Road of Loving Hearts walk in Samoa

Wherever I travel, I usually try to add one or two walks in the nature. This is my way of experiencing the raw and untouched beauty of a place as tourists usually tend to do the sightseeing and other popular activities. When I visited Samoa, I wanted to do a walk and after talking to the locals, my friend and I discovered the Road of Loving Hearts walk.

I also completed my PADI Open Water scuba diving certification in Samoa.

About Road of Loving Hearts

The walk is called the Road of Loving Hearts because Robert Louis Stevenson is buried at the top of the mountain, Mount Vaea. Mount Vaea, situated only 3 kilometres from harbour, is a mountain overlooking Apia, the capital city of Samoa and is just around 472 metres high. The trail and the mountain is green and is also called as the emerald green peak.

Road of Loving Hearts walk lead to that burial tomb of Robert Louis Stevenson. Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish poet and author. He was considered as a man of much mana, the mysterious power that was believed to have descended directly from heavens. When the followers of Mataafa were released from prison, they built a road from Apia to Vailima. This was in appreciation of Robert’s support of the unsuccessful struggle against the Germans. And when he died in the year 1894, they cut the Road of Loving Hearts to his grave on Mount Vaea.

The Road of Loving Hearts walk is easy and it starts off at the Robert Louis Stevenson museum. Robert Louis Stevenson museum is a museum at the author’s home that has been restored and is used to showcase his life and work. The museum has 5 bedrooms, 1 ballroom and 1 library. It also has a fireplace which is the only fireplace in Samoa. There is an entrance fee of Samoan Tala 20 for an adult and the museum is open between 8 AM and 12 PM.

Logistics of the walk

• Starting and finishing points: Robert Louis Stevenson museum.
• Total distance: 5 kilometres return.
• Total distance: 1.5 hours.
• Grade: Easy to Moderate.

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Stay at Samoa

I wouldn’t lie! If you need a good stay at Samoa – it is expensive. After a bit of research and because I had a voucher from Lastminute.com – I decided to go with Le Manumea Resort in Apia. My reasons for selecting the resort initially was pretty simple that it was in my budget.

Details of Le Manumea Resort

• Name: Le Manumea Resort
• Website: https://www.manumearesort.com/
• Address: Vailima Apia, Apia, Samoa
• Cost: Pounds 93.58 + Euro 151.83 = AUD 170 + 238.65 = AUD 408.65 for 4 nights in an Executive Suite with breakfast included

The resort has its own restaurant and a bar. They play music in the evenings and has a pool to chill by in the sun.

My review

My first impression was disappointment. The place when I entered did not look like a resort and it looked like an old home stay. The place was very expensive for the way it looked from the outside. But when I entered and saw the room, I was really impressed. The room was pretty spacious and the bathroom was an open bathroom which was amazing and cool.

Closing Notes

I highly recommend doing the Road of Loving Hearts walk and also visiting the museum to learn about the Scottish author and his life at Samoa. I really enjoyed my holiday in Samoa and I do hope to get back to the place sometime again to spend more number of days and exploring more trails on the island.