Aitutaki Accommodation

Hi
We are planning to visit Aitutaki for six nights at the end of March with our 1 year old. We have over-researched and are more confused than ever - which are the best parts of the island to stay on? We have heard different things concerning views, mosquitoes, swimming, beaches, snorkling, restaurants...

We have thought about Inano Beach, Matriki, Amuri Sands, Paradise Cove, and Sunny Beach - any personal views on above welcome (yes, we have visited tripadvisor, but the more, the most recent, the merrier).

Thanks

We stayed at Sunny Beach Lodge in late Aug-early Sept 2006. We found it to be a good, basic place to stay. They were quick to reply to e-mails and Aroha was quite helpful when we ran into minor scheduling problems. The unit (we requested the end unit nearest the beach) was large and airy, at that time of the year the breezes and fan made it quite comfortable. The kitchen area was fine and allowed us to self cater - there were a couple of small stores nearby. We walked into town(longish) a couple of times and rented bikes from Rino's, not that far away. There was a restaurant (Crusher's) nearby as well as well as an internet place. The beach area in front of the lodge would be nice for a small child as it is quite calm there. The swimming was not as good but if you walked up towards The Pacific Resort there was a great area there. Also the snorkeling was better a little farther down the beach. There are also newer units which are right on the beach. There were no beach chairs at that time but we took the ones from our unit when we wanted to enjoy the views with a beverage. We did not have a problem with mosquitoes but it may have been more the time of the year as it was the cooler season. We found the location ideal for us as we were not that far from everything - we biked to Samade's and that area of the island is nicer as far as beaches go. We did the lagoon tour with Kia Orana and would highly recommend them. Hope this helps.

There will be a lot of mosquitos in March, but they are mostly inland. If you stay on the beach, the shore breezes help keep them away. Bing lots of insect repellent, esp. for the child. Not sure what is appropriate for a one-yr old, check with your DR. Some DEEt products are too strong.

Also, make sure you have a ceiling fan in the place you stay, it keeps the mozzies down. Also, it will be humid in March, and the fan will really help to evaporate sweat and keep you all cooler. Some places have AC, if you can almsot afford it I'd splurge and get it.

Definitely bring reef shoes for the water, there is lots of coral in the lagoon. You kid should also have something on his/her feet.

Best swimming is just north of Pacific Resort, but there are small pockets all around the west side.

You can rent a car for a day and drive around the island in an hour or less, it would be a n ice day. It gives you a way to get to the far side of the island, visit some remote beaches, and the jungle-like south area (and get out of there quickly if there are too many mozzies!).

I haven't been there in a while, so can't recommend specific places, but I'd go with Tripadvisor. Just disregard the top ten percent (often friends of the owner) and bottom ten percent of reviews (often competitors!). But the places near Samade's etc. are pretty far from town, so factor that in if you'll need to get to shops a lot for the child or your own needs.