...samoa, new cal, vanuatu, huahine.
here is what I want to do:
i want to wake up in a *bure* and *hear birdies* (i'm from a big city).
then, I want to not care what I look like as I slip into the *calm, warm* (lapping, not surf) water *nearby* (footsteps, no shoes required) and then sit down and *not freeze* and say hello to the *little colorful fishies* who will come play with me.
am i dreaming?
this is how it was in the maldives. i would like to know where i'm going to find this near oz/nz?

thanks heaps. only requirements are: i have to go november/december. it can't cost a fortune and you good peple know what i mean by a fortune. oh, and no jelly fish, please?

my pen is ready to write down and research further all that you suggest.

everything else is unimportant. i'll eat biscuits and rice and bananas. i don't need nightlife. i don't need "activities" or "shopping" just the calm water the little fishies and me...?? thanks!

Rarotonga and Aitutaki. I'll also add anywhere in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, though if you are on a limited budget it's a bit harder to do (not impossible though).

Ken

thank you. now...seriously literally where? which establishment do you suggest? which island is preferable?
i am so excited to have a starting point already!

What's your daily budget in US dollars?

Ken

Hello - yes, daily budget is important! Aitutaki is absolutely beautiful (place and people) but unless things have changed in the last 5 years there isn't a lot of budget accommodation. And what there is, faces the outer lagoon (wonderful sunsets) instead of the inner lagoon. You need to hire a pushbike or scooter to get around (lots of fun) but wouldn't fit the picture of stepping out of bed onto the beach and into the sea. Well, it sort of would, but not into the stunning inner lagoon.

So just in case you don't find what you want there: You could check out Fiji. Lots of islands and possibly cheaper.

Finally - just an idea, as you did say "near" Oz, and not "in". How about the Ningaloo Reef in W Australia? - I didn't stay at this particular accommodation myself, but people I met in Exmouth loved it - and it is an extraordinary (if not particularly lush) landscape. I wasn't sure if the place still existed so did a search and it does:
www.ningalooreefretreat.com

Your description of 'heaven' made me want to head straight there too.

thank you all!

i am not at all ruling out oz...just the currency is on the high side and it is creeping higher every day it seems.

...also thinking a bit of the smaller variety of fishies and not, say, uhm, whale sharks that i believe ningaloo is most famous (infamous) for??
more more more

as for budget, my budget is always the same on vacation: as little as possible whilst not making a huge sacrifice in comfort. i'll spend if i have to, for like, a door and a private bathroom. if i arrive someplace and what appears to be a much nicer room is available for say , usd $20 more, i will almost always go for the nicer over the not as nice but within my budget option, to have a great overall experience. i'll be cranky if i've overspent for something average.
i have no idea what things cost so it's difficult to even give a guess-

..it's the location first, comforts second...i expect it to be enclosed, and hope for air con...but the beach element is most important...

thank you for your great input...

You'd be lucky to see a whale shark in Nov/Dec! (May/June is the season). But there are lots of small fishes, and you don't have to get on a boat to see them.

An air-con bure - now that WOULD be something!

Have to say it would be HOT there in December, but Cape Range NP is an extraordinary place.

If you do go to Aitutaki please post with details of where you decided to stay (as I'd love to go back there one day).

Taa

Well first I would suggest, if you like Maldives, have you considered Andaman? or Maybe Seychelles? Closest to OZ actually is probably Cocos. SP can have your fish and beaches, but the birds generally come from more of a rain forest environment. You might consider some island resorts in Indonesia or Malaysia as well.

You've already been to French Poly so I won't suggest that. How about Palau?

Interesting you don't mention being in Fiji and yet bure is a Fijian word.

i would love to go to seychelles...but i was thinking something along cocos. any suggestions there? i haven't been to fiji...i must have read bure on another post. to me it's like a hut, so i hope that is right.
aitutaki looks pretty, where do you like to stay there, fodorites? thanks still.

On Aitutaki, if you want to be really cheap, stay at the Matriki Beach Huts (http://www.matriki.com/) for $15 USD PP/night. If you are looking for a proper resort, consider the Are Tamanu Resort (http://www.aretamanu.com/) Not anywhere near as cheap ($210 USD/night), but very, very nice indeed.
The Matriki Beach Huts and the Are Tamanu are right next to each other on a wonderful beach with calm, clear water and lots of fish.
A bit further up the beach is Paradise Cove (http://www.ck/aitutaki/paradisecove/), with a price in-between ($125 USD night)
If you want a really fancy (and expensive - $350+ USD/night) place, look into the Aitutaki Pacific Resort (http://aitutaki.pacificresort.com/) or the similarly priced Aitutaki Lagoon Resort (http://www.aitutakilagoonresort.com/)

Ken

KeriKeri

Lord Balfor beat me to it with the Aitutaki recommendations in the Cooks. If you are going to choose the Cooks (which I think would be a great choice) and choose to stay on Rarotonga, the main island, then I would suggest you stay on the South or south Eastern Coast. This part of the island has the best swimming/snorkling as the lagoon has some depth here. The West and North of the main island are not so good as the lagoon is in parts only a couple of feet deep. The hint for telling which resorts/hotels have a swimmable beach off them is how big a feature they make of there swimming pool. For instance Club Raro features a big picture of the pool on their site and then goes on to talk about it. Palm Grove on the south coast barely mention theirs as they have a swimmable part of the lagoon at their doorstep.

The best for snorkling/swimming is Muri Lagoon on the South East coast. Another good beach is Titikaveka on the south coast.

A good choice accomodation wise we have found was the Palm Grove on the South Coast. We stayed in a large unit on the land side which was no mre than 50 metres from the sea. There are beach "bures" which are literally on the beach but these cost slightly more.

Cost wise as the Cooks use the Pacific Peso, otherwise known as the New Zealand dollar you will find you can stretch you spending power. Currently 65 cents USD buys you one New Zealand dollar. Much cheaper than French Polynesia. Also cheaper than Fiji and Australia.

BTW have you been to New Zealand or have you a connection here, it is just that your user name KeriKeri is the name of a nice little town in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, another top spot if you are thinking of a more temperate holiday.

Good luck whatever your choice.

Steve

yes- you have busted me as we say in the states- i had the absolute top ten days of my traveling life in quaint kerikeri - the easy rainbow falls hike was a transcendental experience in spring with the scent of blossoms, the warm rush of air from the orchards and the gurgling of the stream to my left. i loved everything about kerikeri and so i took it as my name here!

thank you so very much for those recommendations and please don't sell your "peso" short- when i calculated the rate of the aitutaki resort it was closer to $500 USD - i think the problem may be that all prices were set with the notion that they are "low" but in reality with the dollar at an extremely low point foreign currencies and thus travel (for us dollars) is quite expensive (in this part of the world), whereas before it was very attractive (cost-wise).

i am so happy to have a "budget" option for these islands and will select a resort from the above mentioned choices.

thank you all so much! it is such a relief to have reliable and great info on this board!

Kerikeri -

Yes, you are right (OUCH!). The USD has taken another drop verses the NZD since I looked last (sigh). Adjust the prices accordingly.

Ken

Kerikeri -

Sorry, no suggestions on Cocos, I've been to loads of SP islands but not ones in the Indian Ocean. (just heard from Ozzies that have)

As for bure, it's just the Fijian word for a house. It could be anything from a run down shack to a mansion. Resorts use the term just to differentiate a hotel room from a free standing self contained unit. Sort of like some US resorts give you a "cabin" or a "cabana".

In the mean time, I'm sure you'll like Aitutaki. May not meet all the criteria you were talking about, but it's great in its own way.