The Cook Islands, so much for so little
Written: May 11 '03 (Updated Jan 10 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: "The price is right"
Cons: Long flight
The Bottom Line: A great value on one of the prettiest islands in the south pacific. Friendly people but the westernization is starting to show. See this island before it changes!
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| tikiintahiti's Full Review: Rarotonga |
This morning I booked our 3rd trip to the Cook islands. 3 years ago my wife and I wanted to go on a second honeymoon to French Polynesia. I couldn't find the "deal" so I started to expand my search. As you will find in all my reviews our south pacific destinations are always based on me finding the "deal". In this case Discover Wholesale Travel came out with this encredible deal for 5 nights to the Cooks including airfare from LAX, transfers and accomadations. The total price, USD$675.00. I grabed the "deal" quickly. After reviewing several materials on the Cooks we decided to add a few extra days and go to Aitutaki as well. I booked it direct via internet with Tipani tours located on Rarotonga. The transaction went smooth and they even sent a courier to our hotel to deliver our tickets for Aitutaki. The total bill for the "deal"? $975.00 each!
Our flight was on Air New Zealand. I can't say enough about their service. First rate all the way even in "cattle call" section! We went Via Tahiti so it was nice steping off the plane for a few hours and say "hi" to our ole friend, the island of Moorea. Even at 2 am FAAA airport brought a twinkle to my eye. The smell of tropical flowers filled the air and brought back vivid memories of the paradise we had found! I was able to see the sunrise coming up behind Moorea, the rugged peaks in all their glory filled the sky as we sped down the runway on our trip over to Rarotonga. I looked out the window one last time, Moorea was calling out to me as I watched it disapear from site.
We arrived early in the morning in Rarotonga and our host was already there ready to receive us. We stayed at Ati's bungalows (now called Ati's Castaway) and were moved up to a ocean front room for free. A studio apartment right on the beach! The host were nice and friendly and gave us tips every time we ask. The rooms are cheap and very clean, no frills but all the basics you want. I understand that Ati's has been sold and the new owner has added a pool and some upscale rooms. We are considering returning to Ati's for our next stay but the jury is still out. (update, for our 3rd trip we will be staying at the Rarotongan Sunset).
Rarotonga reminds me so much of Moorea. The lush mountain peaks the lagoon, even the motus are similar to the ones on Moorea. There is one difference I will point out. The people are friendlier in the Cooks! Not to say that the tahitians are unfriendly but the smiles seem more genuine in the Cooks. Maybe the westernization has taken its toll more in French Polynesia. We enjoyed Muri Beach and a trip on it's lagoon. Watching th sail boat races at the regatta club on Muri beach was a blast. Some of our highlights on Rarotonga were eating at "Best Burgers" or something like that. Yes I agree that it looks like a greasy spoon but they were good and huge. The single must have been 1/2 pound, I can't emagine eating the "triple". As in French Polynesia the french fries are cooked in real animal fat. Oh, so good!
Another highlight was going to church. As church going people we thought we should go. I was very sick when we arrived on Rarotonga on Saturday but the doctor was already gone for the day and everything comes to a stand still on Sundays. Though I was sick I looked at the yellow pages and checked out a few possibilities for church the following day. We decided on a church called something like "The Church of the Holy Spirit on Fire", something like that. We got there a little late and as we sat down they stopped the service, a usher came over to help us get seated and made sure we had an interpeter sitting next to us. After the wonderful worship the Pastor decided seeing there were 3 guest (us and a guy from Germany) that he would speak in english.
After the service we were invited to stay for a church picnic. I told the Pastor that I was real sick and maybe we should go. He grabed my arm and sat me down next to him and the guy from Germany. He introduced me to this gentleman only to find out he was a doctor from Germany who flys to the Cooks every 6 months to "smuggle" in medical drugs as they are rare to find on the island. Only God could have put me at this place at the very time a doctor was there with drugs in hand! The doctor gave me a run of antibiotics and within a few days I was much better. I have tried to find this church to make contact again but have not been able to track down an address or contact person. If any of you know about this church please pass on the contact info to me. The church is located in the north east side of the island.
One more highlight of Rarotonga before I move on to Aitutaki. We went to a luau at the Edgewater Resort. Most of the islanders are christians but I never thought I would see the hula done to music with "praise words". It was fantastic, a memory I will take to my old age.
Ok, on to Aitutaki. When we flew over the lagoon I was in awe! Then I looked forward through the pilots cabin to see a "dirt" runway. As a private pilot I was in hog heaven! We landed and our host was there to pick us up. We stayed at "Aitutaki Lodges", a very clean but affordable place to stay. The host were wonderful and helped us with all our needs. We rented motor bikes ($10.00 USA per day)and we were off! Every place we went we saw cute kid's running around half undressed with big smiles on their faces. No TV, no video games but happy as could be. Many of the kids had chickens in their arms, I don't know if they were pets or if they were bringing it home for dinner?
The following night we went to "Crushers" for the luau. Had a nice buffet dinner and then watched the show. I may add that the bill was $15.00 USD, if we were in French Polynesia the bill would be more like $75.00 each. You got the feeling that the locals would be doing this (the luau)even if us (tourists) were not there, we were lucky enough to have this experience! Every one of the locals danced. The little ones up to the grandmas. My wife noticed that when the guys jumped up in the air that she saw their "butts", in Hawaii you see shorts, yes we were experiencing something closer to the "real deal". The youngsters who danced were like cute little dolls, you just wanted to grab them and give them a big hug. It was a wonderful night!
The Following night we went to Ralphies (now called Fletchers) for their luau. The meal was more westernized but it was nice to have a good New Zealand steak. The luau was nice but seemed a little more formal and lets say more "showy" than the one at Crushers. There was something about the causal setting at Crushers that made it very inviting! (on our 2nd trip we returned to Crushers, we were impressed again. We also saw a show at the Pearl Beach Resort. It was good but lacked the setting at Crushers. We also went to a luau at Smandes across the bridge from the Pearl Beach. The local charm was their but the dancers lacked the charm at Crushers. I may also add that if you go to Smandes for the luau don't wait ubtil the end of the buffet as the food will be gone!)
The following day I climbed up to the top of the island to catch the views. It was wonderful. You can see 360 degrees from up there. We then went to the Pearl Resort as we were told that it was the big deal on the island. It was nice and my wife and I decided that if and when we return we would stay there. Not that Aitutaki Lodges was bad but we liked the idea of air conditioning! The following day we went out on to the lagoon. We both love our snorkeling and we were not disappointed. Great snorkeling! The boat crew was wonderful and made a great lunch and sang songs. The bill, $25.00 USA each, this would have been over $100.00 in FP.
As we left to return to Rarotonga we were sad but happy for our wonderful time. My wife had a big highlight when going though the vendors at the airport in Rarotonga on our return flight. She found several black pearls at great prices. Maybe not as nice as the $500.00 one she bought several years ago in FP but who cares when the price was only $20.00. Last year (December 2002) we booked our 2nd trip to the Cooks. Aloha Airlines was running a special for $670.00. It was Aloha's first flight, December 9th and we were treated like royalty. THere was a big party awaiting us when we arrived in the terminal. As we had traveled both to Rarotonga and Aitutaki and enjoyed the remoteness of Aitutaki better we went directly to Aitutaki and yes we stayed at the Pearl Resort. A nice place. We were upgraded to a better room for free and the management staff was great. The location is a little isolated from the main part of the island but we had a wonderful time. The luau could use some improvement. No pig in the ground they cooked all the meat on a BBQ. The show was really good but I enjoyed the casual seen that the Crushers bar gave.
As we moter biked around we noticed the new Pacific Resort and stopped to take a look. It was a wonderful looking place. They had just opened and were sticking up thier christmas tree in the foyer. We had lunch and enjoyed the views. My wife and I decided that if we return we would try and stay there. The price tag is big but everything is first class.
At the beginning of this review I told you I had just booked our 3rd trip to the Cooks. I have tryed on numerous occasions to get the Pacific Resort on Aitutaki to come up with a "promo" so we could afford staying there. Just this week they raised their prices again to beyond our capabilities. I guess they have all the business they can handle? That seems rather strange when the USA public has dropped their international travel by 20%. But then again the main visitors come from Aussie county, NZ and Europe. I guess I'm thankful for Aloha Airlines running thier promo price again on Travelocity ($670.00) or we couldn't even be heading back to the Cooks.
Just an update (Sept 2003), We decided not to go to Aitutaki this time but to stay on Rarotonga the whole time. We booked a week at "Shangri-la" on Muri Beach. Nice place, air conditioning, pool & a big studio room. The price was right as well.
Last year we also went to Bora Bora and stayed a week at Club Med. You may wish to read my review.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
tikiintahiti
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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