lalinda

My husband and I spent just over a week in the Cooks earlier this month. Stayed at the Pacific Resorts on both islands -- the two properties couldn't be more different, and we were delighted we'd opted to spend the most time on Aitutaki. The Pacific on Raro is clearly family-focused -- the place felt "crowded" even though it wasn't full and the food was mediocre. The Aitutaki property, though, is top drawer all the way! The bungalow (we stayed in #108) was roomy, beautifully-decorated and (best of all) situated and landscaped for true privacy. The food was fantastic. I'm a landscape designer, and I was most impressed at how the buildings, stone, grounds and water features meld together seamlessly -- it feels and looks part of the natural environment: in a word, exquisite!

simpsonc510

Glad you enjoyed Pacific Aitutaki. I just spent a few days at the Raro Pacific and thought it was quite nice. The best thing was to just relax and enjoy the peace and quiet in the islands. Cook Islands are certainly cut out for just that very thing.

LordBalfor

Yes, although the Rarotonga Pacific Resort is usually considered to be the best resort on Raro, it's not really all that upscale compared to resorts in a lot of other locations (French Polynesia for example).

Even before it was completed however, it was obvious that the Aitutaki Pacific Resort was going to be in a league of it's own. The "overwater" (really just partially overwater) units at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort are very, very nice too, but the other units at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort are not in the same category at all.

Ken

simpsonc510

To lalinda and LordBalfor:
For me, the charm of the Cook Islands (Raro) vs. Fr Polynesia (Tahiti/BoraBora) is that it is sooooo much more laid back and far less commercialized and tourisy! I really like that there is no McDonalds, no TV, peace and quiet, and a gorgeous lagoon! We had a true vacation (as in "escape&quot in Raro at the Pacific Resort. Upscale? No. Comfortable? Yes. Just what we were looking for? Absolutely!

French Poly was not that laid back, IMHO. Papeete was just like any other big noisy dirty city. We did not enjoy Tahiti at all, and wished that we had not spent two nights there.

Bora Bora was beautiful. Upscale? Yes. But there is more traffic there (no, not like a big city) and younger people played their car stereos in a very loud fashion, just like at home! UGH I really almost felt sorry for the folks who were staying in the over water bungalows that sat near the main road!

We (finally) had TV in Bora Bora. We had missed seeing the news, although when on vacation you try to escape the day to day misery, right? Anyway, we turned on TV only to find that there were four channels, all in French, and none of them was news related. "Watching" the news would have at least given us a clue...

Carol

LordBalfor

Carol - agree with you completely. Though FP is marginally more beautiful/exotic (in part because of the presence of the overwater bungalows) and definitely more upscale, the Cooks are our favorite destination. We found the people to be friendlier (though in part that may be due to the fact that they speak English) and the entire atmosphere more welcoming. In many ways the Cooks felt like "home". Of course the fact that it's cheaper didn't hurt any either - especially since it meant we could stay longer for the same amount of cash.

Ken

simpsonc510

You are right on, LordBalfor!!!

PeggyE

Is there a McDonalds on Bora Bora??!! We thought it was getting a bit too many tourists in 1990 & moved on to Fiji, Cooks etc., but please tell me you were referring to Papeete at least and not BB! And of course older resorts usually pale in comparison to the newer resorts, but so do the price tags. We did have a 2 story beachfront villa at Pacific Raro for a fraction of the cost of an "overwater" at Aitutaki Lagoon resort. That was in 2001 one though, before the Pacific opened up, they were building it then. But we enjoyed the beauty and water everywhere!

simpsonc510

No, I didn't see McD's in Bora Bora. It was Papeete, you're right.

You are also right about the cost of the Cooks being more affordable than Fr Polynesia.