Advice needed for Cook Island itinerary planning!

We have 7 nights in the cook islands -- arriving at 7AM on red-eye and leaving last night at 11:30PM, so really 7-8 full days. We were thinking of spending 1-2 nights in Roratoga, 3 nights in Aitutaki, and then 2-3 nights elsewhere. What do you folks think of this plan?

Is 1 night in Roratoga sufficient? is 2 enough? And do you think we have time for that 3rd island? We were thinking that 3rd island would be remote on a pristine beach -- not sure which island fits this bill or how we would get there or where we would stay. We can scrap the 3rd island and just stay in Rarotoga/Aitutaki and do occassional day-trips (I guess?).

This is a last minute trip using 250K airline miles! So we are scrambling to figure this out! Thank you for your advice! For reference we are a couple (late 20s/early 30s), and are low-key travelers who appreciate the benefits of fancy resorts as well as more simple lodging. Figure we only get to Cook Islands once in our lives -- and want to do it right! Thank you!

With only 7 or 8 days on the ground I'd recommend sticking to Raro and Aitutaki. It's probably a good idea to get over to Aitutaki after a day on Raro and back to Raro a couple of days before you depart. That way you'll be fresh for Aitutaki and will have a chance to scout out Raro for your return from Aitutaki. There are lots of choices for accommodation on these two islands but you won't find any secluded pristine beaches on them.

If you spent two weeks in the Cooks you would get a much better feel for the place by visiting one or two additional islands. Atiu, is the third most-visited island. Mangaia, Mauke & Mitiaro are the least visited and have a much different flavor than Raro and Aitutaki. Secluded pristine beaches are plentiful on these islands.

Thank you so much for your response! We were thinking of one more option since the flights between Rarotonga- Aitutaki-Atiu are $100 more than just Aituki and Rarotonga. Here is another proposed itinerary:

1st night in Rarotonga
3 nights in Aitutaki
2 nights in Atiu
Last night in Rarotonga before flying back home

Are we being too greedy and not giving ourselves enough time to enjoy any of the islands? I mentioned before that this was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity, so wanted to make sure we got to see the best. Thanks so much!

About the only suggestion would be to make the total trip longer. Three weeks is not too much time to see the three islands.

Not enough time will probably be your only regret!

If you visit Atiu check out Marshal Humprie's homestay, a cave tour from Marshall and a bird tour/beach lunch with Birdman George.

The snorkelling on Rarotonga is the best I have ever experienced and kept us entertained for days. We hired a scooter and saw a fair bit of the island and spent some time folowing the trails in the middle of the island which, from a botanical point of view, were really interesting as you get into some stumpy cloud-like forest.

That was a number of years ago when we were backpacking and didn't have much money so we never made it to the other islands. I've heard they are beautiful though.