For a fraction of the price of the smart resorts on Aitutaki you can have your own beachfront studio apartment. It’s clean, comfortable and has aircon! A real treat on these small islands. Facing the lagoon and the spectacular sunsets, my private decking had a day bed and table and chairs. Yes the bathroom is a bit tired but Papa Rino was undertaking renovations while I was there. There are cheaper garden rooms but, seriously, book early and get a beachfront one! Papa Rino is a bit of an institution - I believe he’s in his 80s and still reads the paper without glasses. He also runs a car/scooter hire place (you need a minimum 125cc licence to hire a scooter in the Cook Islands - not the automatic 50cc that normally comes with UK licences).
Lovely breakfast - fresh fruit, cereals & fresh pancakes! They’ll help you organise diving or snorkelling trips (I can recommend Teking’s snorkelling safari). It is a blue sky hot spot so if you bought a voucher in Rarotonga it will work here too. For self caterers there is just one supermarket (neiba) open on a Sunday. Most of the small local restaurants close...apparently I’m told the resort hotel restaurants are open (but they’re well out of my budget), the boat shed and Koru cafe - beyond the airport (a good scooter ride from Rino’s) are also open. On Sunday I suggest you go to CICC church at 10 (especially if you’re there the 1st Sunday of the month when everyone wears white) to listen to the amazing singing (services last 2hrs or so - I sat at the back and snuck out during a hymn after an hour or so). Make sure you check the weather forecast for a sunny day before booking your trip out onto the lagoon. Rightly thought of as one of the most spectacular lagoons in the Pacific, you need the sun to show of those incredible water colours! Love love loved it!

i stayed in the garden view room for 3 nights and this is one of the most affordable rooms on the island. the kitchen and bathroom were fantastic with cooking amenities. the room had 2 fans and a clothes horse to dry towels and bathers. my rate included airport pickup/dropoff and breakfast. breakfast was delicious. wifi was blue sky and a good connection. i was able to hire a bike from next door and bronwyn helped me confirm my tour pickup times by phoning.
beach wasnt great but go have a cocktail at one of the nearby resorts and swim there. would recommend

Aitutaki is all about slowing down to island time. Papa Rino picked us up at the airport on a Sunday and we soon realised there’s not much to do as everyone has the day off. Rino’s is an ideal motel style option, with large rooms overlooking the beach. We rented scooters from Papa Rino which were perfect for getting around. It’s not luxe, but it’s clean and functional and well located and the folk are friendly and helpful. Great sunsets just outside and amazing stars on a clear night.