Stayed one night on our way to Aitutaki Pacific resort. Booked a three bed garden villa - got a two! but couldn't be bothered to argue or change as they had set beds up in the lounge. On first impressions the resort looked fine but we were plagued with ants and the villa smelled musty. Beautiful setting and beach area. Dinner and breakfast in the resort were fine although definately service is on island time. Small pool set away from the beach and freezing cold and unwelcoming. Check in and out and hotel transfer was faultless. Having been to the sister resort in Aitutaki this is definately a grade or two below.

The Pacific Resort on Rarotonga is undoubtedly in the best waterside location on the island, with crystal clear seas and within a stones throw from anywhere in the complex.

The water is shallow and is perfect for taking small children into the sea in a sheltered coral lagoon, never becoming more than waist deep for the average adult.

The facilities at the resort are spotless and the food excellent and the staff are wonderful.

I understand the reservations of other reviewers about the state of some of the rooms, but some were being refurbished when we were there - the place is looked after and is maintained very well and definitely does not look jaded or old fashioned in any way. I suspect the grumblers just wanted a sea view and didn't get one :) either that or they just mssed the point of staying here.

From our point of view, we took our 18 month old boy with us and found this to be our highlight of our RTW trip, as the staff were wonderful with our son and they took great delight in entertaining him when we were eating in the restaurant. We didn't ask - when they saw he was a bit restless, they simply came over and took him and sat him at another table and gave him things to play with and kept him company. It was priceless to see him so happy with all their attention and only a few feet away.

The point is that Cook Islanders (who seem by nature very chilled out) love small children, but the staff here went out of their way to look after us and our son, just because they enjoyed doing so - how many other places could you imagine people being like that?

We loved the place and would go back without hesitation and would highly recommend the place to anyone, particularly if you want to take your kids and have a relaxed time.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom garden villa whilst at the resort. My first impression was that the villa was a bit jaded and lacking in natural light. As we relaxed into the holiday however with our three school aged boys these things became inconsequential!
The beach hut guys were absolutely fabulous at helping to entertain our three sons. They took them fishing, exploring rock pools, created amazing sand sculptures and were always ready to play touch rugby etc. This gave my husband and I that fabulously relaxed holiday experience - thanks Guys!
The staff at the resort were very friendly and helpful and the grounds were beautiful. We visited some of the other resorts on the island and liked the Pacific for it's smaller, more intimate size and landscaping. The outlook to the little islands is also great and there was fabulous snorkling close at hand if you were happy to jump in a kayak.
We enjoyed having the option of lots of great dining options close to the resort. The children's menus at the Pacific resort and the other restaurants were varied and of a good portion size for our boys aged 6, 9 and 10 years. The breakfast at the Pacific was lovely although it would have been nice to have had a little more variety over our 8 night stay - even a stack of pancakes one morning for example.
I know the resort is working on upgrading their rooms - they could definitely improve on the lighting and for those wanting to cook then more crockery, cutlery etc would be handy.
All in all we had a wonderful family holiday - I think it is a great place for totally relaxing and not doing much at all - if you're in to action holidays, then maybe this isn't the place for you!

We stayed at the Pacific Resort in Raro as a short stop over to Aitutaki. The experience was dreadful. Check-in was slow. Rooms were very dated, particularly the bathrooms. This was a 2 star motel room at best. Food was ok. Overall, the resort is in need of complete renovation. We stayed at the Rarotongan Beach Bunglaows on our return from Aitutaki. These were superb! Outstanding! Particualy, Eke our beachfront villa!