, tourism is not yet fully developed, which means that prices for tourists are not yet super high.
Family-friendly hotel Samoa
You can stay in Samoa with kids just fine. You have plenty of family-friendly accommodations on the island. We ourselves stayed at the Sherathon Samoa Beach Resort which is a two-minute drive from the airport. The pool of this hotel is beautiful and the private beach is also very nice. The only drawback of this resort is that you depend on the hotel’s food.
Of course, the food is of fine quality and the prices are not too bad. Of course, it is cheaper if you go to eat in downtown Apia with your family, for example. Take a look online for more information about the Sherathon Samoa Beach Resort.
You don’t have super many accommodations where you can stay on Samoa with kids, but there are certainly some other options. We list some of these family-friendly accommodations on Samoa below.
Budget accommodation: Taumeasina Island Resort
Mid-range accommodations: Saletoga Sands Resort & Spa
Luxury Accommodation: Return to Paradise Resort
Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations on Samoa.
Tips Samoa with kids
Best travel time Samoa
The best travel time to visit Samoa with kids is June through October. This is the dry season and you have the least chance of rain then. Throughout the year it is around 30 degrees, which also makes it great to lie by the pool or the beach on Samoa with kids all year round. Keep in mind that it can rain all year on Samoa. Usually these rain showers are short and heavy.
You should also keep in mind that hurricane season is from December through May. Of course, if you can avoid these months to the island then it is convenient.
Transportation Samoa
Most families with kids come to Samoa by plane. You can then choose to rent a car or use public transportation to travel around the island. We chose to use public transportation to travel around Samoa and it was fine. We did enjoy traveling around the island by local bus with our daughter.
