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Thankyou Rudi and Kanoe for another memorable 10 day stay, the bungalows are clean well appointed and private, the only noise is the sound of the waves breaking on the reef. The views off the deck look straight to the beach and coral reef and the odd passing whale. Walking distance to a well stocked supermarket and burger bar and french bakery 50 meters further on, a short scooter ride back to Muri beach. Perfect base to explore and enjoy beautiful rarotonga.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:We found a scooter was perfect to buzz around the island
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here while on honeymoon. We stayed in the upstairs accommodation with a beach view. We were pleasantly surprised with our accommodation. While basic, it had everything we needed and we loved being able to eat outside on our balcony facing the sea. The hosts were fantastic, very welcoming and went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed our stay. While the location is a little out of the way, it is only a short 10-15 min walk from amenities and there is a bus stop near by.
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If moonlight on the ocean and the sound of the surf breaking a stone’s throw from your porch or balcony is your idea of relaxation, then Tropical Sands in Rarotonga may be as pleasant for you as we found it.
There are many restaurants a short ride away by bus, taxi or rental. We often ate in using the nearby convenience store and the ample kitchen in our unit. There is a nearby night market with many food offerings.
Owners Rudy and Kanoe made us most welcome. Our unit was comfortable with screened windows open for the ocean breezes.
There is a small coffee shop nearby with coffee ground and roasted on site. They are open daily from 7:30 to 10. Be sure to go early on Wednesday, Friday or Sunday when a variety of fresh pastries and bread are available.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Tropical Sands is happy to help schedule a shuttle from the airport.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hosts are very helpful and make you feel right at home. Bungalow was very clean and comfortable with everything you needed for cooking etc.Large fridge and lots of space to move around. Every Bungalow seems to have veiw of beach,gorgeous gardens .
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Tropical sands, only downer was no milk provided and there is no b.b
Q.But totally understand why...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rudy Aquino, Owner at Tropical Sands
Responded 13 Jul 2022
Meitaki Ma'ata (Thank you), For your great review and we're so happy that your holiday was full of beautiful memories and hope that you'll return to our little paradise again.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tropical Sands is a paradies! We stood there for 2 weeks and wished we would have booked for a longer stay. The bungalow is very well equipped, nothing was missing even for a longer stay, the mattresses have been very comfortable, so that we slept extremely well. Everything inside the house and outside in the garden and at the beach was very clean and spacious. Towels and bedsheets have been changed frequently. To sit on the poarch and to listen to the waves of the sea and the rustling of the palm trees was a top relaxation for us. We looked for hours on the sea and the beach, it was amazing. You cannot swim directly in front of the resort, but only a few kilometers away you find the wonderful beaches of Muri or Fruits of Rarotonga for snorkeling. In the Tropical Sands the atmosphere is absolute calm and peaceful, the artistically designed garden and beach are wonderful and unique. Heidi and Rudy are very charming and friendly hosts who made our stay unforgettable. Although the regular busses stop directly in front of the entrance, we recommend to rent a car or a bike in order to be more flexible to see the beauties of Rarotonga or to dine in one of the excellent restaurants on the island. If possible, do not miss a concert of Rudy; you will love his music. The organisation of our transport from and to the airport was perfect. We did not miss anything during our holidays and can highly recommend Tropical Sands for wonderful holidays.
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Date of stay: February 2015
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unit 1 is right at the front, on the beach. The reef is very close here (3.0km north of Muri) and the waves really crash along. And in whale migration season, August, they are just there, really close. The remaining units sit back, and look at the sea alongside or past unit 1. Unit 1 ADSL has a really protected deck at the front, and a spare single room.
Nice place, but you have to hop on your scooter and head 3km to Muri if you want to snorkel or swim - you really can't do it in the skills bit of lagoon in front of the resort.
Friendly hosts, nothing is too much trouble.
Clean, quiet, safe. A really nice family location.
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Date of stay: August 2014
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Seriously, pay the bit extra and get the beachfront (not beach view) unit - unit 1.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We (22yr old couple) stayed here for one night between Aitutaki and flying back to Sydney. We booked through hotels.com. We turned up early to ask when we could check in to be told they had no record of us booking.. Fortunately they had a spare room they made up for us. The rooms were really very nice, they had a FULL kitchen with all utensils you need, a comfy bed, nice clean bathroom and a lounge area with TV and stocked book shelf. The resort is small, only a few rooms, but really nice - it has a raised deck built for you to look out at the ocean. The downside is the location, you cannot swim at the beach (rocks) or even walk on the sand without shoes. Luckily we had hired a car at the airport so we could go elsewhere to swim. After staying at the Sanctuary Rarotonga for the first half of our holiday and having full access to the lagoon on our doorstep this was disappointing and would mean that I wouldn't return to this resort.
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Date of stay: January 2014
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kia Orana - this warm welcome in the middle of the night (as many international flights arrive around midnight) makes you happy immediately.
Ever fancied a room with a view/ a cabin with a view? Well, you will love TROPICAL SANDS. The ocean is right in front of the cabins and at night time you can hear the waves crashing against the rocks. Amazing. Kanoe and Rudy are simply gorgeous people who make your stay unforgettable. You feel like home away from home. Thank you, Kanoe and Rudy, and KIA ORANA! The cabin (we booked the Beach Studio) is spacious and spotless clean. There are basically two rooms with two double beds and two separate bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a terrace you dont wanna leave as you can see the waves rolling into the beach. Muri Beach is just around the corner although you cannot walk there. The two bus routes stop in front of TROPICAL SANDS (clockwise and anti-clockwise buses are the two services) but you can also hire a car. Its nice to discover the island in your own pace and you can stop wherever you like (plus: the buses are only kind of frequent during the week and till 4pm). There is space to park the car at Tropical Sands. Rudy and Kanoe can also help you with organizing your days as they have a lot of insider tipps plus you can organise a shuttle service to and from the airport (15 NZD per person, single trip). Tropical Sands offers also an open air barbecue, sun beds and sunny open air terrace to watch the sunrise, to take a sunbathe or simply to enjoy the sea breeze. It is a gorgeous place to stay. So dont waste your time searching for the right spot. THIS IS THE RIGHT SPOT :-)
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Date of stay: December 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Beach Studio with sea view
There is another cabin facing the sea directly (maybe more expensive?...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Loved this place. It has a proper island vibe, great value and clean. There's no swimming beach, just wild ocean but it's a truly atmospheric location. The gardens are beautiful and the hosts are chilled. We had the beachfront room which was point blank on the pacific.
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Date of stay: December 2010
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Let’s start with the positives before detailing all that went wrong. Their rooms are large and well appointed as are the grounds. They also have a couple of old bicycles you can borrow if you want to explore, and the busses stop once an hour in front of their place at scheduled times — mostly on time (the longest we had to wait was 30 minutes past the scheduled time on a very rainy day.) The beach is great for walking and is really empty. When you walk up and down it, it is rare to see another person. Be aware that it isn’t suitable for swimming. We stayed a total of 13 nights.
This resort is a Bluesky Hot Spot so Wi-Fi is available for a fee. I paid $25 the first time and $20 the next time as there was a promo. Of the 13 days I could access the Wi-Fi network only a couple of days. To get connected required a bus ride to a reliable Hot Spot @$5.00 per person, per ride each way.
Unknown to us when we booked — and why I am telling you here — is that there is another resort being built right next door so there are nail guns, circular saws, and a backhoe making a racket between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. They are also burning materials and the smoke wafts over. One group scheduled to stay a week checked out after one day and demanded their money back. When they left we were told that the resort would pay for our taxi ride to the airport when we were ready to leave to compensate for the noise. This is worth $40 NZD. Although my wife confirmed this with the management on 2 separate occasions, when it came time to leave, we were told to pay for the taxi ourselves. The busses were not an option because they were not running on Good Friday.
Tip: Bring some New Zealand cash with you as few places take your credit card and sometimes if they do they have they same connectivity issues as Bluesky and your card can be declined “Issuer Not Available.”
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Date of stay: March 2018
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Facing the ocean is best
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
"Tropical sands, only downer was no milk provided and there is no b.b
Q.But totally understand why not.People seem to think it's not there job to clean up for next person "
There are more places to choose from in the Avarua area.
PRICE RANGE
$165 - $197 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
Cook IslandsSouthern Cook IslandsRarotongaAvarua
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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