Vacation rentals in Rarotonga

“Had a wonderful time at the Honey Rose Retreat. It was the perfect level of privacy as well. I loved being in the hills a bit, a step back from the main road. I was able to come and go often and enjoy it while I was taking a break from activities and adventures across the island. I took a dip in my private pool at least once a day and loved this amenity in particular. The Retreat was a great location on the island, conveniently located close to places like Muri Beach and the bigger more commercialized main town. The vibe was perfect and so was the pace of life.”

“We spent 6 nights at Vaka Villa #2, for a self-catered low-key “live like a local”-type holiday. Vaka Villa 2 is nothing short of perfect. The villa is one of three rentals on the property. It’s a pretty decent sized fully self-contained studio-style place with a generous deck (pictures don’t do it justice!) that looks out onto a sandy beach and the lagoon. The kitchen is big enough and sufficiently kitted out to prepare a good meal. We also made good us of the little gas BBQ. In a pinch it’s a suitable substitute for not having an oven. The bathroom is serviceable. It was clean and tidy when we arrived, and there were a few complementary few food items and hot drinks when we arrived which was much appreciated. Hot water is solar heated, but there’s a booster for overcast days. When booking we were worried about the lack of air-conditioning, but the ceiling fan did a good enough job of keeping us cool during the night once we’d acclimatised (with the added advantage that we could leave the sliding door open and fall asleep to the sound of the ocean!). All doors and windows have mosquito nets. After calling us on the phone to check we’d arrived safely on the first day, the hosts gave us complete privacy. The villa is also quite private in general, with only Villa #1 having any view if they walk to the end of their deck (there are no windows in Villa #1 that look across into Villa #2). By far the best part of Vaka Villa is the beach! It can’t be stated enough how wonderful it is to be right there on the lagoon. No fence, no road, just down the steps and right onto the beach. You’d have to pay top dollar for this kind of beach access at a resort and it would be crawling with other tourists (check out Muri beach for a taste of this). The lagoon upon which it is situated is good for swimming, snorkeling and kayaking. This is not the case for all beach-front property on Rarotonga. It’s about 500m to the breakwater, and situated between two passages, which means it’s sandy and safe, but there’s still plenty of reef teaming with fish. There are three kayaks, and an assortment of reef shoes and snorkeling gear available for use. We found the location ideal. It might seem a bit remote as it’s equidistant from the most popular tourist locations of Avarua (the main township) and Muri, but this comes with the benefit of being quieter. It’s about a 5-10 minute walk from Wigmore’s Superstore, a large convenience store that stocks a good cross section of groceries, including some fresh fruit and vegetables. There’s also a selection of lunch meals and baking made fresh daily. It’s open quite late (it might even be 24-hours, not sure). There’s a chips and burger-style takeaway and a cafe nearby that does a reasonable coffee. Immediately next door to the Villa is Vaima Restaurant, which has beach front seating and opens for lunch, dinner, drinks, and does takeaway pizza. We didn’t go, but it seems nice. On the other side is a DVD rental shop, although if you’re sitting in your villa on a pacific island beach watching DVDs, you’re doing it wrong! The Villa does have a TV and DVD player, but you won’t even bother to turn it on. Since the entire circumference of the island is only 32km, nothing is far away if you hire some motor transport. We hired bikes from and found we could get around the island in about 3 hours. It’s close to the southern trailhead of the cross-island hike and Wigmore’s waterfall. The bus is hourly during the day. Pro-tip: if you’re arriving by air, the anti-clockwise bus pulls up right outside the terminal and takes about 20-25 minutes for a mere $5pp + $2/bag. This is a fraction the price of a taxi. They might try to send you across the road to wait for the clockwise bus. Don’t let them! Even better, get a 10-trip for $30, and it’s $3pp to any place on the island! Thank you to Adam and Sarah for the wonderful place at a good standard and decent rate!”

“Sam and Talei provide very detailed information about Rarotonga and their bungalow, including how to get there, what to see and do and where to eat. We bought food at the 3 well stocked major markets and cooked many wonderful meals in the well supplied kitchen. It had everything that we needed. Eggs, bread, butter, milk, coffee, tea, cereal, etc. had been left for us on our arrival, which was very early Sunday morning. They also graciously allowed us to check in after our 6 AM arrival and the house was set up to welcome us with fresh flowers and fancy folded towels. The pool in the very private, fenced yard is salt water and amazingly refreshing in the hot afternoons. The ocean is a short walk away with easy access from the road. Beach towels, snorkel gear and bicycles were provided for our use. The dining table is on the patio, along with 2 loungers, a hammock, an outdoor shower and plenty of mosquito coils, if needed. The bed is comfortable and we kept the room cool with the ceiling fans and opening the many screened windows. There is air conditioning also, if preferred. The most special aspect of our visit, though, were Talei and Sam. They allowed us our privacy, but stepped up to offer help immediately when they learned (before we did) that all flights to Los Angeles had been cancelled due to COVID-19 and that New Zealand had closed its borders. They then alerted us to the brief window created by NZ allowing us to transit, then the quick closure of that window before we could secure a flight to leave. Over the next two weeks, they shared their phone, laptop, office equipment, internet access and their car with us. They discounted our room after our rental ran out and brought us fruit from their vast orchard - bananas, papayas, dragon fruit. They shared information being spread formally and informally, so we were always up to date on what was, or might be happening. They directed us to the people that were able to give us the information we needed to secure a humanitarian waiver from Immigration New Zealand which allowed us to fly home. The entire time that Talei and Sam were caring for us, they were caring for many other foreigners stranded on the island as well. Despite the dramatic impact this situation had on their own lives, they selflessly and courageously put others first. We will never forget.”