we stayed for 6 nights booking a ground floor beach view room. At the airport they check you in to the hotel so all you need to do is pick up your room key on arrival at the hotel. we stayed in the adults only hotel which seemed fairly quiet when we arrived. we were told we could go to the sister hotel next door to share facilities. In each room there is an A - Z compendium about the hotel which is about 60 pages long. In the compendium it states each room has a microwave but we didnt have one.
The room seemed as decribed although in places the ratten effect wall coverings looked dirty and simply dated. There were holes where previous cupboards had been removed. The one bedside table looked dirty and mouldy and the table lamp plug looked singed! we just didnt use it. Large king size bed which I found too hard. There was a settee which had a broken leg, a table and two chairs. There was a lot of funriture for the size of the room which made it cramped and difficult to manouevre. The bathroom had louvre doors whch opened abov ethe bed head(?). The inbuilt single wardrobe housed iron and ironing board, broom, dustpan, safe, 3 drawers and can of ant spray. These were the only drawers in the room, which needed another set really. You got dressing gowns but if you were larger than size 12 they didnt fit. wifi was 20 usd for 10 days for 1 device only, so it was expensive if you were staying only for a few days adn it was intermittent. However, you could save money by not having your room cleaned so got a 10dollar credit for each day which you could use at the bar or on wifi etc. aircon worked well if a bit noisy. Mini bar fridge (payable) was barely cold, small kettle with instant coffee and creamer. There was an ice bucket which you could take to the bar and take back to your room. The house keeping staff were wonderful, very friendly and helpful. The gardens are beautifully kept and the entire complex is very clean. overall all staff were helpful and friendly.There was a decent pool with swim up bar and it was warm too, much warmer than the lagoon.
Breakfast was complimentary for us, even though everyday we had to sign a slip for 48 dollars. Breakfast comprised cereal, toast, small croissants, cheese slices, tinned fruit pancakes, plain yoghurt, tea and coffee. we went to the sister restaurant as the tables in adult side were set on sand, and were often crawling with ants. we found other meals were pricey compared to outside restaurants and ate out every day after the first day where food was better.
Outside the villa, the sand is gritty not soft but there are fantastic views of the lagoon, with sunbeds for each villa. sadly there was a problem with ants over the sunbeds, and patio, no wonder they gave you a tin of ant spray . snorkelling in the lagoon was fantastic with multiple species of fish, stunning royal blue star fish etc. there was free to use snorkel equipment in each room although we had taken our own. you do need to use water /beach shoes or flippers for the lagoon due to the fragile coral beds.
There is a shop next to reception with prices for juices similar to town prices, but the shelves are just overrun with ants, which is a bit off putting. we got multiple bites from the reception area and from the sand area near to the bar. there is evenign entertainment although we didnt stay to watch as we ate out every night. there are cookery lessons and multiple activities at the resort. family pool area was good. when orderign food for m the bar they give you a pager and when this beeps you go to the collection point for your food. we had a pasta dish and a pizza which was ok, but we found food outside the hotel was better.
The bus stops right outsdie the reception area and runs around the island clockwise and anticlockewise until 5pm when it just runs clockwise and is hourly, with the round trip taking around 55mins. the island is beautiful but car hire is expensive. we found the bus was adequate for us as it stopped near enough whever you asked the driver to stop! we bought discounted 10 trip ticket for 35dollars, otherwise its 5 dollars single trip 8dollars return and very limited bus service at weekends.
we ate out at charlies most nights (5- 8pm) which had fantastic food and live entertainment too. the bus stop is right outside charlies. we also ate at trader jacks which is in the town center next to the harbour where the locals swim in the harbour. That too has live entertainment some nights. There are plenty of eateries throughout the island including other hotels all on the bus route too.
There is a mini supermarket near the hotel , go out of the hotel turn left and the supermarket is on the right hand side but its a good 20 minute walk there. There are a couple of supermarkets near to the harbour/ town centre but everything is so expensive on the island and there is limited choice. the weather was hot but cloudy while we were there as we had the tail end of a cyclone so frequent showers happened day and night. we probably wouldnt go back but it was a beautiful island to visit. Cook islands is not a cheap place to go to but it is stunning.
