Cook Islands Travel Forum

Me and my girl friend have decided to visit cooks islnd next december. This is our first vacation and we are very excited- but not very well versed.
Any suggestions on activities? Is December is right time to visit the island?
Looking for fun things to do (while still on a budget) in the island.
We have seen few hotels in asiarooms.com, but most of them have some positive reviews with some negetive reviews. so confused which hotel to book.
Also wondering about how far (and how long) it is to get to rortunga from the island.

Take a look at some of the Cook Islands tips here on VT (search for Cook Islands in the search bar on top of this page...) - you'll find lots of info and photos there... :o) Also check out www.ck

Agree with above. When it comes to hotel reviews, its quite possible to find negatives in amongst positives for just about any hotel. Its about the balance - does it weigh more positive than negative or is it the other way around? Each person is different and expects different things from their hotels; its all a matter of personal taste.

Yes, the VT pages and forum are a good place to start. So is www.ck as suggested by flettemette. Also check the official website of the Cooks Islands' tourist office: http://cookislands.travel/

December: it is hot and humid. It is the rainy season. But in the "dry" season it rains a lot too and precipitation in very, very unpredictable in the Cook Islands. So do not let this bother you. www.wunderground.com has excellent weather statistics for the Cook Islands (http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/91843.html): have a look at the data for the past years to have an idea of what you may expect weatherwise. But remember: the weather in the Cooks in very variable and unpredictable.

Things to do: activity number one: relax. If not: see www.ck.

Accommodation: besides hotels, you may want to look at renting a bungalow. The ck website has a section on that. Very interesting budgetwise and it often offers more privacy and liberty. We rented a beach bungalow on Aitutaki and on Rarotonga and loved it.

"Also wondering about how far (and how long) it is to get to rortunga from the island.": I don't quite understand what you mean. Rarotonga is the main island of the Cook Islands. That's where your international flight will land. The circumference of the island is 32 km. The public bus takes about one hour to drive around the island. The capital is Avarua. So you will never be more then 16 km away from Avarua.

Yes Rarotonga is the main island where you will be landing.
It will take 1 hour by bus to circle the island.

There is not much to do besides relaxing, sunbathing, doing just a little sightseeing....relaxing...swimming...snorkeling...driving around the island by bike or scooter or bus, shopping in Avarua.

For nice budgetaccomodation try www.varas.co.ck

I have stayed in the hostel itself and it was fantastic, the other accomodations they offer are great too.

If you go to the Cook Island definately visit Aitutaki, the lagoon there is absolutely stunning.

You can book just cheap return flights from Air Rarotonga and stay there for a few nights. Or book a daytrip from Rarotonga to Aitutaki from Air Rarotonga !! Its definately worth it.