Paying for accommodation pre-arrival

Hi

Is it common practice to be required to pay the full amount of accommodation up-front and pre-arrival in the Cook Islands? We have not come across this anywhere else in our travels.

Thanks

It's very common practice in the Cooks. I've done it a few times and never had a problem.

Yes, it's quite common. I manage a resort and we require a 50% deposit. The reason is, the Cooks are such an out of the way destination that we don't get "walk by" traffic. A last minute cancellation can really hurt, especially a small operation like ours.

Yep, totally normal.

Yes, it's the norm. As indicated above, not much "walk-in" traffic. So, if you cancel, the room/cottage reserved for you probably won't be re-sold, and the owners will lose out. Most have a two to four day minimum. Check out tripadvisor.com for recommendations.