The nightlife in Apia and surrounding areas is slowly but surely changing. Just in the past few weeks, two of Apia’s well-known water holes have closed. First there was Thirsty Gecko’s at Vailoa and then last weekend, Sheesha’s Cocktail Bar at the Marina closed.

But the closure of the two bars doesn’t mean the capital’s range of possibilities for having a drink is limiting at all.  Rather, it is undergoing a change, as Marina Keil, former owner of Thirsty Gecko’s Bar & Grill believes. 

“Of course there’s bars closing down at the moment, but there are also heaps of places opening up as well,” she said.

 As a well-experienced owner of a gastronomy business for more than eight years in the surrounding area of Apia, Mrs. Keil knows the situation of the businesses very well. 

“There’s the new Aitutaki Bar that just opened up, or the Black Nose, as well as Tuxx to name only a few, so I don’t think one could say that there’s a certain decline in the number of bars in town.”

In the case of Thirsty Gecko’s Bar & Grill, the reason behind the closing is a rather personal one. “The bar was just there to fill up the space,” she said.  “We had actually planned to close the place down a while ago, but it was just a matter of time.”

For the place’s future, Marina Keil could confirm that there won’t be a bar located any longer in the facilities of Thirsty Gecko’s. 

“It won’t be a bar anymore but I have something new in mind to utilise the place, so it will undergo a fair bit of renovation.”

The former owner’s decision of running a bar where Thirsty Gecko’s Bar & Grill was placed also has changed over the years. 

“If I were to open a bar, I would definitely move to a place which is closer to town. Right now, this is more of a residential area. It’s starting to grow, but I don’t think it really is suitable for a bar, maybe in a few years from now.”

With the mentioned closings, Apia’s range of bars currently is undergoing a change. 

But the fact that new places are opening up as well should be reason enough for the town’s night owls to be open to new possibilities for enjoying a decent drink in the future.