Accommodation Reviews in Cook Islands...

Hi,
I went to the Cook Islands in January, and its time to give back to the peeps of the Torntree...

On Rarotonga, I spent two nights in Rau's guesthouse. It was simple and clean, and the owners were fantastic. They own a bakery, and so they provide a couple of loaves of bread and/or fresh buns in the morning. While we were there, they also provided pawpaw (papaya), and bananas. Some very friendly talkative people were staying there at the same time I was, and after talking up the owner for a while, the owner disappeared and came back with a breadfruit to try. Another night he came back with a frozen parrot fish. My wife's only complaint is that the women's bathroom didn't lock... which is odd, because the men's did. Rau's requires a three night minimum, as do many places on Rarotonga, much to my dismay. I paid for three nights at Rau's and although I was only there two nights, I arrived in the very early AM, and was grateful that I had booked the night before so I could check right in.

On Aitutaki, the highlight of our trip was the hospitality and quality at Sunny Beach Lodge. This place was beyond all expectations. Fortunately we planned to stay at Sunny Beach for 8 nights, and as a result got a price break. I think it came to $166 per night for the beachfront bungalow, which is incredible, when you consider that 50 meters down the beach the Pacific Resort is charging $1200(!!) for something that I doubt is bigger or better serviced. (We snorkeled off their beach anyway...)

There are actually two bungalows at Sunny Beach- one on the beach and the other beside it, one door away from the beach. The bungalows were spotless, vast and very well constructed. It also was fully screened to keep bugs out and the overhead fan kept it cool enough (there is no AC).

We had our wedding on the beach in front of Sunny Beach Lodge, and the hostess, Aroha, bent over backward for us. She arranged a celebrant/minister, baked a cake, made a bouquet, made sandwiches, cupcakes and sausage rolls for a few people we met along the way, raked the beach, provided an iron and ironing board, and provided coconuts for my wife and I to drink after the ceremony. She brought us a coconut tree to plant, and was even going to dig a hole for us- until I insisted! She made a wedding-night dinner booking for us, she arranged to have paperwork changed when a storm caused a postponement, the list goes on and on. Needless to say, we are indebted to her and it gives me great pleasure to say that Sunny Beach was an awesome value.

If you are going to Aitutaki, make sure you get some fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden at Tauono. The lady who runs it was really good to us. She provided a tonne of fruit and veggies, and gave us tips to cook it all. She walked us through the garden grabbing some spinach here, basil there, lemons, whatever else... I'm not the best cook, but I ate well on Aitutaki, and cheap too.

Have fun!