Aga Reef Resort and Spa

We had an incredible week in Samoa staying at Aga Reef. The resort is blissful; quiet, relaxed with beautiful views out to the reef, the beach and the bush line behind. We did not hire a car and the resort were happy to help with transfers to Lalomanu beach (free transfer), To Sua ocean trench, to the fiafia night at another hotel, and to another resort to see the green turtles (paid for). Going for visits to the other resorts made it clear how lovely and peaceful Aga Reef is. The reef was fun to snorkel and kayak on. It is not an adventure filled location, expect to be content with beautiful scenery, warm weather and relax! The restaurant had a fresh fish option daily, including tuna, mahi mahi and snapper, all of which were lovely. The traditional porridge, fresh fruit and the pancakes were some of the highlights of breakfast. We were lucky enough to be upgraded for free to their VIP villa which was a real treat. It was a beautiful villa with a large balcony and a plunge pool, a very comfortable bed and a fantastic bathroom. The reception area is beautiful, there are paintings of the owners grandparents who started the Aga Reef Resort, lovely to see the family aspect of the business. The gardens were kept really well, our flowers bouquets in our room were rearranged by hand during our stay. The staff were all friendly and attentive. We unfortunately ran out of sun cream whilst there but the reception were happy to assist us and had some bought to our villa within the hour, particularly helpful as we had visited a local shop the day before which did not stock it so this may have saved us a long trip back to Apia. When we arrived at the airport we were greeted with a friendly Talofa, a cold bottle of water and a beautiful handmade lei. We could not fault our time in Aga Reef, if you want a tranquil retreat, Aga Reef is prefect for you. I loved our trip to Samoa and would be delighted to stay in Aga Reef again.

Can't rate this place highly enough. I'm just sad we didn't stay for longer. Staff were incredibly friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had a great stay. It is a beautiful location and a perfect place to chill and relax. Great snorkeling and pool areas. Food was really great. Would love to come back and highly recommend for a romantic getaway.

The definition is “a place that is frequented for holidays or recreation”. Ok then. Some resorts are basic, some luxurious and alas, too many claim to be what they are not. Having spent 7 nights at Agareef (3 in a ocean breeze room and 4 in the VIP villa), and having dinner every night at the resort I can say that the restaurant staff is very friendly, though not always very competent; that the food is mostly good, some very good; but the menu has such a limited choice, that we ended up eating the same 2 items during our whole stay. I asked for some variation (same pasta, but with a oil and garlic sauce, not the carbonara on the menu, but no luck). Claimed tour desk ? Unexistent. Suggestions for tours/visits ? None. The room and villa ? The room lived up to it’s description. As far as the villa is concerned, we could see that professional marketeers had been at work…“If you like to combine luxury and beauty with the best ocean view then you just found the right solution. We have also added sun-beds on the large deck…” Yes, the “villa” is nice and spacious, but the “sunbeds” are old wooden lounge chairs without matrasses, so very hard to sit on. Yes, this is Samoa and not the Maldives. But then resorts like this one should charge accordingly or offer the facilities one would expect when paying a top price. Early risers like me (usually 5 am) will find everything locked till 7 am and no place to sit or have a coffee if spouse/partner tend to sleep a bit later, and don’t expect the beaches, nor the mini-pool, to be like in the pictures. So… not a bad experience for Samoa, but do pray for nice weather because on rainy days, the sea gets rough and as the resort if 90 minutes drive from Apia, there is really nothing to do but read. Not a bad pastime anyhow...