We went to Moorea and Bora Bora for our honeymoon and we loved it so much that we wanted to revisit the pacific islands for our anniversary. We went to both Rarotonga and Aitutaki and we loved it! What was good about Cook Islands is that the currency is the New Zealand dollar which is about $0.70 US = $1.00NZ, so it was really good deal!

We actually enjoyed Cook Islands better than Tahiti islands because it was more private and locals are very friendly. In addition, the food was delicious whereas we thought the food in Tahiti was gross (our opinion). However, Cook Islands isn’t for everyone, because there isn’t as much to do there, which was fine, because all we wanted to do was relax.

We stayed in 2 hotels while we were in Rarotonga. We wanted to stay in 2 areas, because the snorkeling and atmosphere is very different at each place.

Palm Grove, Rarotonga: B+, http://www.palmgrove.net/

Pros: The bungalows was very private, big, and includes it’s own kitchenette. The best part of this hotel is the restaurant on site the Yellow Hibiscus which was delicious and the beach. The restaurant had reasonably priced food and on Sunday night have a bbq for $25NZ/pp. The bbq was amazing! It includes a whole table of different types of salads and bread, bbq fish or steak and dessert. The beach was gorgeous and had some of the best snorkeling on the island.

Cons: We stayed in the beach bungalow and right behind our bungalow was the road and we could easily hear the cars all day long. In addition, there are a couple of annoying roosters that can wake up light sleepers very early in the morning. Lastly, one night, there was heavy rain, and unfortunately the roof did have some aluminum and therefore woke us up in the middle of the night because it got really loud. Another thing about this hotel is that there are not any other restaurants walking distance away, however, we had no problem getting around by the local bus.

Shangri-La Beach Cottage. Rarotonga: B, http://www.shangri-la.co.ck/

Pros: The cottages are very clean and conveniently located on Muri beach around various restaurants and the famous muri beach. It was also very close to different local stores to get drinks and bread. Another great thing about this hotel is the price. If you are willing to pay in advance, you get to deep discount.

Cons: Although the Shangri-la claims to have filtered water (it is dangerous to drink from tap water in cook islands), when we filled our glass with water, the water was brown. We didn’t realize this till the last night before we left. Good thing we didn’t get sick.

Other Restaurants:

Tamarind House: If you go to 1 restaurant while you are here, you HAVE TO go to this one. It was WONDERFUL.

Whatever! Bar and Grill: We found out about this restaurant through locals. It is on a deck and offer wonderful views of the lagoon. It has short menu of cheap bbq steaks and fish, and cheap drinks. At 10pm, they move the chairs and pump up the music and this is where all the locals hang out at night. The only thing that isn't easy about Whatever! is finding it. Although it's on the main road, it is along the back of several other businesses. You'll have to ask a local to help you find it.

Getting Around:

There is a local bus that goes around the island. During the day, there is 1 bus going clockwise every hour and another going counter clockwise every hour. At night, it only goes clockwise. We found this to be easy and a great way to view the island. The last bus leaves at 11pm.

Things to do:

While we were here we got scuba certified at Pacific Divers http://www.pacificdivers.co.ck/. They were GREAT!! Stephen and Joel are wonderful, patient people and fun to hang out with. We truly had fun with them and can not recommend them enough. We also found that on many of our lagoon and open dives, it was only us with the instructor, which was great.

Aitutaki

Etu Moana, Aitutaki: AAAA++++++++++++, http://www.etumoana.com/

Pro: This was hotel is brand new, only has been open since January. There are only 8 bungalows are each are very luxurious. The kitchenette has granite countertops and the bathroom is filled with marble.

Cons: The only con I can think of is that they do not have restaurant on site. However, this isn’t a problem because there are several restaurants walking distance away. Also, they have bicycles you can take and ride to your location.

Other Restaurants

Café Tupuna: Wonderful restaurant in the hills of Aitutaki. It is actually a house and guests eat right on the porch. The restaurant isn’t cheap at around $30NZ per entrée but had very good, fresh food. Ask your resort to contact them and someone will come pick you up. They do charge you a fee for the ride, which will show up on your restaurant tab.

Samade on the Beach: We went to Samade for the BBq night and it was delicious and very reasonably priced at $18.50 NZ. If you do not have a car or scooter, you will have to have your hotel arrange taxi service for you. Ours cost $10NZ/ pp for RT service.

Things to do:

Lagoon cruise: This is a must while you are in Aitutaki. There are small boats and large boats. We chose a smaller boat with a glass bottom, Lagoon Explorer, because it is more private. They take you to view the sea life and visit the other smaller islands. We even saw humpback whales!! They also offer bbq lunch during the all day trip.

If you would like to see pictures with this review go to...

http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thr...3&tstart=0

Thanks!

Nice photos! The Etu Moana looks great - do you mind my asking how much it cost?

Al F.

Thanks for the review.

Glad you enjoyed the Cooks. Though I think that French Polynesia is more beautiful and the food better, I'm with you in your preference of the Cooks overall (the people really won me over).

Very nice photos too. They sure brought back some nice memories of our own visit to the Cooks. In April we'll be in the rental house between the 2 clusters of beach bungalows at the Palm Grove. Looking forward to trying the restaurant. I'll definitely try and remember the Sunday BBQ.

Ken

Of course I don't mind saying how much Etu Moana costed. Since the resort is brand new, they are currently offering specials on their bungalows at $395/night. There are only 8 bungalows and all, regardless if one is closer or further away from the beach, cost the same price.

Great TR and love the pics!

We're going to Aitutaki & raro in 8 weeks....can't wait!

Milliemoo

hi swiggle,

Thanks for the report.

How was the weather while you were there? How was the water temp? While snorkeling did you have to wear a wet/dry suit? How was the snorkeling off of Etu Moana?

Thanks again!

-Bill

Hi Bill,

The weather while we were there was unpredictable. Some days would be very sunny, other days it rained off and on all day. The temperature was always warm though. The water temperature was rather cold for me. During our scuba certification, I wore a full body wet suit. However, I am a very cold person and is most comfortable in 80 degree weather.

The water temperature in Aitutaki is about 5 degrees warmer than Raro, and I was comfortable wearing just a bathing suit while snorkling. The snorkling off Etu Moana, is wonderful! There is many patches of reefs in front of the resort and you can see a variety of fishes. We went canoeing one day, and could even see schools of fish in the water from our canoe. Keep in mind, that the water in front of Etu Moana is very shallow for miles.
Also, be aware, there are MANY sea cucumbers on the floor, which I found gross.

Let me know if you any other questions!

brought back many memories of my vacation in Rarotonga/Aitutaki. It's my favorite place on Earth (so far). We rented a house on our stay and enjoyed the lagoon steps from our door. And you are right about Tamarind House, excellent!! The Chinese restraunt was good too! Everything in Raro was nice!

thanks for "taking me away" for a few minutes after a stressful day. great trip review! can't wait to go to the cooks someday. we almost chose them for our honeymoon, but went to moorea and bora bora as well. as a cold person, myself, i sympathize with the need for warm-ish water!

i'm off to check out the pictures!