We spent two weeks in Apia, the capital of Samoa (pronounced Saaah-moa and formerly called Western Samoa to distinguish it form American Samoa, next door to the east). The harbour authority pretty much insists that you tie up to their docks; they charge the same fee for moorage as for anchoring out. However, this was not too expensive (about $20 CDN a night for Picara) and it was pretty nice to have as much fresh water as we could use, not to mention the convenience of simply stepping off the boat and onto shore.
The only downside was that the marina was in a windless corner of the harbour and we were experiencing some of our hottest and most humid days ever while we were there! Often by mid-day we would be hiding inside the boat in a heat-induced stupor, all three fans strategically positioned and on high power. Thank goodness there was cold beer and ice cream nearby.