Our overwater room was slightly too rustic for the price, but it was worth every penny to spend a day touring the lagoon. We've been around (including to other S. Pacific destinations - Moorea and Fiji), and the bottom line is that there is no other aquatic spot on earth as magical as Aitutaki's lagoon .

My husband and I stayed here for 3 wonderful nights on a part of our honeymoon. When we arrived to the resort we were greeted by the staff who play traditional music to welcome you, this was an unexpected but great touch.

We had the pleasure of staying in the over water bungalow, we were gobsmacked by the beauty of the lagoon. It was a bit expensive compared to its sister hotel in Raro but very much worth it. The island dancers were awesome.

Bring mosquito spray though, gets pretty bad at night.
Highly recommend this resort to honeymooners.

Spent 5 nights here in an Overwater Bungalow on our honeymoon to the Cook Islands in Feb/Mar 05 - I know its been over 18 months now but would really like to share our experience.

Accommodation: The fact that the resort is located on one of the most beautiful, stunning lagoons in the world was the main drawcard for staying here. Firstly, the OWB's are not entirely "over the water" like in Tahiti, Maldives, etc. They are built on the edge of the lagoon, with the majority of the bungalow "jutting out" over the water. Still, they were fantastic and it was such a novelty to be able to walk down the steps & jump into the water from our room. The king size bed was very comfortable, and the room was of adequate size. Tv channels limited to CNN, cartoon channel & 2 channels in French, but who comes on their honeymoon to watch TV??? (unless you're stuck in a cyclone like we were). The outdoor shower was a novelty at first, but it is your only option in the OWB (no inside bath, spa or shower) so the thought of showering outdoors, while it was still very prviate, is probably not for everyone. The rooms could afford to be updated/renovated if you want to get picky, but overall we found our rooms to be, clean, comfortable and romantic. Fantastic large private front deck with 2 sun lounges & small table & chairs, great for lazing around reading, having a drink, resting without worrying about people walking past looking in at you.

Food & beverage: We thought the food was fantastic while we were there, the menu was changed daily, and the meals were delicious (albiet rather expensive - but you have to expect that at a secluded resort). However I believe the chef is no longer there and there is now a different chef who according to more recent reviews is not very good therefore any further comment from me will be pointless. Didn't sit at the "bar" drinking cocktails because it got swept away the week before in a bigger cyclone which we were very disappointed about, so can't comment on that side of things - I do believe it is up and running again now though.

Activities: unfortunately we only had 1 day of gorgeous tropical weather and the following 4 days were windy & overcast due to a nearby cyclone - obviously not the resorts fault! However, we were determined to make the most of it and got a kayak from the activities shed & paddled around in the lagoon, stopped on a nearby deserted island and enjoyed being "marooned" for a few hours - extremely romantic, especially for a honeymoon! The privacy and seclusion made you feel like you were the only people on earth - a fantastic novelty for people like us who lead extremly busy lives working & in crowds all the time. There really weren't all that many activity options at the resort itself other than the usual swimming, snorkelling, kayaking etc - I would only recommend it for people who want total relaxation, seclusion, privacy & tranquility - basically to escape the outside world. Dont come here if you want action or adventure. We did take a snorkelling tour on our day of great weather to one foot island which was an excellent day, it included a BBQ lunch which was quite good. HIred a scooter on day 2 to explore but felt there really wasn't much else to see on Aitutaki except breathtaking lagoon views. My advice is come here if you want to laze in a hammock with a good book or to catch up on your rest, swim, snorkel, sun bathe & most of all spend quality time with your significant other. Being stuck indoors on days 3 & 4 because of the weather we even borrowed monopoly & other board games from the reception desk to occupy ourselves - not the sort of thing you pay a lot of money & travel hours to do, but hey, we made the most of it when we couldn't go outdoors!

Staff/reception: Found the staff members to be really attentive & helpful, I think they all felt rather sorry for us because of the bad weather and seemed to go out of their way to find stuff for us to do, so we really appreciated that. Drink service in the main restaurant was quite pitiful though, especially considering at the time there were only about 6 couples there! However, that is "island time" for you and if you want to travel to the south pacific there is little you can do about it except sit back and not let it worry you - tell yourself you're on holidays and time doesn't matter.

Overall, a stunning location and despite the bad weather (which nobody can help) our stay at the resort was a lovely end to our honeymoon - we'd love to return one day for some more R & R, but as I mentioned, dont come here if you want adventure or if you get bored easily. Some areas could do with a facelift and I can't comment on any of the other rooms, but for what we wanted we found it to be very adequate and comfortable. If you're like us who wanted a truly romantic experience with peace &quiet & no crowds, its definitely worth the trip.

We stayed in Aug 06. My partner and I were amazed when we arrived to find the most idyllic spot, for a change better in person than on the website. We stayed in a garden bungalow, which were a little dated, but had a super king bed, air conditioning and were very clean and tidy. What more could you want? Our bungalow was on the end so was very private and quiet. The wind does get up on the beachfront, however we found that we could always find a sheltered spot to enjoy the sun, so it really wasn't a problem. The water was clear and offered great swimming. The location right on the lagoon is the best part, just stunning. We drove around the island and were much happier with our location than other side of the island. Food was fantastic, and quick. We had nothing to complain about, staff were friendly, much more so than the main land. We went on a lagoon day cruise with Te King, which was brilliant. Lots of laughter. Small speedboats, which meant we could get into 5 islands, rather than the bigger boats which only go to 1 or 2. We were in a group of 4, so very intimate. We will definitely return.

Stayed at the Aitutaki Lagoon spa and resort. Unfortunately we opted for a deluxe beachfront which happened to be on the prevailing wind side. We had lovely room with deck right on beach but couldnt open doors to deck or sit out as very windy. Best place to be is lagoon view rooms but they looked a bit tired.
Service not too bad but Aussie chef very unfriendly. Food ok. some staff lovely and friendly most didnt even say hello. Garden rooms are not very private as you have two facing each other so if on deck you are looking at people next door on their deck!!

We stopped over in Rarotonga on a round the world trip in November 2003 and were advised that if we returned that we should visit Aitutaki. We really enjoyed the laid-back, low key style of the Cook Islands so decided in 2005 that this would be our honeymoon destination.

We booked 3 nights in Aitutaki and 3nights in Rarotonga; we arrived from Auckland at 5.00am - leaving 3 hours to the 8am flight to Aitutaki we hoped to catch, rather than the 10am we were booked on. As others have noted, the airport closes and there is no adequate waiting area. Fortunately we were able to stay at the Rarotongan Resort for a few hours and eventually contact the local airline to confirm the flight. Not a perfect plan for a honeymoon...especially after the Business Class flights. Unless Air New Zealand change their schedules we recommend staying in Rarotonga for a few days prior to flying to Aitutaki and also on your return trip.

We had booked a "Lagoon View" room, however we found ourselves upgraded to the overwater bungalow which did much to overcome the difficult arrival. These rooms are very comfortable and we loved the outdoor shower and swimming from the deck.

We found Aitutaki a perfect honeymoon: One day we paddled a kayak for a romantic picnic on a secluded moto, another we hired a car and explored the island. We extended our stay - swapping 2 nights accomodation in Rarotonga for additional nights in Aitutaki. The management were happy to arrange this for us with no additional charges.

The resort had suffered cyclone damage earlier in the year with the beach bar closed for rebuilding and the bridge washed away.

We found much of the resort a bit tired and due for renovation, especially the main dining room and the standard bungalows, although the overwater bungalows were fine. The food was not haute cuisine but more than adequate. The staff were very friendly and laid-back and made for a very relaxing stay.

The resort does suffer somewhat compared with the Pacific which is very stylish but significantly more expensive and does not have the fabulous lagoon setting. With renovations, the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort would be an excellent destination that would compare more than favourably with other much more high profile Pacific Island resorts.

We stayed here for 3 LONG nights after being in Rarotonga (heavenly) for 5 nights. If you want to go and do absolutely nothing and spend a lot of money on food, this place is for you! The Aitutaki Lagoon resort is too secluded, overpriced and not at all worth it. Our room was very nice, a beachfront bungalow that had a great view. The bed and funrniture were all very nice. They also have tv, which was nice since there wasn't anything else to do.
The food is mediocre at best, but very overpriced. The food choices are limited, they say they have 2 restaraunts, but one serves breakfast while the other serves lunch and dinner. I felt sorry for our waitress because she served us breakfast at 8am and lunch and then dinner at 9 pm. There is a small staff to a large job, they seemed overworked. The dancers at the "Island night" are great! The show/dinner expensive! We went to Samade across the way, not a good experience. After waiting an hour for our food we saw a woman break out in tears and yell at the staff that she had been waiting for her food for over two hours and wanted to eat! That made us question where our food was, hmmm? They said it was on the way, but she wanted to write it down it again to make sure it was right, wtf? Yeah, they forgot us too! No one is really into good customer service here.
The lagoon cruise is the only excursion to go on. It was fun and the host was entertaining. We got to see the soon to be Survivor Islands, ohhh-ahhh! The resort does charge a higher fee than if you book directly with the boat. Snorkling wasn't good, bad water. No real swimming around. Kayaking was okay, although the motus were not good to walk around or explore on. We rented a scooter to explore the island, not much to see. The island has not rebuilt or recovered from previous hurricanes. We did go look around the Pacific and have dinner, less $$ than Aitutaki lagoon.
Overall---would not go again. We like to be active and have places to go and fun! Not much, if any of that here!

Nice Room but the A/C was not working. Fixed after 2 days. No towels in our room on arrival. Burned and overcooked Steak and Fish two nights in a row!
Breakfast emty at quarter to nine. Hair in our poached eggs. Very rude Australian chef with attitude! Our Diving Tour with a local center was booked but canceled in the last minute. Digital Camera disappeared from our room. No Manager available for complains. Reception staff member throw our guest comment card in the trash while arguing with us about a early depature! Holiday shocker. Never again !

Our wedding on Aitutaki beach on the 3rd April 2006 was absolutely MAGICAL! A stress free wedding with a picture perfect backdrop - what more could you want? Special thanks to our wonderful wedding planner Ngapare, our brilliant personal chef, William, and our amazing photographer Paul Osta, who captured our special day. Our stay at the ALR&S was the most memorable trip we've ever had, and we have both travelled extensively through Europe, the UK and the States. The view of the turquoise lagoon and surrounding islands from the overwater bungalows is truly spectacular! The resort staff were extremely friendly and accommodating and the quality of the food is unsurpassable! We highly recommend this resort to anyone planning a stress free holiday.

What else can be said…Aitutaki was just beautiful in its own way! My husband and I, although originally from Samoa but now residing in New Zealand were amazed at how lovely your resort was set and its location. So you know, we’re celebrating our 3rd year of blissful marriage and a holiday seemed so perfect – Cook Islands here we come! Upon arrival, we were well attended to by the staff who so willingly made us feel at home and important. Dining at the restaurant was just wonderful, the attention to detail by staff, presentation of meal and its worth was nowhere near complaining. The white sandy beaches and clear waters were indeed breathtaking. We have been to other resorts overseas but found Aitutaki to be a place of relaxation and one could say ‘where time stood still’. Might I add, the overwater bungalow was immaculately set...

We have had a memorable stay and will return soon!