Rarotonga is an amazing place - we were there right at the end of some awful weather (it was pouring when we arrived) but the staff were so helpful. For the rest of the week the weather was brilliant.

Castaways is a great place - not like a big resort...you get to know the staff (Kaz, Fennie and the rest...) all so helpful and friendly. Their attitude and really made our trip!

We had a beachfront unit - nicely painted and furnished but a little dated now...it's great to step of the deck onto the beach or head out the back door to pool and bar!

It was fairly full but was relaxed and never felt busy or rushed (not like a big resort)

The beach is great - snorkelling a few meters of the beach - clear warm water and amzaing sea life!

Plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby and bus stops outside the gate!

Owners were a bit uptight sometimes (they were selling the property) and we felt a bit like naughty schoolchilrren when a few of us guests were enjoying the pool one evening..but hey the staff were brilliant!!!!!

Evenings around the bar and beach BBQ were great..as was the Sunday roast - a real surprise!
recommended....

I'm a little late in writing this, but better late than never. We stopped on Rarotonga in December on our way from the US to NZ. We thought a few nights in paradise before being bombarded with friends & relatives was a good thing.

Castaway was recommended to us by a couple who had spent their honeymoon there. We were quite pleased with the establishment except for a few small things.

Rooms:
We had a beachfront villa. It was a good size however didn't have much privacy. Since you are beachfront everyone walks by your room on the way to the beach. Careful when changing! The deck & view were amazing, but farther from the water than I thought when we intially booked them. There was no AC, and to be honest it was uncomfortable. It would get very hot & musky at night. And the mozzies! They were awful. I was so diligent to keep screens on the doors but they still got in and bothered me all night. I'd have to sleep with the sheet over my entire body & suffociate. A mozzie net might have helped or AC so we could keep the room shut up. Room was clean, but be careful with food, leaving even a small amount of food out will bring ants (same everywhere on the island).

Beach:
The beach was lovely - plenty of chairs. You could walk out at low tide & snorkel at high tide. Couldn't really see much use for the caneoes though. Gratis snorkely gear was much appreciated. A small swimming hole has been cleared and on hot days you'll find all the guests huddled in it to escape the heat.

Pool: Clean & warm. Didn't spend a whole lot of time there b/c the beaches are so spectacular, but it was nice to have a change once in a while.

Food: Breakfast was good enough. Toast, fresh fruit & cereal got you started for the day ahead. A couple little shops nearby to buy beans & toast if you need something heartier. Had two dinners at Castaway. The Sunday night roast was honestly a bit of a rip off, $$ given what you got. But the desert was divine. And one of the nice parts was getting to know the others guests. The beachfront BBQ was better, served family style & homemade feel to it. Dancing on the deck under the stars after won't soon be forgotten.

Staff: This is what makes the place. The owners are so nice. Our luggage didin't make it for a few days & one of owners, Cameron, literally gave my boyfriend the shift off his back & a pair of shorts to borrow. Then he rushed us to town so that we could buy a few essentials (Bathing suits, etc) before all the shops closed for 2 days. It is such a close knit community at Castaway that you feel like family by the end of your stay.

That being said, I don't believe we will be staying there again. Not b/c of the owners & the establishment, but the b/c of the location, weather & bugs. Have heard & experienced that the Muri Beach location is the best area. Still very close to town, stronger breeze relieves some of the heat & blows out the mozzies. Plus the Muri area has been cleared quite a bit more of the coral & is deeper so it's much easier to swim. The snorkeling isn't quite as good b/c there is less coral, but it is such a small island & you can be at the snorkeling areas within 10 minutes.

We stayed for five days at Castaways before heading over to Aitutaki. Dorothy and Cameron, the owners were the best. Our room, meals, service and setting were super. Swimming and snorkeling was fun. Evening get-togethjers at the bar are not to be missed. Our best meal in Rarotonga was their beach barbeque. What a great way to start a holiday. We will definitely be back.

We stopped at Castaway Beach Villa for 6 days on our way to Australia. I highly recommend it if you want a quiet, low keyed vacation. Because it was the end of the raining season, the entire island seemed quiet. The hotel has 12 units, but only 3 to 6 were occuppied at any one time. We had one of the two beach front villas. We really enjoyed being able to see the beach right from our porch and easily walk straight to the beach. It is the hot and rainy season, and all the locals complained about the heat. That is why we came, so we were just fine. There is no air conditioning in the Beach Front Villas, but the ocean breezes made it comfortable enough for us. Other units had AC.

We seemed to have the beach to ourselves most of the time, except on the weekend when some of the local kids were playing in the water. The hotel had kayaks and snorkeling equipment readily available. You can only snorkel from the beach at high tide, but you can walk on the rocks at low tide and watch the fish swimming in the shallow water.

There is a nice cold breakfast with the room rate everyday. A few days we were offered hot food as well. You get to meet the other guest at that time. There is a nice litte restaurant as well, but due to the low number of guest it was not open many days. The food was good both times we ate there.

While the hotel is a little ways from town, it is only a short walk to 3 or 4 other restaurants. As I said above, the beach is nearly empty and it is a very quiet area. You can rent a scooter or car to get around, but we just used the island bus line.