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Howie R
Wellington

Super friendly

4.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 7 Nov 2022
Awesome and friendly staff. Great food and drinks. The place was a little run down but that is understandable noting COVID and the recent big storm that wrecked havoc on the facility. It is being refreshed and is looking great with more and more being done everyday.
Date of stay: October 2022
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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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.
Haimona Browne, Owner at Sanctuary Rarotonga-on The Beach, responded to this review
Responded 14 Nov 2022
Kia Orana,
Thank you for your kind review.
We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed the warm hospitality from our staff.
We recently welcomed Mark and Kerry as Resort Managers and they have been doing a great job getting our resort refreshed and looking great.
Thank you for choosing to stay with us.
Kind Regards,
Haimona Browne
Resort Manager
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
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Reviewed 8 October 2022 via mobile

A beautiful place at a great spot on the lagoon, with really lovely staff. The amenities are good ie free snorkling, stand up boards and canoes. The cleanliness is immaculate and the pool and bar are 1st class.
If the food was improved, I would rate this 5 stars

Date of stay: October 2022
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank J4383WYrossm
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.
Haimona Browne, Owner at Sanctuary Rarotonga-on The Beach, responded to this reviewResponded 22 October 2022

Kia Orana,
Thank you for your kind review.
I am pleased to hear you enjoyed the warm hospitality from our team as well as the facilities and amenities.
I trust you you took some time out to experience some of the amazing snorkeling directly in front of the resort.
We are in the process of recruiting an Executive and Head Chef.
Thank you again for choosing to stay with us.
Yours sincerely,
Haimona Browne
Resort Manager

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 30 September 2022

We booked for dinner at their restaurant...we needn't have bothered as we were the only ones when we arrived there. We ordered a burger and a fish dish. It took over 45 minutes to arrive and only after I asked the waitress what was happening with our meal. When it did come, it was almost cold. The service was very surly, no smiles, no nothing from beginning to end. The restaurant itself, supposedly attached to their high-end accommodation, is old and tired and in need of serious maintenance. Do not come here.

Date of stay: September 2022
    • Location
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
Thank carolinag195
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.
Haimona Browne, Owner at Sanctuary Rarotonga-on The Beach, responded to this reviewResponded 22 October 2022

Kia Orana,
Thank you for your review.
I am disappointed to hear you didn't enjoy your dining experience with us.
Our Restaurant Manager would have been more than happy to address any of your concerns at the time.
I am not sure if you were aware but the decking of our main restaurant got damaged during the recent king tides and it has been difficult to rebuild due to the inconsistent tides. You will be pleased to know that this project has now been completed and we have been posting new images on social media.
Kind Regards,
Haimona Browne
Resort Manager

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 23 September 2022

My wife and I stayed for 19 nights at Sanctuary on the Beach (the adults only sister resort to the adjacent Rarotongan) with a beachfront cabin, on our first ever trip to the Cook Islands. We had a rough start but eventually things settled down to become what was for us a very pleasant stay. After a lovely greeting at the airport, we had to wait in the transfer van in the heat for nearly an hour til they filled the bus up. The transfer company had one driver servicing 2 buses, so we didn’t move til she had come back from trip no. 1. No doubt this was partly due to our arriving on a Sunday (note to self: never repeat that, on Sunday in Raro many locals take the day off, there is just less of everything available). It didn’t help that the driver also kept making sarcastic wisecracks and reminding us that they were still the cheapest on the island.

When we got to it cabin, the air con was broken, the wifi in the room poor and the last straw was that although there is no smoking in the rooms, guests can smoke on their balconies (unlike, say the Edgewater resort) , meaning that with the door open to let in the wonderful sea breeze, we frequently got very unwelcome second hand smoke. Within a day however, the air con was fixed (though I had to ask 3 times). The promised “visit from Vodaphone” to check the wifi never eventuated. We learnt to cope without it, or go to the bar or reception if we wanted hi bandwidth. It was basically only good for email in our room, so we had to forget streaming services or gaming online. Water pressure in the shower was great, which was nice.

We learnt that There is a general staff shortage on Raro and this affects everything across all tourism sectors, as many of the locals went to NZ during Covid for work when tourism shut down, and a lot haven’t returned yet ( and it’s a small population servicing an intensive tourism sector), so we adjusted our expectations a bit. Eventually the smokers moved on, and our plea for non smoking neighbours worked out, whether by design or luck we don’t know. The location was great, the adjacent (30m walk) lagoon wonderful, if a bit windy on the SW side of the island.

The resort offers lots of free use gear (kayaks, paddle board, snorkeling gear etc) which is great and many people take advantage of it. The fish life in the lagoon is amazing and the water great to swim in, a real highlight and reason to stay here. The local walks into the hills were great also, very scenic (note: bring VAST amounts of sunscreen and bug spray with you to Raro, especially sunscreen as the local shops either don’t have stock at all or sell tiny tubes at vast prices!)

The bar and restaurant was usually busy but the hard working and pleasant staff were lovely. A big shout out goes to Akuila, Gwen, Estherlina and Va who were stalwart and welcoming. The meals were what we would call “decent pub quality” on average, but with some real highlights like the sticky pork ribs, the seafood chowder and the Ike Mata.

The resort could be 4 star with not a lot more effort and better (i.e more) staffing. There were some staff here who were clearly still learners, and sometimes the experienced staff coped by themselves with double and triple duties. We learnt to cut them some slack rather than get grumpy and just complain. It was “island time” after all! We heard from some neighbours that some accomodation locations on Raro have actually limited their visitor numbers to match the staff they actually have available, so as to keep standards up. The lack of staff and over worked staff did impact some aspects of our stay. We noticed (for example) that sometimes rubbish would be in corners uncollected for a day or 2, something that would not occur in the 4-4.5 star resorts we have stayed in, in Fiji and elsewhere. Sometimes housekeeping didn’t happen when meant to in our rooms, though this picked up over the stay. Also, not all the things advertised in the daily activity schedule seem to occur, and restaurant suggestions were listed that are not actually on the menu. Most staff were friendly and courteous and some were exceptional. The separate reception in the Sanctuary part of the resort did not operate the whole time we were here, so sometimes the queues in the main (sister resort) Rarotongan reception were very long. We learnt to go away and come back, and avoid the peaks.

The reception staff were always helpful in booking tours, providing advice on local transport etc.

The resort is not near any cafes, and we were surprised that the bar or restaurant doesn’t do real coffees. With a decent barista, they could make a mint…we would all be willing to pay! There is a coffee machine in the little gift shop but it seemed to either put out watery, poor tasting coffee or be out of order. Not worth the $4 charge when it did work (sorry, need to be honest here).

So, would we come back? Yes. However, I would expect the resort to lift their game over time, as they recover from Covid. They also need to ensure that the activities promoted on the daily schedule (and online) all actually occur, or stop offering them. Lastly, push all the smokers into the easternmost block so their smoke doesn’t affect anyone else, or like other some resorts, set up designated smoking areas or just ban it. It is very unappreciated by other patrons.

In summary, at present it was a 3 star genuine experience and I thought I had booked a 4 star resort. I hope it can get back up there.

Date of stay: September 2022
    • Location
    • Sleep Quality
    • Service
Thank V9737AVstephenh
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.
Haimona Browne, Owner at Sanctuary Rarotonga-on The Beach, responded to this reviewResponded 22 October 2022

Kia Orana,
Thank you for your detailed review.
Your feedback is very much appreciated and we will taking these on board and incorporating these with our staff training and product improvements.
We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the warm hospitality from our staff and will pass your comments onto our team
We recently welcomed new staff from both locally and overseas and our recruitment drive is as strong as ever.
Thank you again for choosing to stay with us and we look forward to welcoming you back in the near future.
Yours sincerely,
Haimona Browne
Resort Manager

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Reviewed 12 September 2022

Seriously don’t stay here! We are into day 2 of our 4 day stay and are extremely disappointed with this “Resort”
We paid $1560 for four nights and would of expected a lot better. Firstly we booked a beach front upstairs room that we did NOT get…. We cannot access the beach directly due to rocks all on the beach even though we can see the beach from the bottom floor.
Also the room is VERY tired and dirty with mould and ants in bathroom. The front doors didn’t open, the toilet continued to run water and the safe didn’t work either. We finally after 2 days have those things fixed but still haven’t had our room serviced, bed made or clean towels. Cannot get a coffee in the resort either !!! On speaking to others staying here too this is quite common. I believe the prices have gone up considerably talking to what others have paid and it is a rip off !!! Choose wisely before you book here.

Date of stay: September 2022
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Thank 42minclark
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.
Reviewed 24 August 2022 via mobile

Beds very comfortable. Older style rooms and not overly clean but the resort is working with minimal staff due to recent king tides. Food cheap n cheerful but service slow due to above. Cocktails amazing. Most of the staff extremely attentive and cheerful. We had the best honeymoon ever and we'll definitely be back!

Date of stay: August 2022
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1  Thank ITMor
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.
Haimona Browne, Owner at Sanctuary Rarotonga-on The Beach, responded to this reviewResponded 26 August 2022

Kia Orana,
Thank you for your kind review.
We are thrilled to hear you had an amazing honeymoon and we look forward to welcoming you back.
Yours sincerely,
Haimona Browne
Resort Manager

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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