Just perfect! I'm not going to write a big review as everyone has already done so and it was just as perfect for us. lovely people, lovely place, awesome location, awesome country - can't wait to come back! only sorry we didn't discover it sooner!
well done, Deb & Charlie

We arrived on Rarotonga at 4:30 AM on January 3rd, 2008. The Sea Change Villas had a private car waiting to take us to our villa. When we arrived we were blown away at the beauty and the luxury that we were presented with.

As other reviewers have noted, these villas have a private courtyard with a pool, kitcthen, living room, TV, CD stereo as well as living and bedroom doors that fully open out onto the terrace so that we could enjoy the nice sea breezes.

Our villa (Villa #1) was right on the water overlooking the sea. Our terrace had teak loungers that we could lay on and drink wine while we watched the beautifull sunsets while the sea gently lapped the beach right in front of us.

The Villas have a total of 6 units. Three are away from the ocean and three are on it. In our opinion if you are going to go all the way to Roratonga you should go ahead and spend the extra money to be in one of the Beach Villas - we highly recommend Villa #1.

We have traveled quite a bit and we have never experienced the level of service provided by Charlie and Deborah who manage the Sea Change Villas. They were very helpful in selecting dinner locations as well as renting a motorscooter. We highly recommend a motorscooter over a car. It was a lot of fun and much easier to park in the main town.

Our recommendations:

1. Bring Citronella candles (the big ones) as they do a great job keeping the bugs away while you sit on the terrace at night drinking a lot of wine.

2. Bring a rain coat as it can be sunny one minute and pouring the next.

3. The best snorkeling is at the beach right in front of the "Fruits of Rarotonga" shop. It is a marine preserve so there are a lot of fish to see.

4. For lunch you can't beat The Cafe (in town) or the Saltwater Cafe (right by the Sea Change Villas).

5. For dinner you should try Right on the Beach which is in the Manuia Boutique Beach Hotel. You eat on tables set right on the sand overlooking the sea.

We highly recommend Roratonga and especially The Sea Change Villas.

Thank you Charlie and Deborah for the best vacation we have ever had and we look forward to seeing you again!

Ron and Connie, California.

Stopped off in the Cook Islands for 8 days on a round the world trip with my wife Angela.
On arriving on Raratonga at 6am we were taken by taxi to our accomodation at Sea Change Villas on the southern tip of the island. We were most impressed by the standard of the villa we were allocated. It had its own private pool, four poster bed, well fitted kitchen and bathroom, a superb lounge area with surround sound television and high-fi units, a good stock of DVDs. We also had a comprehensive starter pack of food, including wine to get us going. Our hosts, Charlie & Deborah O'Rourke, could not have been better. They offered us great advice on what to see and do on the islands which made our stay even more enjoyable. The villas have an excellent aspect the southern ocean with the beach in front having the facilities of snorkelling and canoeing. Bicycles are also available to ride to nearby restaurants. If you can't ride many of the restaurants will come and collect you for dinner.
All in all we had a great time in the Cook Islands and I would recommend Sea Change Villas to anyone.

My wife and I spent an amazing week at the Sea Change Villas in Rarotonga.
We were there for our honeymoon from October 22-27, 2007. We stayed in Villa #1, which is a beachfront villa with a spectacular view of the lagoon and the ocean beyond. The accommodations were better than advertised and the service was more than we could have hoped for. The villa was clean and very well maintained.

We arrived to Rarotonga early in the morning on a Monday. Although it was pleasantly warm, it was fairly cloudy with off-and-on rain. After a 15-20 minute ride from the airport, we arrived at the Sea Change Villas. From the road, the villas were welcoming and very humble, while still being luxurious. It felt more like arriving to a home (a very nice home) than to a resort, which was exactly what we were looking for.

The exterior/street-side door to our villa opened to a large patio with a private pool. The patio and pool area were completely private. As with everything, the pool and patio area were very well maintained. Although having a private pool area was an amazing feature, we honestly didn’t think that we would use it that much, considering how close we were to the ocean. As it turned out, we used the pool area quite a lot. Among the obvious uses for this area, it turned out to be a great place to just sit and read, or just relax.

Attached to the patio/pool area was the main glass door to our villa. As you walk into the villa, the kitchen is on the right and the dinning area on the left. Before talking about the interior of the villa itself, I’d like to mention that the first thing that hit us as we walked in for the first time was the view. The beachside of the villa was entirely made up of folding glass doors. Even though it was barley 7am, and the sky was dark and cloudy, the view was simply amazing. Coupled with the sound of the waves crashing into the reef, it was a completely perfect way to start off our honeymoon.

So back to the villa itself. The kitchen was probably one of our favorite features. Even though we did eat out a lot, it was nice to have the freedom to make meals in our villa. The kitchen was fully stocked with modern, steel appliances and all the plates, dishes, and utensils that we could have needed.

Beyond the kitchen and dinning areas was the living room, which consisted of a fairly comfortable couch and chair set, a large table, and a very nice plasma TV with DVD player. I didn’t think that we would turn on the TV once during our trip, but it turned out to be very useful. The Sea Change reception area had a DVD library that you could borrow from, which was great.

Attached to the living area were the bed and bathroom areas. Between the bed and bathroom was a short hallway with open selves and storage for clothes and luggage. The bathroom was large and modern, with a huge shower area “built for two.”

The folding glass doors that made up the beachside wall of the villa, could open up entirely, letting in the sounds of the waves and the ocean breezes. Just beyond the doors was another semi-private patio. This one was smaller with two chairs and a small table. The design of the landscaping just in front of the patio made it so that you could see the beach and the ocean from the patio, but people walking by on the beach could not see in. Again, this made for a very relaxing, luxurious, private feeling. As it was the villas themselves are situated on a relatively quiet part of the island (mostly residential), so there is not a lot of foot traffic on the beach from other tourists. In fact, it almost felt like we had our own private beach.

Even though the villas are on a quiet part of the island, it was still very easy to get around. We did not try the local bus service, but we’ve heard that it’s fairly convenient. Instead, we decided to rent a car. There were a few restaurants and markets that were within walking or biking distance, and there are also a couple of restaurants that provided transfer services.

Check out some of our photos of the villas. We’ve also uploaded a video walkthrough of our villa, villa #1

Here are a list of the restaurants and tours that we tried during our trip.

Tours:

Captain Tama’s Lagoon Cruise (Glass-Bottom cruise through the lagoon with some great snorkeling, and a barbeque lunch)

Raro Safari Tours (4x4 tour of the interior parts of Rarotonga. Great views.)

Aitutaki Day Tour (Flight to Aitutaki Island. Lagoon cruise, snorkeling, barbeque lunch. An absolute must, if you can do it.)

Meals:

Saltwater Café for breakfast (Short walk from Sea Change)

Paw Paw Patch for dinner (Free transfers from Sea Change)

Island Night at the Edgewater Resort (Buffet and Island dancing)

Sails Restaurant for lunch

Tamarind House Restaurant for dinner

Blue Note Café for breakfast

Trader Jacks for lunch

Vaima Restaurant & Bar for dinner (Transfers from Sea Change for a small fee)