Cook Islands Travel Forum

My partner and I will be stopping in the Cooks for a few weeks in October but seem to be having trouble finding a decent place to stay on Aitutaki within our budget. We are backpacking so posh resorts are out of the question. We were considering Paradise Cove but all of the reviews we've seen seem to indicate that its not very pleasant.

Thoms Beach Cottages dont seem to come up trumps either. Would be grateful for some suggestions and opinions.

Thankyou.

My wife and I stayed at Rinos Beach Cottages last year and loved them. They were cheap, clean, spacious, had huge balconies (with single beds on them!), full kitchen facilities, hot water and are situated on the West side of Aitutaki right around the middle of the Island. They're near all the shopping (not that anything on Aitutaki is far) and across the street Rinos also rents scooters. The decor was a little tacky, but hey, you're on Aitutaki and haven't a care in the world.

Hello, We've stayed at Paradise Cove last March 2007 and wanted to check out the mixed reviews ourselves. We had been backpacking New Zealand 2.5 months and this was "Desert". As backpackers the beachfront bungalows are a wealth of luxury. The small cabins they offer are indeed small but the location is wonderfull. The place recently had a change of management and (part of?) the staff. They were working on renovations where needed and solving the hot water supply issues. Staff was very friendly (especially Ron) and the complementary breakfast fruit-full and suficient. Don't expect this to be a full facility resort with a pool and such (why would you need a pool at the beach anyway). We considered it to be good value for money. Any feedback on the current status is welcome as we may go again next year.