Vailima Botanical Garden

Staff were helpful when we checked in - said we could have a late check out - staff the next morning was rude and said we ddint have a late check out - tried to charge us - hung up on me, rude. Got woken up by the restaurant staff demanding us to sign for a bill at 11:30 that wasnt for us. Best buffet breakfast out of all of the 5 resorts we stayed at - best beach to relax out of all resorts we stayed at - but i rank it a 4 due to the feeling of being in a city not and paying over $1000nzd for a quality nights sleep and being left like we were in a night club.

Plusses: comfy bed, large rooms, good snorkelling at low tide. Rock Pool bar for evening drinks is a cool spot. Close to the giant clam sanctuary and swimming with turtles! We biked to the clam/turtle location (4km) from RTP using the resort bikes. String band and buffet dinner night is a must do! Highly recommend. The matriarch of RTP is soooo lovely. We loved our chats with her and she made us feel like valued customers! Gorgeous lady. The daily updates sheet you get each morning is absolutely a great read with some good humour in it. We always looked forward to the daily updates. Be aware: Massage was terrible and my partner said his was very very average. Went for a hot stone massage and the stones weren’t even hot. She then proceeded to try and heat them up via boiling hot water and going in and out of the room between jugs boiling, leaving me on the bed directly under air con. Shower pressure was lacking, it would surge and a couple of times it even stopped. Breakfast wasn’t included in our accomodation when we booked via Expedia. Buffet is $45 WST or there are menu items starting at $30 WST Food prices in general were 90% of our costs while in Samoa. No other places nearby for dinner or lunches unless you hire a car and want to drive to another resort.

The resort is conveniently located near the airport. The staff were all very warm and friendly, however there's room to improve hospitality management skills. The resort infrastructure is quite extensive and ageing - unfortunately we had issues with having no or very limited hot water in two of the rooms we were moved to. The food is fresh and well prepared but the menu could do with a higher level of variety or rotation for longer stays. The gym and health spa were very convenient but the facilities require maintenance upkeep. I had a traditional massage which was one of the best I have ever received - truly blissful. I think the resort will improve as it has only recently been taken over and there is a learning curve in play. Would I go back? Yes absolutely because to spite all of these small things we loved our stay and the friendly staff. We particularly enjoyed the cultural activities and the impressive cultural night.