Peter de Graaf checks into the Tradewinds Hotel, American Samoa.
Getting there: Tradewinds is less than 3km, or a $7.50 taxi ride, from Pago Pago International Airport. It's so close you could walk if you weren't lugging a suitcase.
Check-in experience: Courteous and helpful. I turned up at 9am after an early-morning flight, five hours before the official check-in time, but the receptionist sent me off for a free brekkie and had my room ready by 9.30am. And when he saw my shock at the Wi-Fi rates he quietly slipped me an unused password for a couple of days' free access. Room: I had a deluxe or matai (chief) suite on the first floor overlooking the pool and, in the distance, a range of jagged green peaks. It had a four-poster, king-size bed, a writing desk, a separate entertaining area with chairs and a coffee table, a spacious bathroom, basic kitchen facilities including a fridge and microwave, and cable TV.
Price: The rack rate for the matai suite is $256. Standard rooms are $230 and the fanciest suites are $375.
What's so good about this place? With more than half the territory's 200 hotel rooms, Tradewinds is by far the biggest hotel in American Samoa — and that means the biggest range of facilities, including a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, fitness room and an enticing pool. It's well geared up for conferences with three function rooms, a marquee for outdoor functions, and all the usual gadgetry a business get-together may need.