The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Lagoonarium

I got married here in November and spent two incredible weeks with all of our family and friends. Everyone was absolutely blown away by the resort. The staff were exceptional, going above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. We stayed in the Lime Blossom Villa, and honestly, words and photos can't do it justice. Our family and friends were in blown away with the size and all the amenities it had to offer. We had family members staying at the resort on both sides, and not a single person had anything but praise. The food was absolutely outstanding most of our family are foodies, and my husband, being a chef himself, was thoroughly impressed. There wasn't a single complaint. Our wedding planner, Litia, was nothing short of amazing. She went above and beyond to ensure every detail was perfect, and honestly, everything was taken care of so seamlessly that we didn’t have to lift a finger. The entire experience was stress-free and truly unforgettable. We truly couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and without a doubt, we’ll be back.

Great location! Great for kids! Dated appearance, but good for a moderately priced family holiday. The staff were friendly and helpful overall. However the bar service is dreadful. Very, very slow and the bar manager is rather surely. After our first night, we never used the bar again and enjoyed similar priced drinks elsewhere. Our cooked breakfast was ok. Some better communication on how cooked breakfasts work would've been nice (we weren't told you can build your own cooked breakfasts, we just thought you could only order the small basic breakfasts). Overall, we'll likely be back.

Long 50 metre+ walk down a long corridor to our upstairs room. If you have heavy luggage; suggest you request a ground floor room. Apologies but many of the staff weren't Rarotongan at the Rarotongan 🧐 and unfriendly. It's an excellent place though for young families. There's lots to do. Kids were kept happy at Kids club with Moe who did a great job. The wedding I attended was amazing & well organised by the hotel staff. The downsides are mainly because of hotel size and some staff.

Stayed at the adults only side of the hotel called Sanctuary. Positives about the hotel was the rooms were comfortable, clean and amazing beach front views and the ocean lagoon out the front is beautiful. Resteraunt staff were freindly. Unfortunately that's where the Positives end. Upon arrival after a long flight our room was not ready until 2 hours after check in time. Reception staff gave no explanation except room not ready. Food and drinks were average. Service is poor in all areas of the resort. Upon our return from other island the beach front room we booked was no available as they had over booked. Not communicated to us, then we were put in a room at the back of the resort, not of the same standard or inclusions. Overall not a great experience with the resort and there service. We did love Rarotonga though what a beautiful place to visit

Great resort for families. I would not recommend if you are not travelling with children as it can be noisy due to kids and their running around all the time. The room we had was a good size but definitely needs updating. The bathroom/shower were pretty run down and the beds were very uncomfortable. I can't imagine all rooms are the same though. The pool/bar area is great, the location is handy and the lagoon is stunning with clear waters and great snorkelling. The service by the staff was outstanding and they are all so friendly.

I can't praise the Rarotongan highly enough. Everything was fabulous from location, lagoon snorkeling, peaceful gorgeous evenings to the many varied activities. A huge thumbs up to all staff including housekeeping, restaurants activities and grounds staff, a big meitaki maata! Yep the rooms are a bit dated but heck we only used our rooms for sleeping. The rest of the time we were in the pool, bar, restaurant, ocean or having fun whānau time on our verandah! The gardens at The Rarotongan are just gorgeous and really well maintained. My only caution....don't plan too many offside activities because there is so much to so at the resort. Highly recommended and yes we will be going back! ||Deanne Thomas. AOTEAROA NZ, Xmas 2024

Poor restaurant service. Restaurant refuses to make filtered water available, forcing restaurang guests to buy bottled water at exorbitant prices - even after already buying an expensive meal. Apparently in -house guests have access to filtered water in their rooms but this is daft. I would have happily paid a small fee to fill up my own water bottle, but having to buy plastic is awful especially next to a beautiful marine reserve. Signs all over saying 'please help us help our environment'...hypocritical. Bar staff swore they did not have filtered water available at the bar. Makes me wonder if their ice and cocktails are safe? Food was only average. They lost some good custom today. With better access to water, we would have stayed several more hours and no doubt bought more snacks and drinks. Without water, pregnant and dehydrated and not wanting to kill the sea life with more plastic, it was time to leave.

Used booking.com to reserve and it says ‘pay at property’. However they charged my card upfront which incurred $263 in international transaction fees. This could have been avoided if we were able to pay at the property via cash or travel card. Property ignored my request to not charge upfront. Take care when booking !!