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CROWN BEACH RESORT
I stayed at the Crown Beach, which is one of Rarotonga's best hotels. It has three types of accommodations: 1 bedroom villa (NZ $340 per night); Courtyard pool suites (NZ $475); and a beachfront deluxe and spa (NZ $525). I was in the courtyard pool suite, which was really sweet. These don't have a view of the water but they have private furnished patios with a plunge pool (they clean it every morning).



MY ROOM
The interiors have been recently remodeled with marble floors, a fully self contained kitchen, lots of closet space, a separate bathtub, shower and toilet. There's a 31-inch flat screen TV with one channel. However, there's a DVD player but who's going to watch TV in paradise? The bed was comfortable even though it was two twins pushed together. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't seen the dip. What I loved was the fact that the windows all had screens so I could sleep with the ceiling fan on, air conditioning off and I didn't have to worry about bugs coming in the room.

TIPS
If you like your room really dark, bring safety pins since the curtains don't close all the way.

There is a phone in the room but don't rely on the front desk for your wake-up call. I didn't receive mine nor did one of my friends. Heck, you should never ever rely on the front desk for wakeup calls so always have a backup. I use the alarm on my cell phone.

If you're a light sleeper, keep earplugs nearby because the chickens start squawking around 5:30am.

INTERNET
The rooms come with an oversized desk but no chair. There's no Internet in the room but a wireless signal is available in the Ocean's restaurant, main lobby and the business center, where there are two computers. I was in the business center a lot and don't know how the receptionist thinks straight. Every day, they played the same CD with ABBA, Hanson, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton over and over (the pool restaurants plays all kinds of funky music like club music). Internet cards are sold at the front desk for either NZ $15 for 50 MegaBytes or NZ $35 for who knows how many MBs. Depending on your Internet habit, it could be to your advantage; one of the guests was just using it for email and one $15 card lasted her the whole trip. I was constantly uploading pictures to the website so I had to purchase one every day. Note: Internet only works when reception is in, from 7am to 10pm.

DINING
The hotel has two restaurants. Ocean's is between the pool (with a rock waterfall) and … the ocean. On a sunny day, there are marvelous views and the beach looks like a great place to lay out or go for a swim. Ocean's offers breakfast (it's included in the rate) and lunch. Breakfast is okay as they have cold pancakes, inferior maple syrup, muffins, toasts, juice and fresh fruit like coconut, papaya (they call it paw paw), and bananas. Lunch is average too and I had a burger (choice of beef, fish or chicken teriyaki strips). The chicken burger tasted like fish and the French fries weren't French. But the ketchup that came in a little plastic jelly-like container was surprisingly quite good.

WINDJAMMER RESTAURANT
The Windjammer is the hotel's other restaurant and it makes up for Ocean's mediocrity. It's located in an octagonal pine building next to the side of the main road and their full-service spa. Chef Daniel Forsyth and his mate, Maire are both of Cook Island descent and offer the best food on the island. Their specialties are top-grade lamb, aged steaks and fresh local fish. I went out of the box and had the pork dumplings (NZ $14), the chicken tequila salad (NZ $27) and tried my friend's cinnamon banana mars spring rolls for dessert with vanilla ice cream. All three dishes were outrageous. TIP: When the wait staff at any restaurant don't recommend a dish – don't get it. Foolish me, I ordered the chocolate pudding even though Maire said it was just okay but my heart was set. She was right. Windjammer is only open for dinner but it's so good that Jim Marurai, the Prime Minister, is a regular. Mr. Marurai was there the night I was and I met up with him. The first thing I asked him was where his security detail was. He said he doesn't have any because it just draws attention. The other notable part of our conversation was that he's been to the U.S. four times and he doesn't like our entry process, especially when he's just transiting to Europe. Join the club.

BLACK PEARLS
The Crown Beach is owned by a cowboy from Idaho named Rondo who made his money in ranching. I asked a local if they like him and he laughed. He said, "Rondo lets everyone know he's a cowboy." What's interesting is that Rondo has a real love for making jewelry out of black pearls. I know … a cowboy who makes jewelry … isn't that an anomaly? Half the year, Rondo lives in the Cook Islands in one of the courtyard villas and a good portion of his patio has been taken over by his pearls and tools. He actually does really nice work and I bought some from him as he charges a fraction of what others do. A pearl that would cost $600 at one of the local shops and over $1,000 in the U.S. can be yours for $100 cash. I was told all pearl owners buy huge bags of black pearls – paying about $30,000 in cash. If between 10 and 15 per cent are useable pearls, it's considered a good deal.

OTHER NOTABLES
Crown Beach Resort is primarily an adult resort and children under 12 years are accepted by request only. If you forget to bring something from home (like me) there are a few shops directly across the street from the Windjammer restaurant. I bought bug repellant (NZ $12.50), a Mach razor with three blades (NZ $18.50), a bottle of water (NZ $2.50), postcards, a shot glass and a magnet (NZ $12). There are also ATMs. The Crown Beach, like most of the hotels, have coin-operated laundry machines. Crown Beach Resort, P.O. Box 47, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Tel: (682) 23953

RAROTONGAN BEACH RESORT & SPA
If you’re looking for an affordable family friendly hotel, the Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa should be considered. They have 156 rooms decorated distinctively in a Cook Islands style, with local artwork and locally produced furnishings. The rooms have tile floors, air-conditioning, private verandahs, TVs with a DVD player and eight channels of satellite. There’s a basic bathroom with water pressure that was only okay but the view of the ocean from the shower was fantastic. The best part about the Rarotongan is that it’s right on Aroa Beach -- one of the island’s best snorkeling spots. They provide free snorkel gear and I saw all kinds of colorful fish. There’s plenty to do for everyone; there’s a huge pool, a game room for kids, restaurants, laundry, bars and Internet access near the pool. However, the service is just okay. There were some little bugs in the room. They also don’t provide bottled water, just filtered tap water in a mini mug in the mini fridge.

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