Hello, <BR>I would like to visit the Cook Islands this Spring. I don't usually like to island hop, because I don't like to waste the time traveling, packing/unpacking, etc., but I don't want to miss either of these islands. Any suggestions? We like beautiful beaches, clear water, an assortment of restaurants and nice accommodations. Thanks in advance for your help.

Raro is much bigger and more developed, so this is the place where most tourists go. It is expensive to get to Aitutaki from Raro, and the places to stay are generally more expensive too, but it is such a beautiful island, you will be very unhappy if you miss it. You may want to make Rarotonga your base, and take a short 2-3 day side trip to Aitutaki.

Holly: I agree with Alf; you don't want to miss Aitutaki. My wife and I spent 3 weeks in the Cooks this past summer, including 5 days on Aitutaki. Raro definitely has more action, and a greater variety of things to do, but Aitutaki has superior beaches, diving, etc. It has more of the feel of the South Pacific paradise that we all dream about. If you go, make sure you take a lagoon boat trip. We went with Bishop's, and it included motu hopping, snorkeling, and a lunch on One Foot Island. We stayed at Gina's Bungalows, which was great accomodation at a very reasonable price. This was part of a package that included the airfare from Raro to Aitutaki. We booked this through a local travel agent on Raro called Jetsave. The only problem with Gina's was that it was not on the beach. We rented bikes, and mopeds anyway, so this was not a big problem; ( it's quite a small island) .The Pearl Resort is on a great beach, but is quite pricey, even with the positive exchange. Just down from The Pearl is a more public beach with a half decent beachfront restaurant. We swam there most days. Aitutaki has a bit of a mosquito problem, so make sure you take your repellant as there is Dengue fever in the South Pacific. Don't let this stop you, though, it's just a matter of protecting yourself. On Raro, we stayed at the Aroko Bungalows, which is in the best beach area of Raro. Price there was very reasonable as well. Recommend the Flame Tree Restaurant close by, but there are other good tips on a previous posting on this site. People on the Cooks are very hosptiable, so have a great time.

Don't miss Aitutaki!!! We spent three weeks in Raro and took a couple of days over on Aitutaki. We booked from a travel agent there and stayed at a small motel called the Sunset. Try to hit it on a Thursday night and go to Crushers bar for supper and the show. We too used Bishop for the tour and they were wonderful. It is not a cheap few days but worth every penny of it. The Cooks are awesome!

The Cooks are great. Do NOT miss Aitutaki. <BR>Are you the same Holly Papa who asked me about (and later went to) the Bora Bora Pearl Beach last year? The name is the same but the e-mail address is different.<BR><BR>Ken