Paradise on the sea
In Samoa, you’ll find the world’s most luxurious fale – sitting out over a lagoon full of turtles.
Some people read on the toilet. Others play Angry Birds, go online shopping or, if desperate, even read the ingredients on the air freshener. Or, like me, you could be watching a turtle float past.
I’m in Samoa’s most luxurious fale – a huge overwater room out on an emerald lagoon. The opulent bathroom comes complete with a big glass square built into the floor for viewing the sea below.
I think the big green sea turtle must have been looking for shade, rather than being overly interested in peering up at me. But we had an unusual stare off.
Turns out the lagoon is full of turtles at high tide, feasting on the abundant seagrass. While out kayaking the next day, we had six within a few metres.
The overwater fale at Coconuts Beach Club are undoubtedly Samoa’s most romantic escape. You’ll find the club on the southern coast of the main island of Upolu, home to some of the best beaches on the island. Although the resort has heaps of room options on land, the overwater wharf of six bungalows is the most sought-after, and it’s full of loved-up couples for a reason: this is the only overwater resort in the country, and the villas are huge – with a grand bed in the middle of the room – floor-toceiling glass windows for uninterrupted views, and a wraparound deck with loads of space to relax outside.
Head to the bathroom and you’ll find a huge stone bath designed for two. It’s so big you’d feel a little lonely in there by yourself. And besides the glass floor in the bathroom, there is also a big glass square in the lounge to gaze at the lagoon below.
The resort is the brainchild of Barry and Jennifer Rose, Beverly Hills lawyers who cashed up their life savings in the 1980s to go in search