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4.0
#1 of 3 motels in Aitutaki
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Ranginui's Retreat Aitutaki accommodation is comprised of 8 self catering beachfront bungalows sleeping a maximum of 3 Adults each or 2 adults and 2 small children. Each bungalow accommodation offers Queen size beds ensuite bathroom with hot and cold water, in room fans, kitchenette with fridge, microwave, cook top, utensils, rain water fountain and tea / coffee facilities and fully screened rooms.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Hidden Gem
Location
Ootu Beach, Arutanga Cook Islands
Ranginui's Retreat
126 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
The photos on this site are out of date. This newly renovated group of beach side bungalows are not just in the best location for beach access lagoon cruises and for kayaking but are top pick for value for money. Run by warm welcoming locals who genuinely care about you having a great time. Family run the son has helped dad create cool outdoor showers for each unit, newly tiled bathrooms, new extra comfy beds, you roll out of bed onto the beach. Self catering means your own new barbecue . All new air conditioning units plus ceiling fans. Decorated island style for genuine island experience. 2 mins from best breakfast on the island at Korus. 4 mins to the Boatshed restaurant for great meals at great prices. Where a beer is priced same as NZ instead of the inflated Hotel prices just 15 mins away. Why stay anywhere else Ranginui Retreat has all you need for a great holiday. Scooters,cars,kayaks location and ask them to book at least x2 lagoon cruises for you. Email the the owner operator direct he will meet you at airport and be the most welcoming host . This place needs new photos
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Date of stay: June 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip:They are all newly renovated and all on the beachfront, all with same great facilities
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Great location on the island you get you have the same view as the $2000 a night over rated cabins across the water ..% minutes walk and your at the Blue Lagoon sunset bar and Restaurant Cheap drinks and meals get the steak is better than home . 5 minutes in the other direction your at the Boatshed to watch the moon rise or sun if you want to get up early Get the fish and chips . Walk out the gate and the boys at Platinum Cruising whether cruising the lagoon or chasing the big fish they have great new gear just ready to go . After a long couple of years in lock down and needing a break just the smiles and joking with the locals will warm your hearts such a loving experience! Poor old Ginnyjing must think the Mozzies have been trained just to get him because of his nationality Rarotonga and Aitutaki have them make sure you find accommodation that has fly screens and pack spray .
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Date of stay: June 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel takes me all over the world, often staying for weeks in the same place. Therefore, it is important to get my accommodation booking right. Lots of hours are spent online, comparing the different options and that does not always guarantee no negative surprises. Well, I am glad to say that Ranginui’s retreat was spot on for me and I loved it there, especially as a fly fisherman. It is obvious that a lot of work has been invested lately and the people running Ranginui’s were a delight to deal with. The property is in my opinion in the best corner of the island, right on the water, close to four eating / drinking outlets and a short walk away from where most of the lagoon cruises leave. Kayaks and various other water toys are freely available, plus scooters and cars can be hired there. The units are very clean, practical, well maintained & equipped, have AC, plus fans, indoor, as well as outdoor chairs & tables and a BBQ per unit. Even though the beach is right in front, soaking in the pool is a cool extra. I stayed in one of the beachfront units. Aitutaki is not cheap (nor is most of the Pacific), but Ranginui’s definitely offers good value for money. The team is great and it’s going to be my choice again in the future, no questions asked.
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Date of stay: June 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Beach front
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The best thing about this place is the location, overlooks the lagoon which is stunning. You get the same views as the private resort for a fraction of the price. It is also walking distance from Koru Cafe (for breakfast/lunch), the Boatshed & Aitutaki Village (for dinner). Need transport to get groceries and around the island.
We also got great service from Shantelle (the owners daughter) - she was very friendly and went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed and advise us on where to go/what to do. This really made our stay.
The downside is the accommodation is quite basic but you are on an island! If you want luxury pay the money to stay is one of the too hotels. The main issue was there wasn’t a door on the toilet only a thin curtain so there really wasn’t any privacy.
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed there for 3 nights in June 2022. Overall the place is below backpackers standard. My room is having a lot of mosquito,ants, flies. I got lots of mosquito bites though I sprayed carefully with mosquito repellent. There is no customer service at all. Location is isolated, far from main town of Aitutaki. If you want to call a taxi, they charge you $0.5 cent per minute. Other places provide free scooter or bicycle. Mind you of their hidden cost. Walking into your room, you will find hotel rules on the table, saying if in so and so situation, they will charge you extra. If you want their airport transfer outside their allowed hours, they will charge you$20 while taxi only charge you$10.00. Nothing you can do around there unless you just want to sit there all day stranded and bitten by mosquitos . Noisy Generator and public swimming pool right next to my room. The drum and loud music of the sand bar from the private island resort opposite the property will not stop until very late at night. It's worse than a campsite in New Zealand and Australia. Worse of all I was badly treated there as I am an Asian not white. I traveled all over the world staying in both backpackers as well as 5 star hotels and this is the first time I experienced racism. Larni treated me differently when I asked them to store my luggage. They stored it out of sight for a white couple while asking me just to leave it on office sofa myself, where anyone can pitch it. DON'T Stay there! They are not professional and shouldn't be in hospitality business.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
25-28 Oct 23 This is a comfortable 3 star and I think in a great location, so handy to Koru Cafe, The Boatshed Bar & Restaurant and The Lagoon Restaurant, along with the 5* Aitutaki Private Island restaurant which you look across to. So you have great on the beach views, with basic cooking amentities and a BBQ (suggest you bring your food from Raro) as there is no shop nearby, but we hired scooters from Ranginuis $25/day and had a great day zipping around the whole island. Just know reception is only open in hte mornings - they have been doing this many years so it's best to relax into their schedule and you will get along fine. There is the option of Air con which for some is important. Free use of kayaks and most of the lagoon excursions pick up from this location. We got an airport transfer - but patience and island mode is the key.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:The Vaka Cruise & Bishops Cruises go from here. We had Teking Tours pick up us in their van and...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A wonderful spot to stay with ammenities close by and an idyllic location. Koru Cafe, Blue Lagoon Restaurant and the Boatshed are all within easy walking distance for eating, as well as the departure sites for the Lagoon Tours. Bishops and Te Vaka depart within 5 mins walk from Ranginui's Retreat. Our hosts were delightful and were able to give us lots of info for Aitutaki. They also hire cars and scooters at a very cheap rate for guests, which is essential if you want to tour the island as the location is a distance from the township. This is a beautiful spot with the lagoon directly in front and a swimming pool to cool off in during the day. A nice quiet location to relax and enjoy Aitutaki. I would also definitely recommend the lagoon cruise for a day!
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Not all rooms are air conditioned so check beforehand with booking.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were due to travel there next week but due to COVID in NZ the travel bubble has been cancelled. We paid for 9 nights up front and expected a refund but were offered a credit. We do not know when or if we will ever be able to travel in the near future. Our very expensive booking we had in Rarotonga immediately refunded our deposit. Please match your other accommodation providers and refund our payment.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Be aware of their no refund policy
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was our third trip to Aitutaki, but our first at Ranginuis Retreat. Steve was a great host, picked us up and dropped us off at the airport on time. Great location, within walking distance to The Boatshed, Aitutaki Escape, Koru Cafe and the ferry across to the private island (we went for dinner one night). The room was comfortable and was right on the lagoon. Swimming in the lagoon was amazing, and there was a pool too which was great to laze around in. There is a water filter system, so you can fill up your water bottles etc. We hired scooters from Ranginuis to get around - they were a little old, but got us from A to B no problems at all. We would definitely stay again.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Head across to the private island for dinner one night - Cocktails and food were great. The...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We enjoyed a fabulous three nights at Ranginui’s Retreat this week, and will definitely be staying again on our next visit to Aitutaki.
It’s not the Ritz, and doesn’t claim to be, but our room was spotless, comfortable and well-equipped… and its price and location were outstanding. We loved being right on a gorgeous swimming beach with stunning views of the lagoon, with a café and three restaurants within only a few minutes’ walk. Having the Blue Lagoon Bar & Restaurant next door was a real bonus… we loved being able to watch the fish darting around in the bluest water you can imagine, right below the deck!
If you prefer to choose accommodation based on location and value (it’s a fraction of the cost of the neighbouring resorts), then this is definitely worth checking out 🌺🐠🌴
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Aitutaki area.
PRICE RANGE
S$125 - S$226 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
ranginui`s retreat hotel aitutaki, ranginuis retreat hotel aitutaki, ranginuis retreat aitutaki
LOCATION
Cook IslandsSouthern Cook IslandsAitutaki
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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