"Quintessentially Pacific"; Sails Restaurant & Bar Apia

By Dirk Heinz

Apia is a fun place. As far as big nights on the town in the Pacific go, Apia and the people of Samoa can deliver. The night prior, I learned this first-hand after being taken by some friends to a rather busy club in downtown Apia, which while a lot of fun, was a fast and furious night of club bangers and strong cocktails. After waking up a little worse for wear the next morning, when 5 o’clock hit I was in need of a somewhat quieter locale to enjoy a knock-off beer the following day.

Curious as to what I would find if I strolled down Apia’s waterfront road in the opposite direction of the CBD, I was pleased to come across a quaint little waters-edge bar that looked the perfect spot. Away from the buzz of the main strips of Apia, Sails Restaurant & Bar provides a serene waterfront location to enjoy a cold beer and watch the colours of a Pacific sunset do their thing. Quintessentially Pacific, Sails is set amongst palm trees and flowering bougainvillea’s about a few kilometres down Mulinu’u Road and out of the cut and thrust of Apia. It was an easy walk but could also be reached via taxi or bicycle.

I’m a firm believer that the closer to the Pacific ocean you are, the better the beers taste and you literally can’t get any closer to the ocean than Sails. The waves lap up against the seawall a metre or two under the open-air deck of the venue. I chose a spot at the bar so I could have a bit of back and forth with the bar tender but there were plenty of tables drenched in fading sunlight which also looked appealing. The vibe is incredibly chill, which is always what I look for in Pacific watering hole. Coconuts hanging from the ceiling sway in the afternoon breeze as island reggae quietly hums over the speakers. Staff potter around doing their best to look busy but there’s no real rush to anything going on about the venue, this place is very much on island time. Also important, was the fact that the beers were ice cold – not something you can always rely on in the Pacific. The crew at Sails had gone old school when I was there, packing coolers choc-full of ice to keep the Taula’s bitterly frosty. A huge result for a thirsty traveller.

I can’t say I tried the food, but the menu looked heavy on local seafood and when you’re that close to the ocean, you can’t go wrong with that. All in all, an idyllic island bar perfect for a few sundowners when in Apia.