Best area to stay in Rarotonga

Hi,

I am in the Cook Islands for 4 days (3 nights) and I am trying to work out where to stay. I was thinking or either Vara's (Muri) or a hostel in Arorangi?

Or, one night in Arorangi (as it is near where I will take a diving course) and then two in Muri.

Can someone help me out with this? Is there much difference between the two areas. I only have a short time and I want to dive, hike and relax on the beach.

Any info/tips/suggestions appreciated!

I stayed in the beachside units at Rarotonga Backpackers in Arorangi for 2 weeks in November. They were great! The beach was OK, a little rocky. The sunsets were awsome!

Muri on the other hand is a great beach for swimming and is a much busier area of the island, so you would probably meet more people down there and you are within walking distance of some nice bars and restaurants.

Kinda depends on what you're after, if it's the quiet and sunsets, then stay on the west side, if you prefer a busier but nicer beach and more people but no sunsets then go with the Muri area. Oh, just a quick note, it can be quite a bit windier on the Muri side.

In general, the island is so small that you can get around quite easily by bus or scooter and therefore have access to every beach on the island.

Have a wonderful time!

I agree with Vancouver's descriptions above. Let me add that all the dive places will pick you up from wherever you are staying, and drop you off at the end of the dive, so don't worry about that.

Vara's itself can get a bit noisy at night, at times, depends on the crowd. Bring some earplugs if it's a bad week.

Hi there April, I am wondering if you can give me some feedback about how the diving went.

I am thinking about heading over to the Cook's and there does not seem to be much on thorntree about the diving.