Relaxing places in Australia and Pacific
A nice little private beach belonging to the Rip Tide bar next door. Like everything else in Palau, it costs to swim here, but the pretty view can be enjoyed for the price of a drink.
It might come as a surprise, but Samoa doesn't have an abundance of white sandy beaches, but the south coast of Upolu certainly has a handful. Beautiful palm fringed white sandy beaches on a backdrop of jungle covered cliffsides, you can hardly wish for more. Lalomanu Beach is particularly famous for its long narrow white sand beach and there are plenty of beach fales and resorts on this stretch. Though the water is picturesque turquoise, there can be strong current, so be safe.
Samoa and particularly Savai'i Island don't have that many sandy beaches, but there are a few. On Savai'i Island locals will always point out Lano Beach as their crown jewel. It's a slim sandy beach fringed with palm trees with brillant turquise waters. It's developed with beach fales every 10 metres or so. Locals also praise Siufaga Beach a bit south of Lano. Unfortunately, the picture is from a cloudy day.
A 10 minutes boat ride from Lalomanu lies gorgeous little Namua Island, a place dreams are made of. A small white sandy beach with leaning coconut palms will welcome you. The interier is a jungle covered hill with vertical walls on one side. There are open fales for rent and simple food and coconuts can be bought. At low tide it's possible to circumnavigate the island in sturdy sandals in less than a hour. Else there are a steep trail through the dense jungle to the top of the island, where you look over a colony of bats. At high tide you might be lucky to snorkle with seaturtles in front of the beach.
Apia is surrounded by jungle covered mountains. In general, this means there are waterfalls, but in Apia it also means there are sliding rocks. There are two places, Letava and Papase'ea, with gentle declining slap of rocks, which are so slippery that kids and adult can skim down.
Piula is a chilled natural freshwater pool which disappears into a cave. You can swim about 20 meters into the dark tunnel before you hit the end. Though the cave is natural, the area is developed with picnic fales, toilets, and even a cafe. The pool seems popular with families and teenagers.
Savai'i doesn't have that many beaches and most of them are on the east and north side. The best on the south side is probably at Satuiatua villages. There are the usual beach fales along with a resort.
A beautiful area of shallow water protected by an outer reef and sprinkled with hundreds of jungle and palm-tree covered islands. The dense foliage stretches right to the edge where the corals take over below the crystal clear surface. The emerald green water does also contains its share of WWII leftovers like everywhere else in the Solomon Islands. Though most islands are uninhabited, small friendly villages are dotting some of the shores and boast some rather extraordinary sights right smack in their backyard – like birth caves at Mbiche village and maybe-ancient rock art at Bareho village (nobody knowns its origin). Keep in mind that the lagoon covers a large area and transport is costly due to the expensive gasoline.
Ha'apai group of islands is very much off the beaten track. Not many visitors come here, even though the beaches are considered to be some of the best on Tonga. Uoleva and Foa islands in Ha'apai have both a couple simple resorts, which lies directly down to beautiful sandy beaches. At the northern tip of Foa Island (pictured), you even have the option to walk to the other side, if the sea is too rough for swimming or snorkelling.
Along the northwest "horn" of Tongatapu Island are beach after beach after beach. Besides the spread out and calm villages, there are a handful of smaller resorts and guesthouses. The secluded beaches are mostly wild and untidy with dense vegetation.