A Samoan Legend
Aggie Grey's Hotel & Bungalows, Samoa
Aggie Grey's Lagoon Beach Resort & Spa
Story and photos by Kerry Hennigan
What is it about Aggie Grey's Hotel & Bungalows in Apia that makes it so famous? The original Aggie passed away in 1988, after a colourful career as proprietor of the Samoan capital's premier hospitality facility.
Her coffee and hamburger joint on Beach Road facing the harbour in Apia became a vibrant club and hotel that was a favourite haunt of allied troops during World War II.
Her guests have included famous writers, filmmakers, actors and countless other luminaries. But you don't have to be anybody famous to be treated as someone special at Aggie's.
At least it seemed that way during Travelbeat's recent visit to the Samoan island of Upolu.
Today Aggie Jnr, granddaughter of Samoa's hospitality pioneer, manages Aggie Grey's. She and her mother Marina (the original Aggie's daughter-in-law) still take time out from their other business duties to perform in the fabulous fiafia (song and dance show) staged every Wednesday night under the big poolside Old Fale Restaurant.
The performers are all members of the Aggie Grey staff, and after a week or more at the hotel you certainly begin to recognize some familiar faces amongst the troupe, singing, swaying or chest thumping enthusiastically on the fale stage or performing the spectacular fire dance around the hotel pool.
The Old Fale is where the daily buffet breakfast is served each morning, where a la carte lunches and dinners can be enjoyed, and where other special theme dinners (e.g. Mongolian and Samoan barbecue nights) are held.
An on-site alternative is the gorgeous Le Tamarina Restaurant, which has views over the harbour, and is a particularly stunning place to dine at sunset.
Aggie's also has a coffee shop for drinks, cakes and pastries, and the Kionasina Bar overlooking the lush gardens, accommodation wings and countless double and triple bed bungalows on the hotel property.
Apia itself has very little beach to speak of, and these days when romantic island getaways are popular with young and old alike, Aggie's has responded to the trend by opening Aggie Grey's Lagoon, Beach Resort and Spa on the western tip of Upolu.
We drove out to the new property in a car rented through Samoa Scenic Tours, who are located on site at Aggie Grey's Hotel in Apia. They had the car ready for us to pick up right from the hotel's own car park.
Opened as recently as mid 2005, work was continuing on further guest facilities at the new Aggie Grey beach resort at the time of our visit. This will add more restaurants, a disco and conference venues to the complex.
Here, overlooking a white sand beach sheltered by the fringing reef that encircles the island, every room in the two story accommodation wings has a drop-dead gorgeous ocean view.
In Samoa, it must be said, things are pretty laid back - so laid back that one Aussie was overhead to say he'd need help to get up each morning! At Aggie's beach resort you could forego getting up and still not miss the beauty of the location. The big picture windows in the rooms, each opening on to private verandahs or balconies, only make it necessary for you to open your eyes and take it all in.
However, staying in bed means missing out on some pretty neat stuff - including all the beach and watersport activities that can be organised through the cheerful gang at the Aqua Samoa Water Sports Centre on the beachfront. In addition to what I'm told are some exceptional diving opportunities, there are also Samoa Adventure boat excursions to other islands, particularly unspoiled Manono, where the traditional fa'a Samoa (Samoan lifestyle) is still largely intact.
And for some serious pampering, there's the resort's Manaia Polynesian Spa - beautifully designed, with a lounging deck and pool below reception, and boardwalks through the tropical growth to single or double massage fales. The entire arrangement is bound to result in a blissful spa experience for guests.
Aggie Grey's Lagoon, Beach Resort & Spa is located just down the road from Samoa's Faleolo International Airport, 35 km west of Apia. However, at present the entrance off the main road is sign-posted only for the Penina Country Club golf course that is adjacent to the resort (so, of course, we drove straight past it - twice!)
The original Aggie Grey's Hotel & Bungalows remains the number 1 option in downtown Apia, a fact which has less to do with star ratings than with the sheer friendliness, smiling service, and caring attitude that is offered to all those lucky enough to stay here.
For more information visit: www.aggiegreys.com.
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With special thanks to:
· Julie Ingles and David Ellis in Australia
· Fred Grey, General Manager, and
· Del Betham, Guest Relations Manager, of Aggie Grey's Lagoon, Beach Resort & Spa
· Beverly Barlow, Marketing and Reservations Departments, and
· Aggie Grey Jnr of Aggie Grey's Hotel & Bungalows, Apia
Recommended reading:
· Aggie Grey of Samoa by Nelson Eustis, first published 1979 and reprinted most recently in 1999. Published and distributed by Hobby Investments Pty Ltd, South Australia. We purchased our copy from Aggie Grey's gift shop adjacent to the hotel in Apia.
· Samoan Islands, 4th edition, by Lonely Planet. Despite this being a 2003 publication, we found it indispensable background reading and an excellent resource for places to visit around the island of Upolu. A new, updated edition is currently in the works.
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