The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Lagoonarium

This was such a great place to stay with our kids. We opted for the cheapest room so had 4 of us in one room but it still worked fine! Everything was very clean and comfortable. What made it for us was the staff. They were amazing with our kids and paid so much attention to them. The location is great as you are right in the middle and have great options either side of the resort. Food was amazing. So many options which made it great with little kids. We will definitely be back!

On arrival, you are greeted with a beautiful view and entrance way. Unfortunately, what we saw online did not match up. We were excited about the kids' club and how it was sold online, but sadly, when we went to take our son there, all we found was an empty room and no staff direction as to what was happening with kids club. We also booked for a beach front room downstairs but instead were given a room overlooking the beach. The location was amazing, and the breakfast service was just what we needed in the morning, esp having the kids feeding the fish. The staff were amazing and very helpful and friendly. Overall enjoyed the time we spent there, just wish we got the room we reserved and paid for and had the chance to send our son to the kids club.

The good: * Having access to the Sanctuary next door was a godsend. * Comfy clean bed and pillows. * Beach access to the lagoon, snorkelling and swimming * One or two of the wait staff and reception staff stood out ... but not much more in the way of service - a very mixed experience. * Nice gardens. The average: * The inability of most of the reception staff to even look up from their job to greet people waiting; smiling seemed like an effort. * Room attendants did a reasonable job, when pushed. The poor: *Rooms are very tired, dated and small. There is barely any room on one side of the double bed to get out. Very dark inside room, whether upstairs or downstairs. It might have been better at the Sanctuary. * It's essentially a family/kids resort with 100's of rooms. So don't expect peace and quiet around the pool or even at the beach. * Restaurant food variety is OK, but like anywhere on the Cook Islands, green vegetables and salad is a rarity. Advertised Vegan options were "unavailable". * No matter where we ate, or at what time, the food service was VERY slow. * Reception staff were pretty useless (with the exception of the guy on the RHS nearest the shop) and despite being asked 3 times, forgot to cancel one of our tour bookings, causing great inconvenience to the operator.