It is a destination of cars and long days, not of resorts. And it comes with one condition worth accepting from the start: almost all of these places sit on village land, and at almost all of them you pay a small fee.
01 The hole at Lotofaga
The most famous one is on the south coast, in the village of Lotofaga, some forty-eight kilometres from Apia by the cross-island road: about three quarters of an hour's drive if you do not stop, which you will.
It is a pit some thirty metres deep connected to the sea by a lava tunnel, with the water coming and going on the tide. You climb down a long, steep wooden ladder to a platform, and from there into the water.
Entry is around twenty-five tala. There is parking, changing rooms and toilets at the top, and ropes strung inside to hold on to: on an incoming tide there is current and it is worth using them. If you have a fear of heights, the descent is the real obstacle, not the water.
02 Springs, caves and pools
Twenty-six kilometres east of Apia, along the coast road, lies the Piula pool: a freshwater spring flowing out of a cave a few metres from the sea. Inside the main opening there is a short submerged tunnel connecting to a second cave.
You enter through the grounds of the college above the pool, pay a small fee, and there are fale and changing rooms. It opens Monday to Saturday, so do not leave it for a Sunday.
To that add the sliding rocks at Papase'ea on the edge of town, and the inland waterfalls reached by the road across the island. In the wet season some approaches turn to mud; in the dry season they are firm.
03 Tusitala on the mountain
Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last four years of his life here and died on 3 December 1894. Samoans called him Tusitala, 'the writer of tales', and his house at Vailima, on the outskirts of Apia, is now a museum that keeps the layout of the years he lived in it.
He chose the summit of Mount Vaea himself, 472 metres directly south of the city, as his burial place. The day after his death a group of Samoans carried the coffin to the top along a path that has been called the Road of Loving Hearts ever since.
The climb takes about an hour and starts from the garden of the house itself. It is steep and humid but short, and from the top you see the city, the harbour and the house all at once. Do it early, before the heat sets in.
04 The practical part
Hire a car: the sites are spread all over the island and public transport will not chain them together. Traffic has driven on the left since September 2009, the main roads are sealed, and Faleolo airport is about forty minutes west of the city.
Carry cash in tala: village entry fees are small and almost always in cash. And bear Sunday in mind: it is a very quiet day across the country and many shops, along with some swimming spots, do not open.
On clothing, one simple and welcome rule: swimwear is for the water, and when passing through a village it is best to have your legs covered. A lavalava or a sarong settles it and weighs nothing.
05 How to build three days
Day one, close by: the house at Vailima in the morning, the climb up Mount Vaea before lunch and, in the afternoon, the sliding rocks or a swim on the waterfront. Eat early, because people eat early here.
Day two, the south coast: cross the island by the inland road, stop at a waterfall on the way and give the middle of the day to the Lotofaga hole. Come back along the coast, unhurried.
Day three, the east coast: the Piula pool in the morning, when there are fewer people, and the rest of the day among beaches and villages towards the eastern end. If you have one more night, repeat whichever place you liked most: here that is not wasting time, it is the plan.
gailhampshire Port Moresby, for the traveller who comes for a bird of paradise, not the city.
Mandrusian Ngerulmud, for the traveller who swaps Palau's reefs for its big island.
Brett Taylor