Dear Friends,

Talofa! Greetings from Paradise! Notice our new format? Now that we have settled down for a while in Paradise, and our silly news letter has grown to some 500 copies, we thought it was time for a "new look". So here it is (for now). Were you beginning to wonder if you were ever going to hear from us again? Thought the computer erased you from our memory? Well, there has been a lot happening with us. Maybe we should call this newsletter "Adventures in Paradise". Or did they already make that into a series? In any event, we'll try to fill you in on some of our adventures and the wonderful things that we have been experiencing

First of all, COCONUTS BEACH CLUB officially opened on November 1, 1990 ! ! HOORAY ! ! And thanks to the efforts of our dear friend and talented designer, Robert Ross (of Los Angeles), everything you ever fantasized about the South Seas has come true right here in Western Samoa! We now have dining and drinking under the sun and stars, in the most charming and authentic Beach Bar ("Sieni's 3-STOOL BAR") and Restaurant (The American Bistro Restaurant) in the entire South Pacific - located just ten feet from the ocean! It's really a dream come true, with thatched buildings surrounded by swaying palm trees, a white sand beach, safe swimming lagoon, our own reef, beachside food and drink service, exotic tropical cocktails, and truly fabulous food. WOW, this sounds so good that maybe we shouldn't have been so surprised when COCONUTS became instantly popular with tourists and locals alike; but we were! In fact, we are delightfully exhausted from all of the business and fanfare. We are fast becoming a legend in this part of the world, and people come to us from such unlikely places as Sweden and Alaska and tell us that they have heard about us. We even managed to make the latest issue of Pacific Magazine's annual review of "watering holes" in the South Pacific.

Now that we have our restaurant and bar up and running so well (take a bow Mike Pirics) our attention has turned to building some "fales" (which means "houses" in Samoan) for overnight guests. Once again, Robert Ross has trekked here from L.A. (for the third time!) and has worked his magic to design some of the best stuff to hit the South Pacific....... ever. We are now working like Samoan beavers to get his creations built as fast as possible. The first one will be "Fale Masina", which will house eight of our "standard" hotel rooms. But, with the Robert Ross touch, they will be anything but "standard", and will feature great ocean views, king size beds that are "built in", private lanais and balconies, bathrooms that will knock your bathing suits off and much, more. We hope to have Fale Masina ready by this August.

Even though we haven't had room for you to stay with us right here on the beach, that hasn't stopped some of you from coming to Western Samoa to see us. First honors go to Ken and Penelope Cardoza, from Honolulu, who came before we even had a roof on our bar! We sure had a good time with them and their dear friends, Til and Dana Mainenti, who let us share their honeymoon with them (well, sort of). Then came Patrizia and her new husband Guido, who detoured here on their round-the-world trip from Italy. . . . . . . . followed by Afa's close friend from high school days, David Gross and Heidi from New Jersey.

Well, dear friends and potential "coco nuts", you can now start to plot your escape from the real world. Dream about the beauty of a sunset over the South Pacific Ocean, the thrill of seeing friendly and exotic fish while snorkeling in our beautiful lagoon, the magic of dining and dancing under a million stars in a sky so clear that you can see forever, exquisite food and wine, sharing kava (the local mouth numbing drink) with some of our Samoan friends here in Maninoa village, meeting the local Members of Coconuts Beach Club and more, and more, and us, of course!

There's so much to write about that we could go on for at least another page. But we must close this now and go to "work". You see, Mika just came and said that the tide is just right for snorkeling in our lagoon. Today we are going to "research" and "map" some of our exotic coral formations, so we can share the information with you when you get here. It's tough work, but somebody has to do it! Please know that we look forward to showing you our real world. Write or fax us and let us know how you are, and when you want to share our dream. We are all well and we will write again, very soon, and let you know of our progress and "what's happening" in Paradise!

"Til then . . . . Tofa Soifua, and Manuia Le Aso, from

Barry "Afa" Rose & Jennifer "Sieni" Rose & Michael "Mika" Pirics