Talofa from PARADISE: A Special Talofa to all you Nuts, and would-be Nuts! Once again I have the privilege (and fun) of taking mouse in hand and saying hello to all of you. Writing this silly little letter, sharing the news from Paradise with you, gives me a chance to sit back and reflect on the year that seems to have sped by since I last wrote to you. It has been a great year for us, and we hope for you too. Travel writers continue to praise Coconuts ... the "RETURNING NUTS PHENOMENON" that I told you about last time continues to grow ... more Nut Letters to share with you- so much good news that our cup truly runneth over! And for that, we want to thank all of our friends in the travel industry and all of our past guests (Returning Nuts), who continue to return in record numbers, for your support, both in words and deeds. Mika, Sieni, Ned and I are very gratified that you enjoy our unique brand of hospitality so much that you come back for more. We thank all of you Nuts and would-be Nuts for your encouragement. Please continue to write to me. I welcome your comments! Afa

PROGRESS IN SAMOA: An Oxymoron? Decide for yourself! ...Not too much to report this time. Last time, I reported that we had a new Email address, but nobody could get it to work. I am happy to say that it is now one year and we still have the same Email address, and it works -most of the time. Now that’s PROGRESS! So, you can reach us in Samoa (most of the time) by writing to cbc@samoa.net. I am happy to report that since I last wrote to you, no new 300 room hotels opened in Samoa. In fact, I don’t know of any new hotels that opened. Now, that’s PROGRESS! Last time the hot news was that Polynesian Airlines had re-opened their Los Angeles office under Mr. John Nickel, Regional Manager for North America, who told me that they had plans to have their own plane flying from Los Angeles to Apia. Well, the good news is that the office is still there, but the bad news is that John is no longer with Polynesian Airlines -HOW RUDE- and I hope the plane didn’t go with him.

NEWS FOR OUR COCO NUTS : Lots to talk about here! ... First of all, I hope you enjoy the enclosed NUT LETTERS. And - believe it or not - they are all 100% true! ... You’ve just got to visit our new Web Site - http://www.coconutsbeachclubsamoa.com!! If you haven’t seen it, you are in for a treat. It has lots of goodies on it, including some back issues of our newsletters, and pictures of your favorite people at Coconuts, and Mika’s menus and, and, and. Besides the content, the colors and graphics are beautiful. ... Erskine and Christine Rodan, RETURNING NUTS from Melbourne, continue to hold the Coconuts record - they were just back for their TENTH visit. As a bonus (or was it punishment?) Mika and his lovely wife Julia visited the Rodans in Melbourne in January -and, I am told, Mika personally cooked for them ... I have gotten lots of queries about our special deal for returning nuts. It’s easy. All you have to do is to write, fax, call or Email us and let us know that you are a RETURNING NUT and we will do the rest. You will receive a 20% discount on your room rate, and a complimentary upgrade (if available) when you check in ....

COCONUTS "STAYS FAMOUS" I recently read (in the local newspaper) that the London Times presented a list of the Top 100 Hotels. And, the Ritz of Paris was number 100, and Coconuts Beach Club was number 38. HOW RUDE! The article also described us as "...small, entertaining and quirky, run by two American lawyers" .Of course, I have no idea if this really happened, but maybe one of you readers could let me know ... From the pages of the WEST AUSTRALIAN newspaper of June 17, 1999, Travel section, written by Melanie Ball: "Samoa’s Coconuts Beach Club and Resort is paradise... Coconuts gives guests the chance to taste the real flavor of Samoa. ... And the rooms couldn’t be anywhere else. In the beach fales, a few sandy steps from the waters edge, waterfall showers cascade into sunken baths reminiscent of rock pools ..." Thanks Melanie. You certainly have good taste! ... There was a great article about Samoa in the January 1999 issue of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine -complete with a photograph of our famous fiafia on Saturday night - that said that we had great food and great rooms. Actually, it said: "Forty minutes from Apia, on the other side of Upolu, is the American-run Coconuts Beach Club and Resort, which has the most delightful rooms in Samoa, including the new over-the-water fales. .. For seafood dishes, nothing beats Coconuts". We are honored that this fine magazine has again complimented us on both our unique accommodations and our great food. After all, that’s what Coconuts is all about.

RESTAUARANT NEWS: Speaking of great food, our MEAL DEAL has been a great success! For only $39.95 per person, your breakfast, lunch and three course dinner will be included - complete with unlimited quantities of our California House Wine at lunch and dinner. And, of course, there are still no buffets - just Mika’s wonderful food, cooked to order for you, from the same wonderful menu as always. Going on a picnic? Mika will send you off with a great lunch, complete with wine. HOW CIVILIZED!. By the way, you’ll have no trouble picking out which guests are on the Meal Deal at Coconuts. They’re the ones sitting around in small groups, having a good time, ordering with abandon and arguing about who’s going to shout the next round of wine for the table.

HOTEL NEWS : The BIG NEWS is that we have built four new accommodations. They are right on that empty stretch of beach, between the entrance to the over-the-water fales and the two-bedroom beach fale. BUT, don’t worry - there are only four new fales, and that brings us to a total of only twenty four accommodations. After all, we have always said that we would not change Coconuts and it will always retain the same "quirky" character that it has. I am happy to say that these new, beach fales are just terrific. Our talented architect and friend from Los Angeles, Robert Ross, worked his magic ! These new beach fales are beautifully furnished, large (over 600 sq. ft.), split level, with dramatic rock walls, high ceilings, thatch roofs, and a large "outdoor" bathroom with a sunken tub nestled under a waterfall - surrounded by lava rock walls. Naturally, they all have air conditioning, mini bars, ceiling fans, and lots of local materials, including our handmade lava rock tiles. So, if you are going to book a Beach Fale, request one of the new ones. I especially like Fale E because it has a 75 ft. tall coconut tree growing right in the middle of the bathroom!

TOFA SOIFUA: Wow! I’m exhausted! Time to shut down my Mac, head on down to see Mika, and have a sunset cocktail on the Palm Terrace. We are very blessed, here in Paradise. We have almost everything. The only thing missing is YOU. Please join us soon. Love from all of us here at COCONUTS to all of you COCO NUTS and would-be NUTS!