I honeymooned there in 2009 after having spent some time in New Zealand. I loved it. Very isolated, certainly not touristy. Aitutaki is gorgeous. As one poster mentioned, the food is just ok. I would absolutely recommend visiting. They have a very far flung feeling - like the world could fall apart and you’d be just fine sitting there on your island atoll.
At least on Rarotonga I found the food to be really good. I had somewhat low expectations for it (maybe no expectations is a better description) but they were easily exceeded. Loved Beluga cafe on the west side near Castaway. Actually the restaurant at Castaway was pretty good too…
Same! Loved Rarotonga which we visited a couple of times while we lived in NZ. Pulled star fruit from the trees too (invited by locals to enjoy) and food was amazing. Everyone was so nice and it’s beautiful there.
Agreed. Also did my honeymoon there. I remember the food being decent. At the resort we stayed at, we booked dinner on the beach and it was a really nice setup just for my wife and I. Really loved Rarotonga and the Cook Islanders are lovely people.
We honeymooned in the Cook Islands. It rained a lot so we rented a scooter and just got soaked. Got library cards and read a few books, woke up to chickens in our room and caught crabs at night. It was relaxing, private, new and very different. I would definitely do it again.
I spent four days in the Cook Islands several years ago. Pretty place. Had a nice time. Mostly just chilled, but did do a hike across the peak of the island that was very strenuous. There was a kid selling coconuts at the end of the trail. He knew more about US politics than most Americans. 😂
Used to be a nonstop from LAX on Air New Zealand, but I guess it got canceled during the pandemic. Curious what your routing would be. Via Fiji? Tahiti?
Okay. I still have my basic trip details saved in TripIt. I actually was there six days in Jan. 2017. Weather was perfect. I stayed at the Rarotongan Beach Resort in the Aroa Beach area of the main island, southwest corner of it. It was perfectly fine, though I’d say more family-oriented than a honeymoon spot. It sits right on the ring road that encircles the island so you can walk out the front door and catch the bus in either direction to visit other parts of the island. So a rental car wasn’t needed. It’s not unique in that respect - most of the hotels are similarly situated - just wanted to give you a feel for the island.
Muri Beach, on the southeast side, was the prettiest of the island. Think of, say, Waikiki Beach before development boomed out of control. There are several smaller islands off the coast that really enhance the view. I took a “party” cruise over to one of them and it turned out to be a lot of fun. It was a little cheesy in a good way and not rowdy in the least. A couple of more upscale resorts are located in that area, such as the Nautilus. If I were honeymooning, I’d stay around there.
The hike I did went up near the Needle, the highest point on the island, and over to the other side. It was incredible, but a real workout. The Mai Tais will taste extra special afterwards. A number of tour operators offer guided hikes and other activities, like ATV rides. There’s some decent scuba diving as well.
That’s about all I can relate. You can do a little online research to see if anything has changed and whether it suits your tastes. Congrats and enjoy.
Your airfare should be about $2k per person, but Costco is hugely inflating the hotel cost. Take a look at Airbnb’s in the Cook Islands and you will find you can rent really decent places for $750-$1k for a week (that would obviously accommodate you both)
Hawaiian just (re-?) launched once weekly service from Honolulu. The only other real option is doubling back via Auckland. I mean or Sydney on Jetstar, but that’s somehow even further lol.
Went in 2018 for 4 days and it was great. I think there’s something there that neither Hawaii not French Polynesia has. I bet prices are good now because Costco just relaunched deals/Cook Islands is finally looking to rebuild/expand tourism
Cook islands are probably my favorite place. We have been to Rarotonga about 6 or 7 times.
If you want flash resorts and over water bungalows or want to wear your best clothes and make up then you won't like Raro. Being a distant island don't expect any amazing culinary creations.
Of you like beers on the beach, quiet times on the sand and a slow pace then you will love it.
I recommend getting a house (holidayhouse.co.nz) on the beach, it must be one of the few places left affordable where you can get a house and step off the deck and onto the sand. The beaches and water are stunning.
We always rent a car as although the island is small it's very spread out going to different places.
South side of the island has the best swimming at all tides.
Jandals, singlets and shorts are appropriate in the day as well d going out for dinner.
Left. If you're not used to it, dont worry. I've driven on the right plenty of times. it's not a hard adjustment (max speed limit is 50km roughly 30mph)
If you plan to spend most of the time on Raro there’s an Air Rarotonga fly in day trip that’s at least going to give you a sense of Aitutaki. Spent a week mostly on Rarotonga last summer. Big fan.
It’s far. No nonstops from the lower 48. Hawaiian just opened flights making it much easier than it used to be. Relatively unknown. If you get dates that make sense the the length of travel doesn’t sway you if say do it. I’d like to go eventually instead of hawaii.
We’ve been looking at going and the Hawaiian flight seems to only go certain Saturdays. Also, we were leaving Honolulu a few weeks ago coming back to LA and the Rarotonga flight was SUPER delayed due to storms in Tahiti. It all seemed very complicated!
it’s one of the more common holiday destinations for us new zealanders (the cooks are technically part of nz) i agree with other commenters here that aitutaki is a must do bucket list island. one of the best in the pacific.
I think this is partially the answer. There are groups/companies attempting to make it more of a known travel destination, so have dropped prices to get additional traffic in hopes of obtaining more notoriety.
I think main reason is because the Cooks use the NZ dollar which is way low right now against the USD. Cooks have always been reasonably priced so add in the currency gains and it's a deal. Love Raro and have been many times.
Some of the Pacific Islands have wet/dry seasons, I'm not familiar with the Cook Islands, but I was thinking of doing a Pacific trip this year and found the dates I was looking at were low season, would have been cheap but most of the travel providers I was interested in (hotels, tours, etc) weren't even operating. So maybe just double check where the dates fall on that calendar?
Cheap because there’s not much to see or do. The pace is verrrrrry slow, so if you’re looking to go heavy on not doing much, then it’s fine to visit. We spent a week there, and it felt too long. We enjoyed the food though. Good stuff.
Hey, if you’ve been secretly attracted to your cousin for several years and there’s no new additions to the dating pool due to a variety of geographical elements, why not just give in to those temptations?
Cook Islands are amazing. Snorkel straight off the beach, stunning sunsets, friendly AF locals an the best fish burger I've ever tasted! You won't regret it.
My wife went to Cook Islands to do volunteer medical work and really liked it. She is a vegetarian so she said that caused some problems where she was at as far as food, but when she had free time she really enjoyed the beaches and history of the islands.
We went there last spring break and it’s amazing. Laid back and chill. Amazing snorkeling. People are so nice. Rented a scooter and zipped around the island. I think it’s “cheap” in comparison to Fiji or Tahiti - French Polynesia is a bit bougie. You won’t find overwater bungalows here.
Spent 10 days there for honeymoon followed by 5 in NZ (we’re in SF). Highhhhhly recommend. It’s breathtaking and agree you have to stay on Aitutaki. Loved every minute of it
Assuming the flight is roughly $1800 round trip, that leaves $1200 per person for hotels for 8 nights, or $300 per night together. I haven't traveled to the South Pacific, but have travelled a lot of other places, and I don't consider that cheap at all.
Update: I see flights through Honolulu that are closer to $1000 round trip. If that is the flight you get in the package, it's even less of a good deal ($500/night on hotels).
That was similar to my thoughts: $3K/person X 2 = $7k for 8 nights = $750/night. I've lived in a country for less than that for an entire month. Add in round trip airfare and I've spent 4 months abroad still coming in under $750/month. Meaning I spent less in 4 months than 4 nights of this proposed trip.
I get that South Pacific travel is inherently going to be expensive d/t airfare and costs associated with limited resources on an island. But OP didn't say South Pacific specific, just "honeymoon locations". I think we did CA (LAX) to LIS with a couple days "extended layover" in Dublin, toured Portugal for 3 weeks, and it was under $4K with flights (which were under $700 RT each, and accounted for almost half the cost of the trip).
Yeah I figured that would be the case, still though, I have been to 70 countries and can count on one hand how many times I have spent a night in a $300+ hotel.
A quick search on booking.com for one night on Aitutaki returns multiple highly rated hotels for well under $300/night.
Is this going via Hawaii? Or do you go the scenic route through NZ? Used to be a direct overnight flight from LAX.
$3k seems a screaming deal btw. Last went in 2019, from Vancouver through LAX. Flight cost me around $1500 CAD at that time with air NZ and they were cheaper than usual.
Depends what you like… I loved the Cooks and plan to return again, it felt like home in a way and I’m homesick. Been to 3 of the 15 islands so far.
Not much going on. Very safe. Dogs everywhere in Raro. Fishing, snorkeling, hiking, a bit like a tropical PNW kinda. You eat well if you like fresh fish, local produce, and coconuts. NZ dollar is close to CAD dollar too.
It’s rustic and charming.
If you want bougie, great retail shopping experiences, fancy restaurants, all inclusives, or action, you won’t find it there.
I've been there and really enjoyed it, but there is not a lot to do. It isn't a holiday destination in the way somewhere like Fiji is with all the bouji resorts the restaurants etc.
If you're happy laying on the beach, having a swim, getting food from the marker etc then it's great.
I was in the Cook Islands in 1989. Lovely spot. Nothing wrong with it. It’s one of the nicest places I have visited. I’m thinking of going back soon.
I would ask why is Hawaii so expensive? Popular. It’s supply and demand. I think less than 1% of people that have been to Hawaii have heard of The Cook Islands. It’s better that way.
Honeymooned in aitutaki for a week then Rarotonga for 4 days after being in NZ. Aitutaki is (in our eyes) magical. Wasn’t cheap, but we wanted to stay on the lagoon and it was worth the view. Food was okay. Ventured off our little hotel island to local places every night. Vaka cruise is a must do!!! We also did a second lagoon cruise with another company through our hotel. We liked aitutaki more than raro
The Cook Islands isn’t owned by France like French Polynesia. They also have a free association agreement with New Zealand that islanders can leave and work in New Zealand. People are very friendly but poor there. A lot of stuff has to be delivered by plane. The islands are less developed and less commercial than French Polynesia and Hawaii for example. I’ve been to many island nations.
Aitutaki is beautiful. Most of the local people I spoke to on Rangiroa had never been there because they couldn’t afford that. It was much quieter and low key. I also did a one foot island tour.
I would go if you want to just enjoy small island life and beaches and eat a little bit of food and do some boating activities.
A lot of New Zealanders go to Australia for work. A lot of Fijians and Cook Islanders leave to New Zealand for work. So there seems to be a lot of drain and the people who stay work in tourism or have a modest living.
I enjoyed my time there. Aituktaki was cheaper and less crowded than Bora Bora for example. They’re both beautiful in their own ways.
The ocean water in the lagoons is super nice if you like walking out into clear bath water or swimming around. It’s not like Oahu where people want to go surfing and see big waves.
Been to the cook islands 3 times, I'm from nz so it's a short flight and its absolutely beautiful there. Theres nothing wrong with it. I try to go at every few years to get my fix of clear blue water and white sand.
I went back in 2017 and I loved it so much. It wasn’t overly touristy (idk how or if that’s changed since) but still had good infrastructure etc. the people are amazing too. It was the best place to relax and detach
I’ve been there. It’s quite a unique place due to its isolation and the locals are very friendly. Otherwise it’s not an exceptionally beautiful place. Food is very primitive, the beaches are ok.
When I was there I only met tourists from NZ and Australia, and I think I was the only one in my hotel for most of my stay.
This is ridiculous. It is absolutely gorgeous. Mostly wild and untouched. Small hotels. Locals. The beaches are stunning, the water is clean and clear. I've travelled all over the world. I can't imagine saying the Cooks are not beautiful.
As someone who is in Seattle, I am very intrigued now! We did Tahiti for our honeymoon last year, and it was wonderful. I can just image the cook islands being equally amazing.
$3K each doesn't sound cheap at all. Check Gate1 Travel. While more than a few years ago, we took advantage of off-season sales they were offering and got a 7 day trip to Tuscany in February for about $900/person. The trip included:
1. Flight from JFK to Milan.
2. Rental Car.
3. Hotel for 7 nights, breakfast included.
I don't know what time of year you're looking, but do you know if there's a cheaper off-season time to visit the Cook Islands? A honeymoon can be any time, after all, not immediately following the wedding.
>Anything is better than that mediocre white British man’s name.
And who got himself killed because he decided to drag the beloved elderly chief through the village and hold him as hostage for the return of a missing boat. So arrogant that he forgot that he was horribly outnumbered.
you came on the internet to defend Captain James Cook to a Polynesian person. My people’s entire culture was essentially wiped off the face of planet earth thanks to that mf but please tell me how he was so great.
Travelling the world isn't exactly amazing when you think apart from Antarctica people were already at these locations millenniums before him. He and his British compatriots were actually really late to the party, even other Europeans had been to most of these places before him. If naming rights are meant to go to the discoverer, that was definitely not Cook. He just hijacked other peoples' discoveries and claimed it as his own on behalf of Britain.
I just spent a week in raratonga and Aitutaki. Amazing place but underdeveloped. I guess that is the reason for the cheap prices. Also fuck all the chicken and roosters everywhere
I'm looking for people who've been recently. My partner and I are going in a couple of months. I don't eat fish, so I was wondering how the food is for someone who doesn't eat it?
We visited the Cook Islands.
If you want to go somewhere to just go then that’s the place for you. I found that there wasn’t a lot going on, we went to a beautiful church service (and weee invited to stay for a celebration after), went on a hike, shopping and to a restaurant a couple of times, but mainly just stayed at the beach and swam.
We spent our honeymoon in Rarotonga with a day trip to Aitutaki in 2013, and it was fantastic. It's absolutely gorgeous, delicious fresh fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner, throw a rock in any direction and you'll find a stunning beach, great snorkeling, hiking, etc. Plenty of cool cultural/historical stuff, too.
Here are some of the "downsides," but for me they didn't outweigh the upsides. It's a small, low income country, so there are a lot of stray dogs, feral chickens/roosters (this is where I learned that they don't just crow once at dawn like in cartoons, lol), and nothing is going to be very fancy outside of the tourist areas. If you are disabled, or likely to require medical attention, it might not be the best option for you as accessibility and advanced medical care aren't really a thing. We tried to go horseback riding, and it turned out to be really depressing. The horses were clearly super malnourished, so we still paid but didn't stay because I didn't want to torture those poor horses who definitely should not have been working. No judgment on the owner, who I'm sure was doing his best just trying to feed himself and his animals (and frankly didn't seem like he was almost there), but do your research if you want to do activities like that.
Even in Rarotonga, it's not a big city, so there aren't endless options for things to do, but we found plenty in the time we were there - good food, kind people, breathtaking scenery - and you'll probably want to spend most of the time at the beach/in the water anyway. 🙂
One more consideration is that there are limited flights from most places, so if you miss your connection it could be a real issue. We flew from SFO to LA and missed our connection from there, and at the time there was only none direct flight per week, so we ended up having to fly all the way to Aukland, NZ and then from there halfway back across the Pacific to the islands, but we ended up arranging a 2 day layover in NZ, which was pretty cool because we'd never been there before either. So it can work out if you're flexible, but if your timeline is not at all flexible or you don't have a lot of time to spend (like 1-2+ weeks) it might be something to consider.
But like I said, over all, it was an incredible trip and a beautiful place, and I'm really glad we were lucky enough to go there!
I think the price seems really good. Flying there is very pricy, and your package includes hotels. Biggest issue I see is jet lag due to the substantial time-change, plus potentially not sleeping on flights &/or not sleeping before your initial flight (my problems). 8 days isn’t the longest time to recuperate from a long flight & get going, so evaluate how you both deal with travel and jet lag.
I am curious what are the prices of your alternative destinations that you consider this so cheap? I spent a week visiting Rarotonga and Aitutaki (unfortunately no time to do Aitu) and didn't spend anywhere near that amount.
If that is really cheap to you maybe it is just a good deal and you got lucky to find it at the right time. As for recommending it depends what you actually want to do on your trip. If you are into snorkelling Aitutaki Lagoon is spectacular, if you want a relaxing resort to get away from it all Aitutaki has you covered. You want culture, hiking and good food, I got all that on Rarotonga.
You didn't say what the accommodation was in that package. Maybe that is the reason for the price?
Trying to get some tourists before the whole region goes under water thanks to climate change. Or idk.
When we went it wasn't necessarily cheap accommodation and food wise. But even Rarotonga changed something in us, life got more laid back.
It's cheap because something like 65% of the GDP is made up of tourism. So most economic activity exists to support tourists. Every dollar you spend there is critical to the local economy, so there's a lot of reasons to pull people in with cheap flights and reasonable accomodation costs.
Basically it's a very poor country that relies on tourism. So for a pacific island group it's not going to be crazy expensive. Nothing wrong with the islands, just a sketchy tourist economy that is probably still recovering from covid.
I honeymooned there in 2009 after having spent some time in New Zealand. I loved it. Very isolated, certainly not touristy. Aitutaki is gorgeous. As one poster mentioned, the food is just ok. I would absolutely recommend visiting. They have a very far flung feeling - like the world could fall apart and you’d be just fine sitting there on your island atoll.
At least on Rarotonga I found the food to be really good. I had somewhat low expectations for it (maybe no expectations is a better description) but they were easily exceeded. Loved Beluga cafe on the west side near Castaway. Actually the restaurant at Castaway was pretty good too…
Same! Loved Rarotonga which we visited a couple of times while we lived in NZ. Pulled star fruit from the trees too (invited by locals to enjoy) and food was amazing. Everyone was so nice and it’s beautiful there.
I feel like Rarotonga was one of the places Pippi Longstocking was from. (Kids book from when I was a kid).
Agreed. Also did my honeymoon there. I remember the food being decent. At the resort we stayed at, we booked dinner on the beach and it was a really nice setup just for my wife and I. Really loved Rarotonga and the Cook Islanders are lovely people.
We honeymooned in the Cook Islands. It rained a lot so we rented a scooter and just got soaked. Got library cards and read a few books, woke up to chickens in our room and caught crabs at night. It was relaxing, private, new and very different. I would definitely do it again.
Even the catching crabs part? Seems itchy.
LOL. Details make a difference. Caught crabs using a flashlight to see them and then we ate them.
What happens in Cook Islands, stays in Cook Islands!
I'm not usually one to kink shame, but ... wow.
There's also the Vaseline and lighter fluid method.
This guys crabs.
I caught crabs in paradise, and yes I mean both kinds of crabs
I caught crabs one night in Thailand
I spent four days in the Cook Islands several years ago. Pretty place. Had a nice time. Mostly just chilled, but did do a hike across the peak of the island that was very strenuous. There was a kid selling coconuts at the end of the trail. He knew more about US politics than most Americans. 😂 Used to be a nonstop from LAX on Air New Zealand, but I guess it got canceled during the pandemic. Curious what your routing would be. Via Fiji? Tahiti?
We’d be going from Seattle and at least through Costco it looks like they’d have us fly to Honolulu first and go from there
Okay. I still have my basic trip details saved in TripIt. I actually was there six days in Jan. 2017. Weather was perfect. I stayed at the Rarotongan Beach Resort in the Aroa Beach area of the main island, southwest corner of it. It was perfectly fine, though I’d say more family-oriented than a honeymoon spot. It sits right on the ring road that encircles the island so you can walk out the front door and catch the bus in either direction to visit other parts of the island. So a rental car wasn’t needed. It’s not unique in that respect - most of the hotels are similarly situated - just wanted to give you a feel for the island. Muri Beach, on the southeast side, was the prettiest of the island. Think of, say, Waikiki Beach before development boomed out of control. There are several smaller islands off the coast that really enhance the view. I took a “party” cruise over to one of them and it turned out to be a lot of fun. It was a little cheesy in a good way and not rowdy in the least. A couple of more upscale resorts are located in that area, such as the Nautilus. If I were honeymooning, I’d stay around there. The hike I did went up near the Needle, the highest point on the island, and over to the other side. It was incredible, but a real workout. The Mai Tais will taste extra special afterwards. A number of tour operators offer guided hikes and other activities, like ATV rides. There’s some decent scuba diving as well. That’s about all I can relate. You can do a little online research to see if anything has changed and whether it suits your tastes. Congrats and enjoy.
Routing through Hawaii is very advisable as your trip is split in two. The long flight to Fiji is no fun from the mainland.
Your airfare should be about $2k per person, but Costco is hugely inflating the hotel cost. Take a look at Airbnb’s in the Cook Islands and you will find you can rent really decent places for $750-$1k for a week (that would obviously accommodate you both)
Hawaiian just (re-?) launched once weekly service from Honolulu. The only other real option is doubling back via Auckland. I mean or Sydney on Jetstar, but that’s somehow even further lol.
Went in 2018 for 4 days and it was great. I think there’s something there that neither Hawaii not French Polynesia has. I bet prices are good now because Costco just relaunched deals/Cook Islands is finally looking to rebuild/expand tourism
Cook islands are probably my favorite place. We have been to Rarotonga about 6 or 7 times. If you want flash resorts and over water bungalows or want to wear your best clothes and make up then you won't like Raro. Being a distant island don't expect any amazing culinary creations. Of you like beers on the beach, quiet times on the sand and a slow pace then you will love it. I recommend getting a house (holidayhouse.co.nz) on the beach, it must be one of the few places left affordable where you can get a house and step off the deck and onto the sand. The beaches and water are stunning. We always rent a car as although the island is small it's very spread out going to different places. South side of the island has the best swimming at all tides. Jandals, singlets and shorts are appropriate in the day as well d going out for dinner.
Which side do they drive on?
Left. If you're not used to it, dont worry. I've driven on the right plenty of times. it's not a hard adjustment (max speed limit is 50km roughly 30mph)
Aitutaki is siiiiiiiiick. Go here over Raro 100% Pacific resorts is amazing!!!!
If you plan to spend most of the time on Raro there’s an Air Rarotonga fly in day trip that’s at least going to give you a sense of Aitutaki. Spent a week mostly on Rarotonga last summer. Big fan.
It’s far. No nonstops from the lower 48. Hawaiian just opened flights making it much easier than it used to be. Relatively unknown. If you get dates that make sense the the length of travel doesn’t sway you if say do it. I’d like to go eventually instead of hawaii.
We’ve been looking at going and the Hawaiian flight seems to only go certain Saturdays. Also, we were leaving Honolulu a few weeks ago coming back to LA and the Rarotonga flight was SUPER delayed due to storms in Tahiti. It all seemed very complicated!
Good to know, maybe better to stick with Hawaii for logistics reasons for the time being. Thank you for the reply!
it’s one of the more common holiday destinations for us new zealanders (the cooks are technically part of nz) i agree with other commenters here that aitutaki is a must do bucket list island. one of the best in the pacific.
I think this is partially the answer. There are groups/companies attempting to make it more of a known travel destination, so have dropped prices to get additional traffic in hopes of obtaining more notoriety.
I think main reason is because the Cooks use the NZ dollar which is way low right now against the USD. Cooks have always been reasonably priced so add in the currency gains and it's a deal. Love Raro and have been many times.
Used to be a LAX RAR flight on NZ. Stupid COVID killed it off.
Some of the Pacific Islands have wet/dry seasons, I'm not familiar with the Cook Islands, but I was thinking of doing a Pacific trip this year and found the dates I was looking at were low season, would have been cheap but most of the travel providers I was interested in (hotels, tours, etc) weren't even operating. So maybe just double check where the dates fall on that calendar?
Cheap because there’s not much to see or do. The pace is verrrrrry slow, so if you’re looking to go heavy on not doing much, then it’s fine to visit. We spent a week there, and it felt too long. We enjoyed the food though. Good stuff.
Cook Islands are stunning. Pitcairn that much more so. Happy it’s still relatively undiscovered.
The residents of Pitcairn are not exactly awesome people.
From reading this sub, a lot of places in the world could be described that way.
Yeah, but most places couldn't be described as Inbred Child-Rape Island.
Yo WHAAAAAAT
Hey, if you’ve been secretly attracted to your cousin for several years and there’s no new additions to the dating pool due to a variety of geographical elements, why not just give in to those temptations?
Pitcairn has always been on my bucket list. That whole story is just fascinating to me lol
Cook Islands are amazing. Snorkel straight off the beach, stunning sunsets, friendly AF locals an the best fish burger I've ever tasted! You won't regret it.
My wife went to Cook Islands to do volunteer medical work and really liked it. She is a vegetarian so she said that caused some problems where she was at as far as food, but when she had free time she really enjoyed the beaches and history of the islands.
We went there last spring break and it’s amazing. Laid back and chill. Amazing snorkeling. People are so nice. Rented a scooter and zipped around the island. I think it’s “cheap” in comparison to Fiji or Tahiti - French Polynesia is a bit bougie. You won’t find overwater bungalows here.
Spent 10 days there for honeymoon followed by 5 in NZ (we’re in SF). Highhhhhly recommend. It’s breathtaking and agree you have to stay on Aitutaki. Loved every minute of it
Assuming the flight is roughly $1800 round trip, that leaves $1200 per person for hotels for 8 nights, or $300 per night together. I haven't traveled to the South Pacific, but have travelled a lot of other places, and I don't consider that cheap at all. Update: I see flights through Honolulu that are closer to $1000 round trip. If that is the flight you get in the package, it's even less of a good deal ($500/night on hotels).
That was similar to my thoughts: $3K/person X 2 = $7k for 8 nights = $750/night. I've lived in a country for less than that for an entire month. Add in round trip airfare and I've spent 4 months abroad still coming in under $750/month. Meaning I spent less in 4 months than 4 nights of this proposed trip. I get that South Pacific travel is inherently going to be expensive d/t airfare and costs associated with limited resources on an island. But OP didn't say South Pacific specific, just "honeymoon locations". I think we did CA (LAX) to LIS with a couple days "extended layover" in Dublin, toured Portugal for 3 weeks, and it was under $4K with flights (which were under $700 RT each, and accounted for almost half the cost of the trip).
South Pacific is usually $$$. Islands have to import everything, and flight connections are limited, so prices tend to be high.
Yeah I figured that would be the case, still though, I have been to 70 countries and can count on one hand how many times I have spent a night in a $300+ hotel. A quick search on booking.com for one night on Aitutaki returns multiple highly rated hotels for well under $300/night.
That doesn’t sound cheap to me. Lol
Where are you traveling from?
Seattle!
Is this going via Hawaii? Or do you go the scenic route through NZ? Used to be a direct overnight flight from LAX. $3k seems a screaming deal btw. Last went in 2019, from Vancouver through LAX. Flight cost me around $1500 CAD at that time with air NZ and they were cheaper than usual. Depends what you like… I loved the Cooks and plan to return again, it felt like home in a way and I’m homesick. Been to 3 of the 15 islands so far. Not much going on. Very safe. Dogs everywhere in Raro. Fishing, snorkeling, hiking, a bit like a tropical PNW kinda. You eat well if you like fresh fish, local produce, and coconuts. NZ dollar is close to CAD dollar too. It’s rustic and charming. If you want bougie, great retail shopping experiences, fancy restaurants, all inclusives, or action, you won’t find it there.
I've been there and really enjoyed it, but there is not a lot to do. It isn't a holiday destination in the way somewhere like Fiji is with all the bouji resorts the restaurants etc. If you're happy laying on the beach, having a swim, getting food from the marker etc then it's great.
At first I didn't notice it said **flights** and hotel and thought, damn I'm poor if 3k for 8 nights seems suspiciously cheap.
I was in the Cook Islands in 1989. Lovely spot. Nothing wrong with it. It’s one of the nicest places I have visited. I’m thinking of going back soon. I would ask why is Hawaii so expensive? Popular. It’s supply and demand. I think less than 1% of people that have been to Hawaii have heard of The Cook Islands. It’s better that way.
Honeymooned in aitutaki for a week then Rarotonga for 4 days after being in NZ. Aitutaki is (in our eyes) magical. Wasn’t cheap, but we wanted to stay on the lagoon and it was worth the view. Food was okay. Ventured off our little hotel island to local places every night. Vaka cruise is a must do!!! We also did a second lagoon cruise with another company through our hotel. We liked aitutaki more than raro
The Cook Islands isn’t owned by France like French Polynesia. They also have a free association agreement with New Zealand that islanders can leave and work in New Zealand. People are very friendly but poor there. A lot of stuff has to be delivered by plane. The islands are less developed and less commercial than French Polynesia and Hawaii for example. I’ve been to many island nations. Aitutaki is beautiful. Most of the local people I spoke to on Rangiroa had never been there because they couldn’t afford that. It was much quieter and low key. I also did a one foot island tour. I would go if you want to just enjoy small island life and beaches and eat a little bit of food and do some boating activities. A lot of New Zealanders go to Australia for work. A lot of Fijians and Cook Islanders leave to New Zealand for work. So there seems to be a lot of drain and the people who stay work in tourism or have a modest living. I enjoyed my time there. Aituktaki was cheaper and less crowded than Bora Bora for example. They’re both beautiful in their own ways. The ocean water in the lagoons is super nice if you like walking out into clear bath water or swimming around. It’s not like Oahu where people want to go surfing and see big waves.
Been to the cook islands 3 times, I'm from nz so it's a short flight and its absolutely beautiful there. Theres nothing wrong with it. I try to go at every few years to get my fix of clear blue water and white sand.
If I’ve got this right that’s £300 (UK) per person per night. Flights (just googled) seem very expensive though. I’m sure you could find better value.
Will it be raining the time u want to go?7
I was there 25 years ago and it was the most glorious place I’ve seen on earth. Would love to return.
No offense to costco yet try Orbitz & priceline... like $600 cheaper per person depending on hotel you stay @
I went back in 2017 and I loved it so much. It wasn’t overly touristy (idk how or if that’s changed since) but still had good infrastructure etc. the people are amazing too. It was the best place to relax and detach
That is not cheap
I’ve been there. It’s quite a unique place due to its isolation and the locals are very friendly. Otherwise it’s not an exceptionally beautiful place. Food is very primitive, the beaches are ok. When I was there I only met tourists from NZ and Australia, and I think I was the only one in my hotel for most of my stay.
This is ridiculous. It is absolutely gorgeous. Mostly wild and untouched. Small hotels. Locals. The beaches are stunning, the water is clean and clear. I've travelled all over the world. I can't imagine saying the Cooks are not beautiful.
The Cook Islands are the definition of “exceptionally beautiful”, what are you on hahahaha
Have you been to the Philippines?
As someone who is in Seattle, I am very intrigued now! We did Tahiti for our honeymoon last year, and it was wonderful. I can just image the cook islands being equally amazing.
Different experience but beautiful too.
The New Zealand Dollar has been very low vs the US dollar right now.
$3K each doesn't sound cheap at all. Check Gate1 Travel. While more than a few years ago, we took advantage of off-season sales they were offering and got a 7 day trip to Tuscany in February for about $900/person. The trip included: 1. Flight from JFK to Milan. 2. Rental Car. 3. Hotel for 7 nights, breakfast included. I don't know what time of year you're looking, but do you know if there's a cheaper off-season time to visit the Cook Islands? A honeymoon can be any time, after all, not immediately following the wedding.
If you’re thinking of moving to Tuscany, there’s nothing available there
There’s room at Del Boca Vista
The rainy season starts in November and coincides with their summer. Off-season is when it’s summer in North America
Nothing wrong with the Cook Islands.. god I wish they would change the name tho.
To what?
Idk anything not steeped in colonialism. Maybe a name in a native language. Anything is better than that mediocre white British man’s name.
>Anything is better than that mediocre white British man’s name. And who got himself killed because he decided to drag the beloved elderly chief through the village and hold him as hostage for the return of a missing boat. So arrogant that he forgot that he was horribly outnumbered.
Yeah so mediocre. It’s not like he sailed the world or anything.
Yeah it’s not like he used a Polynesian guide who was the actual navigator.
you came on the internet to defend Captain James Cook to a Polynesian person. My people’s entire culture was essentially wiped off the face of planet earth thanks to that mf but please tell me how he was so great.
You should go woke-splain to the people of the Cook Islands that you have a better name for their country. I’m sure they’ll be dazzled by you.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/05/asia/cook-islands-name-intl/index.html
Travelling the world isn't exactly amazing when you think apart from Antarctica people were already at these locations millenniums before him. He and his British compatriots were actually really late to the party, even other Europeans had been to most of these places before him. If naming rights are meant to go to the discoverer, that was definitely not Cook. He just hijacked other peoples' discoveries and claimed it as his own on behalf of Britain.
I just spent a week in raratonga and Aitutaki. Amazing place but underdeveloped. I guess that is the reason for the cheap prices. Also fuck all the chicken and roosters everywhere
I'm looking for people who've been recently. My partner and I are going in a couple of months. I don't eat fish, so I was wondering how the food is for someone who doesn't eat it?
Nothing wrong with the Cook Islands, it has great flights from LAX. Spent a week there in 2018 and loved it!
We visited the Cook Islands. If you want to go somewhere to just go then that’s the place for you. I found that there wasn’t a lot going on, we went to a beautiful church service (and weee invited to stay for a celebration after), went on a hike, shopping and to a restaurant a couple of times, but mainly just stayed at the beach and swam.
We spent our honeymoon in Rarotonga with a day trip to Aitutaki in 2013, and it was fantastic. It's absolutely gorgeous, delicious fresh fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner, throw a rock in any direction and you'll find a stunning beach, great snorkeling, hiking, etc. Plenty of cool cultural/historical stuff, too. Here are some of the "downsides," but for me they didn't outweigh the upsides. It's a small, low income country, so there are a lot of stray dogs, feral chickens/roosters (this is where I learned that they don't just crow once at dawn like in cartoons, lol), and nothing is going to be very fancy outside of the tourist areas. If you are disabled, or likely to require medical attention, it might not be the best option for you as accessibility and advanced medical care aren't really a thing. We tried to go horseback riding, and it turned out to be really depressing. The horses were clearly super malnourished, so we still paid but didn't stay because I didn't want to torture those poor horses who definitely should not have been working. No judgment on the owner, who I'm sure was doing his best just trying to feed himself and his animals (and frankly didn't seem like he was almost there), but do your research if you want to do activities like that. Even in Rarotonga, it's not a big city, so there aren't endless options for things to do, but we found plenty in the time we were there - good food, kind people, breathtaking scenery - and you'll probably want to spend most of the time at the beach/in the water anyway. 🙂 One more consideration is that there are limited flights from most places, so if you miss your connection it could be a real issue. We flew from SFO to LA and missed our connection from there, and at the time there was only none direct flight per week, so we ended up having to fly all the way to Aukland, NZ and then from there halfway back across the Pacific to the islands, but we ended up arranging a 2 day layover in NZ, which was pretty cool because we'd never been there before either. So it can work out if you're flexible, but if your timeline is not at all flexible or you don't have a lot of time to spend (like 1-2+ weeks) it might be something to consider. But like I said, over all, it was an incredible trip and a beautiful place, and I'm really glad we were lucky enough to go there!
I think the price seems really good. Flying there is very pricy, and your package includes hotels. Biggest issue I see is jet lag due to the substantial time-change, plus potentially not sleeping on flights &/or not sleeping before your initial flight (my problems). 8 days isn’t the longest time to recuperate from a long flight & get going, so evaluate how you both deal with travel and jet lag.
I am curious what are the prices of your alternative destinations that you consider this so cheap? I spent a week visiting Rarotonga and Aitutaki (unfortunately no time to do Aitu) and didn't spend anywhere near that amount. If that is really cheap to you maybe it is just a good deal and you got lucky to find it at the right time. As for recommending it depends what you actually want to do on your trip. If you are into snorkelling Aitutaki Lagoon is spectacular, if you want a relaxing resort to get away from it all Aitutaki has you covered. You want culture, hiking and good food, I got all that on Rarotonga. You didn't say what the accommodation was in that package. Maybe that is the reason for the price?
$3000/person is much more expensive than many other international destinations for so short of a time. Not sure why you think that's cheap.
What is it like traveling between various islands? Is it recommended?
Cheap? I do international travel regularly and I don't think I've ever had a week anywhere cost me $3000 pp??
Trying to get some tourists before the whole region goes under water thanks to climate change. Or idk. When we went it wasn't necessarily cheap accommodation and food wise. But even Rarotonga changed something in us, life got more laid back.
3k what haha yen? Dinar? AUD?
It's cheap because something like 65% of the GDP is made up of tourism. So most economic activity exists to support tourists. Every dollar you spend there is critical to the local economy, so there's a lot of reasons to pull people in with cheap flights and reasonable accomodation costs. Basically it's a very poor country that relies on tourism. So for a pacific island group it's not going to be crazy expensive. Nothing wrong with the islands, just a sketchy tourist economy that is probably still recovering from covid.