Hotel berhampiran Titikaveka Beach, Takitumu District

First time staying at this resort and so glad we did. We had beach front bungalow - Large deck with chairs, just steps from the lagoon. Room was very spacious. Very comfortable bed (King), large bathroom area and an outdoor shower with a clothes line out back. Check in was a breeze, parking out front for the hire car. They have filtered water in the room and you can refill at the bar - fill any bottles you are taking with you for the day activities (They even stored out bottles in the fridge while we had breakfast which was much appreciated) We opted for the Tropical Breakfast which included tea/coffee, Juice, Fruit, a different little treat like a cake or quiche etc, cereal and toast. (Big breakfast) You can pay for the cooked breakfast and we did this on the last day - lovely. Use of kayaks, snorkeling gear etc and also reef shoes on request. On the first night we opted to have dinner at the restaurant - it was a stand out, best meal of the trip. Char-Grilled Rib Eye Fillet with Vegetables, just incredibly delicious!! Very good assortment of wines, cocktails etc as well. Good selection of movies. Staff were fabulous. Only slight hiccup was checking out, sat for 20 minutes waiting to be checked out, in the end because we had a flight to catch, we had to actually go again and ask for someone to do it urgently - I'm not sure what the hold up was, there was no one checking in our out at the time, perhaps there is a specific person who usually does it and they weren't on site? Would definitely recommend, the view is fabulous from your deck - it's an oasis. These boutique hotels have won me over - less people, just so relaxing. Thank you for a wonderful stay.

Moana Sands Beachfront Hotel. We were shown to our rooms which faced towards the lagoon. The view was beautiful with the sounds of the ocean breaking on the reef in the distance. If you are looking for a 'quiet' holiday then this is NOT the accommodation to book. You can hear every, I mean every sound from the rooms above through the floor, people wheeling suitcases, walking about, moving of table and chairs etc Rooms were clean but the bathroom area could have done with a little more money spent on it. It looks like they have started upgrading the shower area. The bedroom/living area looked as if the furniture had been given a minor upgrade. The kitchen had the bare minimum of utensils with no sharp knive(s) to be seen. The fridge was fairly new and a reasonable size. The room had a king-size bed (soft mattress) as well as a single bed. There were only two chairs around the small table. Outside sun lounges. Only 10 lounges available for the entire complex which consists of 17 units. Even at 50% room capacity for the units there should have been 16 lounges available ? Not everyone wants to sit on the sand. Only two sun umbrellas available for shade until the final few days of our stay when a third umbrella made a guest appearance otherwise it was first in first served to get any shade, including a few palm trees. Canoes tried the only double one and a single. Both filled with water which stopped us from taking full advantage of them. The BBQ was very clean but you had to take a knife from your room to turn it on and regulate the switches as they were rusted and didn't work. A shame as it was a beautiful area to cook and eat dinner. Resturant meals We had breakfast on site which was included in the accommodation as well as several evening dinners. Out of all the evening meals eaten out over our 10+ day stay these were ” the best evening meals ” eaten over our stay. Congratulations. The resturant staff were very friendly especially Ryan :) always had a smile & the service was excellent. You could only give them 10/10. The Chef 10/10. Maid service 10/10 very pleasant and always had a smile. Reception staff we came across could do with a little bit of up skilling but as the holiday progressed there was an improvement 7/10 !! The resturant is closed on Saturday for lunch & dinner as this was their day off. Charlie's was open and approx a 10min walk. Would i return to Moana Sands Beach Front Hotel --- Sorry no. PROS -- kitchen staff excellent beachfront & nice view good happy hour daily room service CONS -- thin floors between rooms and a bit noisy lack of sun umbrellas lack of sun lounges BBQ needs fixing or replacing Canoes need fixing reception staff could be more customer friendly.

Paradise! We found it! What a fabulous week spent in a beautiful and relaxing resort. Our room was right next to the pool and our boy loved swimming there, every day! The ocean was incredible of course, so pristine and so calm, we saw wonderful tropical fish snorkelling and just walking along the beach. We canoed as a family for the first time and explored an island, and saw a shipwreck on the other side - magical! Time truly slows down in the Cook Islands and even more so at this beautiful resort where everything is just so tranquil. The food was delicious, the kids menu perfect (no complaints!) and the staff are so friendly, they even learn your name. When can I go back??? :D

If you found this review to be informative and helpful, please kindly note as it will help us better focus our future review efforts! We stayed at the Moana Sands Beachfront Hotel in late January on our visit to Rarotonga. This was our fourth trip to the Cook Islands and we’ve tried various accommodations to date, including two rental properties and another resort villas property within the island. Note Moana Sands Group has three properties on the island thus is the source of confusion for many reviews on TripAdvisor. We selected the Beachfront Hotel (believe it was the oldest property of the bunch) due to its ideal location beachfront on the reef for snorkelling. Upon booking the resort, it is important to note that those who have rental vehicles with flights arriving after-hours are still required to pay for a one-way shuttle for one person so the attendee can let you into your rooms. After further discussing with the property manager, you can elect to follow the transport or have one person join the shuttle. The driver from Kai Mani transport was efficient, friendly, greeted us with beautiful leis upon arrival, and waited on us while we sorted out our rental – they are an excellent transport provider. All hotel staff we interacted with during our stay were helpful and friendly. We elected for the deluxe suites on the third floor. The room itself is spacious and includes basic amenities in a mini-kitchenette of sorts (basic small appliances, utensils, mini-fridge). The room did show its age however, and during our stay we noticed the first- and second- floor rooms albeit smaller appeared to have recent renovations. We also found the air conditioner had serious challenges keeping up pace with the warm summer weather. We booked the property with the AC feature as a need to keep us cool, but the vaulted ceiling created more room volume/space to cool. Be aware as with any property in the tropics, that bugs/insects are abundant anywhere and some basic tips help keep them away from your room (keep food in fridge not on counter, clean up crumbs after eating, etc.) The option for a breakfast is a convenient way to start the day, but do note that there were few changes to selection during the course of our visit. Breakfast is continental variety, including fruits, teas/coffee/juices, breads, ham/cheese/veg, yogurt and cereals. During the last few days, we discovered a great way to make a toasted grilled sandwich – two slices of bread, buttered on the outside, with ham, cheese, tomato and onion, on the little George Foreman grill until golden brown. It really elevated the breakfast experience and is highly recommended. There is the option for grill breakfast items at extra cost should guests desire. The beachfront area was not busy during our stay, staff did their best to keep the area and sand nicely kept, and the property offers sports equipment for use. As avid snorkelers, we brought our own equipment and really enjoyed snorkelling the reef. In