The resort has fewer than 30 villas dotted around its lush gardens, or perched on stilts close to a perfect white coral beach, and a turquoise lagoon as warm as a bath in the afternoon sun. When I was there earlier this year, the biggest (most regal) of them was being refurbished.
The resort’s villas follow the traditional oval shape of the Samoan fale (house) – the original version of which has no walls, doors or windows, just a raised platform with a thatched roof, a mattress and a mosquito net; much favoured by backpackers who want to sleep on the beach.
Those at the resort are, of course, many, many steps up from this in the luxury stakes, but they are nevertheless simple, with authentic local decor, deep verandas and outdoor showers.
This is not unusual – most Samoan hotels are small and family-run. The first and most famous of them all is Aggie Grey’s in the capital Apia, where the villas are named after the many film stars who stayed there (Marlon Brando, Dorothy Lamour, Gary Cooper et al). The writer James A. Michener used Aggie herself as the not altogether flattering model for Bloody Mary in his Tales of the South Pacific.
Apia itself is not exactly a metropolis – the population is around 35,000 – but the King and Queen Camilla will no doubt enjoy the profound peace of being based on the south coast of Samoa’s main island of Upolu, where the local schoolchildren are thrilled if you visit them (I can attest to this) and the church services are not to be missed – everyone dresses in white and sings unaccompanied four-part harmonies pitched to raise the roof.