Cook Islands Resorts Guide

The majority of resorts in the Cook Islands are found on the main island of Rarotonga which boasts beautiful beaches, lush mountain scenery and plenty of restaurants and things to see and do. Most accommodation is in locally owned beach bungalows which generally offer between five and twelve self contained wooden A-frame bungalows on family land. Most accommodation is alongside the beach with a few cheaper options on the mountain side of the coastal roads. Breathtaking Aitutaki Lagoon, a delightful atoll 40-minutes flight north of Rarotonga offers a quieter ambience with mostly small locally owned beach bungalows as opposed to resorts.

Self contained bungalows are very popular on Rarotonga and there are lots of independent restaurants around the island. Rarotonga only takes 45-minutes to circumnavigate so wherever you stay you will always be close to where you want to go. There are five purpose built resorts on Rarotonga, the largest having 200 rooms, but these offer less intimacy than the beach bungalows and cost more. If you want either baby sitting, a restaurant on your door step, or perhaps a swimming pool to lie around then staying at a resort may be better for you. Otherwise, we would recommend staying at one of our featured self contained beach bungalows offering better value for money, more intimacy and having a more personal touch with the local land owners.