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Kia Orana Raratonga, Cook Islands

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Where are these islands?The Cook Islands are a group of fifteen tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean, north-east of New Zealand. Although there are only fifteen islands and they are all quite tiny they are spread over 2.2 million square kilometres of ocean. The islands are divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands, and the Northern Cook Islands. We visited two of the Southern islands, Raratonga and Aitutaki and these are a good 45 minute flight apart from each other.Useful information for visitors: Visas aren't needed for a stay of up to31 days, only valid passports, proof of onward travel and booked accommodation.Time Zone: GMT/UTC -9Electricity: 240V ,50Hz a...Read More

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Tiny capital city -Avarua

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Avarua, the capital city of Raratonga and the whole Cook Islands:Avarua has to one of the smallest capital cities I have visited but when you realize the entire population of the island is only 14,000 by comparison, Derby has a population 0f 220,000 it is not that surprising. The city had a few restaurants, shops, small supermarkets and two banks plus a tourist office but not a lot more.On Saturdays there is a great market called Punanganui which we spent about three hours wandering around. It sold everything from cloths, local food, fruit and vegetables as well as local crafts, pictures, fabrics and the famous South Sea Island black pearls . As well there were several ...Read More

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Aitutaki Island

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Attraction | "A real Treasure Island"

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Aitutaki is the second largest of the fifteen Cook islands after Raratonga which is the largest. This magical little island is named by Steve Davey in his book "Unforgettable Places to See Before you Die" so we thought we must see this! We pre-booked this trip before we left the UK with our agents Allways Pacific. I believe we paid about £250 per person but this did include the return flight from Raratonga to Aitutaki which was about 45 minutes each way. It is rather obvious that the Cook Islands are named after Captain Cook who landed there in 1770 but strangely the name was actually given by the Russians, in honour of the great English navigator! This tiny island of Aitutaki has a population of just...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 29, 2010

Aitutaki Island

Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

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Right On The Beach Restaurant & Bar

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Restaurant | "'Right on the Beach' Restaurant"

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This lovely restaurant and bar is 'Right on the Beach' and is part of the Manuia Beach Hotel.We had left Tahiti very early with no breakfast and all were given out our Air Tahiti flight was a cup of tea and a glass of water so by the time we arrived here we were starving so we left our unpacking and went in search of something to eat. The restaurant was called ‘Right on the Beach’ and indeed it was right on the beach with sand as the floor. The roof was metal and again but covered in decorative coconut leaves, the wall were only to table height and then it was open with plastic blinds that were lowered when the weather made it necessary. It was absolutely lovely, homely ...Read More

This lovely restaurant and bar is 'Right on the Beach' and is part of the Manuia Beach Hotel.

We had left Tahiti very early with no breakfast and all were given out our Air Tahiti flight was a cup of tea and a glass of water so by the time we arrived here we were starving so we left our unpacking and went in search of something to eat.

The restaurant was called ‘Right on the Beach’ and indeed it was right on the beach with sand as the floor. The roof was metal and again but covered in decorative coconut leaves, the wall were only to table height and then it was open with plastic blinds that were lowered when the weather made it necessary. It was absolutely lovely, homely but with the rather exotic element as it was on the beach with a view of the sea and the reef beyond where we watched the waves breaking before they calmed to slip in quietly onto the beach. The views of the sunsets here were some of the best I have ever seen.

The waiter was just the most charming, (somewhat effeminate person) he called us "my dears " and nothing was too much trouble. He chatted to us when he wasn’t busy but was efficient while still being friendly when he was very busy. We loved the restaurant so much that we didn’t bother going to any others as we felt we couldn’t better the food or the service.

They offered different ‘experience’ nights. We did go to a couple. One was the seafood buffet which was less than £20 a head and included a glass of wine per person. The platter when it came had so much seafood on it from oysters, prawns, scallops, fish, some fried and some stuff was cold. It was a really good portion with salad and had a great variety so we could have a taste of quite a few different things.

The other night we attended was the ‘island night’ which included a buffet based on local ingredients and cooking and then a show which was the best we experienced on all four islands we visited in the Pacific. This was partly because it was a much smaller venue so we were pretty close but mainly because there was a commentary which explained the dance or the music prior to it happening which gave us much more of an idea what was supposed to be going on in the dance. They also explained the different drums and played each separately so that we could hear what each did before they played together. Not only was the performance excellent but the food was delicious and plentiful and the drinks were a reasonable price too. We met a couple who were staying at another place on the island and they had come specifically for the island night at our hotel as they had heard it was a good one and I can see why as it was good and we managed to make a quick exit just as they mentioned audience participation which is something I do NOT do.

On other nights we enjoyed snacks or the a la carte menu after the wonderful ’Happy Hour and a half’ which went from 5.30 to 7pm and during this time you got two drinks for the price of one which included some very exciting cocktails which I took full advantage of. The other great value discount that we availed ourselves of was the 10 drinks for $55NZ (about £22 at the time) and each time we bought a drink they signed a square on our paper. This was also a great idea which we used at times other than the Happy Hour as it didn’t include cocktails!

This was a lovely comfortable welcoming place to eat or drink. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and they were all so very friendly and helpful that they made this a place that we chose to eat every meal while we were in Raratonga as no other place seemed as nice.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 12, 2010

Right On The Beach Restaurant & Bar
Manuia Beach Boutique Hotel
Cook Islands
(682) 22461

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Manuia Beach Boutique Hotel

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Hotel | "Our Beach pad"

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MANUIA BEACH BOUTIQUE HOTELWe stayed 5 nights in this rather charming little hotel and it cost us £69 per person per night including a tropical breakfast.We were met at the airport and given a lovely lei each then taken to the hotel which was only about 10 minutes from the airport in Raratonga, Cook Islands. When we turned into the driveway I was a bit surprised as we seemed to be heading towards a rather scruffy looking hut which had a board outside advertising motor scooter rentals. As the previous hotels we had stayed at were all rather up market I was a little hesitant. We got out of the mini bus and were pointed towards the scruffy hut with advertising for scooter hire as ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 12, 2010

Manuia Beach Boutique Hotel
Rarotonga
Cook Islands, South Pacific
(682) 22461

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