Aroa Beachside Resort

“Family holiday”

Great staff and awesome accommodation and bar/restaurant. Couldn't be more helpful to ensure we enjoyed our holiday and loved the pool and being so close to the lagoon. Stayed for 6 days and found it a great spot to enjoy all that Rarotonga has to offer

“I want to stay forever! The best accommodation on Rarotonga.”

Accommodation is right on a beautiful white sandy beach away from the crowds. I felt it had a more personalized feel than the big noisy resorts which was nice. The snorkeling was mind-blowing and all so close to the resort. The water's edge literally 40 feet from our balcony. The lagoon is safe eve… more

Accommodation is right on a beautiful white sandy beach away from the crowds. I felt it had a more personalized feel than the big noisy resorts which was nice. The snorkeling was mind-blowing and all so close to the resort. The water's edge literally 40 feet from our balcony. The lagoon is safe even for novice snorkelers with the most amazing array of tropical fish which are almost close enough to touch. I saw well over 30 species of fish plus a turtle, octopus and an eagle ray. July to October is when the whales pass through. We watched the humpbacks from the restaurant and photographed them breaching, a sight I will never forget. Our accommodation was clean and comfortable with air con and everything you need. The staff are all friendly and helpful and always willing to help out. Nothing was too much trouble and always done with a smile. The Shipwreck bar and restaurant had great food and excellent pina coladas :) We planned on dining at a different restaurant every night but ended up having almost all our meals onsite as the food was really good, reasonably priced and it was just a great place to hang out. I loved the music which was just the right laidback vibe. The complimentary breakfast was good and had gluten free options available. I can't wait to go back!

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“A fantastic experience!”

The resort was very clean and tidy, the staff were very friendly and helpful. The manager, Lisa, went out of her way to exceed by far our expectations. The food in the Shipwreck Hut was excellent. Our room was brilliant with fantastic views of the ocean and a great added attraction was the whakes t… more

The resort was very clean and tidy, the staff were very friendly and helpful. The manager, Lisa, went out of her way to exceed by far our expectations. The food in the Shipwreck Hut was excellent. Our room was brilliant with fantastic views of the ocean and a great added attraction was the whakes that came past and breached right in front of the resort. I would go back there in a heartbeat. A great experience.

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“Kids or no kids”

We stayed at Aroa Beachside Resort for 2 weeks in September 2024. Overall, we had a wonderful time. Here is what we experienced: The staff were kind and friendly, as was the manger, Lisa. We got to know several of the staff and most times were greeted in the morning with big smiles and the occasi… more

We stayed at Aroa Beachside Resort for 2 weeks in September 2024. Overall, we had a wonderful time. Here is what we experienced: The staff were kind and friendly, as was the manger, Lisa. We got to know several of the staff and most times were greeted in the morning with big smiles and the occasional hug. Lisa was knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and customs of the island and would give good suggestions and information regarding most things, as well as where to find the resident eel in the coral in the water off the beach. Al, the owner (also friendly), had added a new swimming pool and had extended the Shipwreck Restaurant and Bar in the last few years and was gradually upgrading the rooms. The rooms themselves were clean and comfortable and basic and were equipped with a kitchenette and enough cookware to be able to make our own meals (who does this on vacation?). There were some things that could have been updated, like the towels, but as I said the owner was gradually updating the rooms. We would use the kitchen for snacks and finger food. There was a small range top and a microwave and refrigerator. The grounds of the resort were planted with beautiful flowers and tropical plants. The beach was white sand and raked every morning. When walking down the beach either way from the resort, you needed to be aware of broken glass and other trash. At times, I would take a bag with me and pick up the trash I found. Others would do that too, so much so that there was a trash can outside the Shipwreck Restaurant for the rubbish. We spent many afternoons lazily reading and sipping a tropical drink around the pool between dips in the ocean to snorkel. It is a nice, clean, new pool with warm fresh water and new umbrellas and lounge chairs. I brought my own air mattress and used it in the pool. The snorkeling was good. We saw many tropical fish, eel, turtles, clams and eagle rays. There is a barrier reef around the island, and we snorkeled inside of it, which made snorkeling safe and easy. You just need to watch the tides so you won't scrape on the coral heads due to low water. A Tropical breakfast was included every morning. It included fresh fruit (papaya, limes, sometimes bananas and pineapple), tea, instant coffee or hot chocolate, several kinds of cereals (one gluten free at times) and granola, at times yogurt, toast, jam and at times peanut butter and vegemite. I would have liked more variety and consistency, especially with the yogurt and gluten free items. You could have a hot breakfast but had to pay for it. The Shipwreck had good food and entertainment every night as well as music during business hours. There were a few times the music was too loud but overall it was ok. I enjoyed the salads and fish and chips. There were special tropical drinks for sale as well as wine, beer and other drinks. I also liked the Ginger Beer that was brewed right on the island. There is a Happy Hour every day from 3-5pm with the drinks discounted. If you were staying at the resort you could run a tab. The restaurant was open to the public as well. There was seating in the restaurant (outdoors but covered) and picnic tables near the pool and beach with umbrellas for sun protection. This is a good place to take kids because they could play on the beach while the adults ate. The resort also had the Cook Islands Fire Dance every Monday at 6:30pm, which consisted of male drummers and male and female dancers. It was free for those staying at the resort but outsiders needed to pay. The dancers and music were good and spirited. Speaking of kids, the website for this resort says on the first page that no kids younger than 16 are allowed to stay there (this was our biggest issue). After about a week, all of a sudden a bunch of kids showed up! They were staying at the resort with their families. The youngest was about 5 up to teens. There was a hammock right outside our room and that acted like a kid magnet. They would play and swing in it and be very loud. Same as with the pool and the beach. We were confused as the resort listed that there were no kids allowed. We like kids but wanted quiet. We found out that the owner was having a birthday soon and invited his family to come and stay and celebrate with him. While I think that was very generous of him, it was misleading for his guests. Several other people mentioned this to us. Generally speaking, the people of the Cook Islands were friendly and spoke English. There were dogs and 'free range' chickens roaming every where. I like dogs so that was ok with me but at times the roosters would crow outside our windows at a very early hour. All in all, we enjoyed our stay and would stay here again.

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