Pacific Resort Aitutaki- Trip Report
Dec 1st, 2004, 02:22 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pacific Resort Aitutaki- Trip Report
We visited the PR Aitutaki from Nov 24th to November 27th. The main point you should take away from this trip report is that this resort blows the PR Raro out of the water. There is really no comparison. I would go as far to say that the PR Raro are doing themselves a disservice by not providing a resort comparible to Aitutaki. Aitutaki is also a resort that is perfect for those who wish to sit back, relax, swim and have fun. It is not a activity-filled island, so those who say you should stay 3-4 days may have a point. We like quiet resorts so we would actually stay longer. The weather was absoulutely gorgeous the whole time we were there. We participated in two activities: Bishops cruise and Jason's fishing. Jason has been providing deep sea fishing for the resort for a little while now. We did a half day excurion and caught a few wahoo. The whole day was great. On another day, we participated in the Bishop cruise. We did a few hours of snorkeling seeing beautiful fish and also some giant clams. We went over to one foot island and had lunch, which was pleasant also. I would highly recommend going on this tour.
As for the snorkeling at PR Aitutaki, don't expect too much. There are alot of reefs and you will see some fish
PR does have a great pool. It has a smaller pool above it which has a beautiful waterfall. The large pool drops off towards the ocean and is set up just right. The only negative is that the water is somehwat shallow.
One more thing: The mosquitos can be a nuisance, so I would highly recommend that you bring some bug spray
Similar to the Raro trip report, I will now list the positives and negatives of the resort:
(Positives)
1. Rooms- we stayed in the lowest price accomodations: the beachfront bungalows(unit 112). Let me say that it does not matter! The bungalows are something you would see in a postcard. There is a large bed with AC and a fan. There is a few chairs and a couch. The deck has a table and some built in "sofas". The best part is the view of the ocean and the beach from the deck. I cannot emphasize how beautiful the set-up is. It was simply outstanding
2. Staff- the local staff was extremely courteious and friendly. They were wonderful to talk to and made our trip even better. The management team are extremely professional and were always there to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed.
(Negatives)
1. FOOD- the theme continues from the Rarotongan resort, except that the food on Aitutaki is even more expensive. Most meals will run 25-40NZD,but the mixed drinks(Mai Tai,etc) were a little cheaper(13.50 NZD) than the Raro resort. On Friday evenings, the resort has a dance show and buffet. Mixing in a positive, the local food was great. I ate so much fish that I actually gave birth to a yellowfin tuna that night. But seriously, the food was great. Here's the catch: The buffet ran about 60 NZD per person. It definately adds up
2. Treatment of the Cook Island Workers- I was debating whether or not to include this. Let me first start off by saying the management staff treated us exceptionally well. Also, during our stay, a group of owners of the resort were there. I met Greg(CEO) on the Bishops cruise and we had a great conversation. We also interacted with his wife and son at the pool(they were nice also)One of the things we enjoy most is interacting with the locals(workers) and learing about their culture. We like to pride ourselves by walking away from these trips and making friends with the local people. What was disturbing was the way some of the workers were being treated. On one occasion we saw one of the owners wive's berate/degrade an employee at the front desk.The way I was brought up, I would consider this unexcusable. Embarassing a grown adult in front of others is unacceptable, whether you are a Cook Islander, an American or whatever. (What's ironic is that we saw the same person throw her garbage over the side of the boat during the Bishops cruise.) On another occasion we saw another manager and owner do the same to another one of the workers. My point is that I left the resort with a bad taste in my mouth. I don't know the whole story: the workers could be lazy or the management just treat their workers like crap. I just found it somewhat disheartening. From the local workers that served us, we found them courteious, hard working and extremely friendly. We treated them with respect and I hope the resort does also in the very near future
Alright, enough of the kum-by-yah moment. If I were to rate the resort(poor,fair,good,excellent,outstanding), I would give it an EXCELLENT+!. The only reason it was not outstanding was because of the price of food/drink. Would I go back there again? In a heartbeat. The only thing I would do differently is I would skip Rarotonga altogether and come straight to this island. One consideration we are giving in the future is to take a trip to New Zealand and add PR Aitutaki to the back end. Great resort and will come back
One other side note: Don't know the full name of the resort, but it's something like "Captain Cooks'" . It is a new resort that is being built that will offere Over-The -Water- Bungalows
As for the snorkeling at PR Aitutaki, don't expect too much. There are alot of reefs and you will see some fish
PR does have a great pool. It has a smaller pool above it which has a beautiful waterfall. The large pool drops off towards the ocean and is set up just right. The only negative is that the water is somehwat shallow.
One more thing: The mosquitos can be a nuisance, so I would highly recommend that you bring some bug spray
Similar to the Raro trip report, I will now list the positives and negatives of the resort:
(Positives)
1. Rooms- we stayed in the lowest price accomodations: the beachfront bungalows(unit 112). Let me say that it does not matter! The bungalows are something you would see in a postcard. There is a large bed with AC and a fan. There is a few chairs and a couch. The deck has a table and some built in "sofas". The best part is the view of the ocean and the beach from the deck. I cannot emphasize how beautiful the set-up is. It was simply outstanding
2. Staff- the local staff was extremely courteious and friendly. They were wonderful to talk to and made our trip even better. The management team are extremely professional and were always there to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed.
(Negatives)
1. FOOD- the theme continues from the Rarotongan resort, except that the food on Aitutaki is even more expensive. Most meals will run 25-40NZD,but the mixed drinks(Mai Tai,etc) were a little cheaper(13.50 NZD) than the Raro resort. On Friday evenings, the resort has a dance show and buffet. Mixing in a positive, the local food was great. I ate so much fish that I actually gave birth to a yellowfin tuna that night. But seriously, the food was great. Here's the catch: The buffet ran about 60 NZD per person. It definately adds up
2. Treatment of the Cook Island Workers- I was debating whether or not to include this. Let me first start off by saying the management staff treated us exceptionally well. Also, during our stay, a group of owners of the resort were there. I met Greg(CEO) on the Bishops cruise and we had a great conversation. We also interacted with his wife and son at the pool(they were nice also)One of the things we enjoy most is interacting with the locals(workers) and learing about their culture. We like to pride ourselves by walking away from these trips and making friends with the local people. What was disturbing was the way some of the workers were being treated. On one occasion we saw one of the owners wive's berate/degrade an employee at the front desk.The way I was brought up, I would consider this unexcusable. Embarassing a grown adult in front of others is unacceptable, whether you are a Cook Islander, an American or whatever. (What's ironic is that we saw the same person throw her garbage over the side of the boat during the Bishops cruise.) On another occasion we saw another manager and owner do the same to another one of the workers. My point is that I left the resort with a bad taste in my mouth. I don't know the whole story: the workers could be lazy or the management just treat their workers like crap. I just found it somewhat disheartening. From the local workers that served us, we found them courteious, hard working and extremely friendly. We treated them with respect and I hope the resort does also in the very near future
Alright, enough of the kum-by-yah moment. If I were to rate the resort(poor,fair,good,excellent,outstanding), I would give it an EXCELLENT+!. The only reason it was not outstanding was because of the price of food/drink. Would I go back there again? In a heartbeat. The only thing I would do differently is I would skip Rarotonga altogether and come straight to this island. One consideration we are giving in the future is to take a trip to New Zealand and add PR Aitutaki to the back end. Great resort and will come back
One other side note: Don't know the full name of the resort, but it's something like "Captain Cooks'" . It is a new resort that is being built that will offere Over-The -Water- Bungalows
Dec 2nd, 2004, 06:31 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,044
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good report. Glad you liked Aitutaki. It's very different from Raro and it's always hard to tell who will prefer one over the other.
We visited the Aitutaki PR as it was nearing completion and spent a bit of time on the front deck of beach bungalows and can attest to the beauty of the view. From teh sound of things snorkeling there is not quite as good as a ways up the beach at the Are Tamanu (where we found tons of fish).
Sorry to hear that the management of the place was so bad to their employees. You might consider writing the management of the Pacific Resorts to let them know of your displeasure with what you saw.
Ken
We visited the Aitutaki PR as it was nearing completion and spent a bit of time on the front deck of beach bungalows and can attest to the beauty of the view. From teh sound of things snorkeling there is not quite as good as a ways up the beach at the Are Tamanu (where we found tons of fish).
Sorry to hear that the management of the place was so bad to their employees. You might consider writing the management of the Pacific Resorts to let them know of your displeasure with what you saw.
Ken
Dec 9th, 2004, 04:50 PM
#4
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We are booked to visit both the PR in Raro and in Aitutaki in April. It is our first time to the Cooks. What kind of accomodation did you have in Raro? What was the resort in Raro like as well as Muri beach?
Dec 10th, 2004, 02:03 PM
#6
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 932
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Beachygirl,
On Raro we did self catering at Avano Condos, nice place with communal pool, near Muri Beach and well priced. There's also several other options for self catering one is very nice if you can land it, books out quickly is the executive cottage (w/private pool), I can't remember the name but can't definitely find it if you have insterest. There are other possibilities for self catering as well.
On Raro we did self catering at Avano Condos, nice place with communal pool, near Muri Beach and well priced. There's also several other options for self catering one is very nice if you can land it, books out quickly is the executive cottage (w/private pool), I can't remember the name but can't definitely find it if you have insterest. There are other possibilities for self catering as well.
Dec 30th, 2004, 09:30 AM
#7
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi,
Thanks for the great report! We will be visiting in Dec.
Do you think it's worth taking out one of the 'meal plans' ? Are you restricted with choice with the plans?
Are there restaurants/hotels within walking distance that would provide another option for dinner/lunch?
Thanks
Thanks for the great report! We will be visiting in Dec.
Do you think it's worth taking out one of the 'meal plans' ? Are you restricted with choice with the plans?
Are there restaurants/hotels within walking distance that would provide another option for dinner/lunch?
Thanks
Dec 30th, 2004, 09:58 AM
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Milliemoo...Just to give an estimate: 2 of us were there for 3 nights and it cost us 450-600 US just for food. They have a fantastic buffet, but as I emntioned it went for $60NZDpp. I am not sure what the inclusive food rate is, but compare it to the price I listed....As for other restaurants, there is a Chinese food restaurant(this is not s type-o; but the food there supposed to be great) down the street, but everything else is either scooter/driving distance
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
stever
United States
5
Aug 9th, 2009 04:39 PM
