I wish I read a review before my friends and I stayed here. I really really disliked it. It was sooo dirty. On our first day we went to put our food in the kitchen but quickly changed our minds due to all the ants. We kept out food in our room. There was also a horrible smell in the... more

I have just left Vara's Beach House a few days ago and had one of the best 9 days of my life there. The ratings however vary as this is definitely a budget hostel. It's very wise to keep telling yourself that you're on a remote island as the facilities are quite poor (hot running water for a few hours... more

We just returned from there. Raro is a great place to relax, get some taint, snorkel and immerse oneself into some knowledge about the simple but solid culture of the Cook Islands. Muri Beach is the place to stay in Rarotonga. The lagoon there is not too deep and so it is walkable. It is beautiful, full of colourful fish,... more

I was there in September and the location just hit the spot directly in front of a small Island(motu) where you could pretty much walk to it through the lagoon which is only waist high... If your looking for a place in paradise to stay then this is it, close to all shops and easy access to public transport and... more

We went to the Cook Islands for a friend's wedding at Raratongan Beach Resort and intended to stay at there but the cheaper rooms were booked out. So chose Vara's after ignoring the bad rap in Lonely Planet and looking at Trip Advisor - in the end we much preferred vara's location (the rarotongan has a nasty current running along... more

Rarotonga is absolutely beautiful and there is a lot to see and do even if your there for a short visit. We stayed at Vara's Beach House (Beach Studios) which had a fantastic location and only 50m to the Beach. We were disappointed with the rooms though, as they were quiet dirty (especially the bathroom) and the kitchen utensils disgusting.... more

The location was perfect. There are two parts to Vara's. On the beach is the hostel which has a reputation for party and noise and then there is the hillside which is a ten minute walk away. I stayed on the hillside and it was heavenly - quiet, tranquil with our own kitchen, bathroom, deck and reasonably comfortable beds. The... more

We stayed at Vara's Beach House for a week, and it was very enjoyable. There's 3 levels of accommodation; dorms, rooms and studios. We stayed in room 1, which was very small, about 2 feet of floor space around the bed, with a 3 shelf wardrobe. With all our luggage, it made things a little cramped, but it's not really... more

A First time for me staying at a backpackers, I found my stay at Varas Backpackers Fantastic. My holiday was was done on a shoestring budget, I booked a two bedroom room to myself, $40.00 a night and had use of a shared kitchen and bathroom. The room was cleaned daily and new bed sheets fitted. The views from the... more