We booked this through a travel agent, paying a premium price, after looking at the photos and videos on the Resort website. The lagoon, bungalows and colours were all there and it is beautiful but what they fail to mention is that the reception, restaurant, bar and activities are not as in the photogrgaphs. The beach bar apparently used to go out over the water but no longer does so and now functions as the only restaurant with big, heavy, wooden garden type furnitiure that's tricky to move. Two of the wait staff (Baylee and another young man) were busy whilst the 3rd spent most time chatting with guests unitl the table next to us actually shouted her over for service. One day at breakfast toast and tea were brought to the table the next day we are told to do it ourselves, not a big deal but not 5 star luxury priced service. We asked at reception where the restaurant was and were "scolded" and told there is only 1 and its the beach bar. Another guest informed us that the reception and restuarant had burned down over a year ago and when we walked around the island we could see the building site next to the pool area. We had been told by the travel agent that the pool has been retiled and decorated during the recent COVID lockdown but unfortunately there were tiles missing and the decking was broken in parts. Our premium bungalow was lovely, clean and excellent AC, the beach area in front of our bungalow was clean and the gardens by us well tended but the gardens to the rear were overgrown with weeds and the trail around the island not well tended. There were cigarette ends by the "private" dining spot and bottle tops in the sand. Recception had been moved to one of the bungalows and access on to and off of the ferry was tricky with broken and slipping slabs thrown down. Whilst we had a lovely break in a well appointed bungalow and the staff were very nice the ongoing building work noise is not the most relaxing and must be even louder for the more expensive bungalows. Acitivites? The paddle boards and kayaks are good but you need to serch out your own, the bikes were rusted and it wasnot possible to raise or lower the seats. We found 2 bike and cycled over the main island and had an excellent lunch in the Koru cafe and looked around the beaches and had a drink in The Boatshed and voer by the Laggon Bar which was in much better shape with a gorgeous white sand beach. We eat there one night and had an excellent meal with the laggon lit and watched the fishes swim by, the path was lit with coloured lights, simple things that the Resort could do. Summary? Nice holiday in what could be a 5 star location that needs a bit of work and thought put in to it and definetly not what we thought we had paid a premium price for, sorry!…
Sadly this resort didn’t come close to our expectations & price point. It is advertised as a 5 star, however it is on par, if not below 3 star resorts we have previously stated in. The resort is very tired. 198Os tired with 5 star Pricing! The facilities, staff & food were below our expectations. Breakfast consists of Spam, cheese, hard boiled eggs & tinned fruit which is sat directly in the sun prior to 10am! We spent three consecutive days trying to book a one day excursion! The reception staff each day were unaware of what we tried to book the previous day. It was very frustrating! The Wifi! We spent $35-59 on, don’t do it! The wifi never worked! We have three devices! The resort is under construction(we were advised has been since 2017!) , so they are down to one bar/restaurant which looks close to budget bars found in most undeveloped countries without a 5 star price tag! The pool area is unacceptable, uninviting ,dangerous & undesirable. We had to walk past multiple electric cables, workmen on site, with continuous contract noise, to find our way to a run down pool at the end! Needless to say we didn’t head back! This resort Needs a total revamp. It’s in a 5 star location, & needs someone to see its potential…
We have stayed on every island in Fiji and this was way better than any of them. Bungalows are right on the beach with every facility.Great food. Best to stay at the Premium Beach Front bungalows or the Delux Beach Front, as teh Beach Front Bungalows are on teh northern side and a bit windy. They also do not overlook the lagoon. We will be staying there now at least twice a year. So relaxing. Also the tide never goes out, and nowhere near as much rain as on Rarotonga.
The Aitutaki Lagoon Resort is situated on a small private island surrounded by the beautiful lagoon waters. The location is idyllic and everyting you could want from a Pacific island vacation. Sadly the resort was not. The main reception and dining facilities were undergoing major rebuilding after burning down two years ago. The swimming pool area was run down and in need of upgrading and being next to the main building, very noisy. The only restaurant available was the beach bar. The food here was good and the outlook over the water spectacular, but there was a limited menu and not a good selection of drinks. The general grounds were tidy and we'll kept but overall the feeling is that the whole resort could do with being refurbished.
We were greeted with flower garlands at the airport on our arrival, taken to the resort and offered refreshing coconut drinks. This was the place to be to relax, one of our best mini holidays yet, we decided to disconnect from all social media platforms during our stay (as the wifi had mixed reviews anyway) much to our advantage! Our overwater bungalow was perfect, had modern amenities but traditional designs that were very exquisite in every way, the room was huge, we snorkeled just outside the platform every morning, water was clear with very good visibility, plenty of fish, expansive views were a welcome respite. You also get some lounge chairs outside for relaxing or doing yoga stretches in the morning. You have access to swimming equipment, but we used our own reef shoes, there are also kayaks you can use. TV had several channels to choose from, great to leave it on in the background while relaxing, Discovery had Shark Week playing so that was great. A/C was in good working order, bathroom was spacious with a full range of toiletries, and an outdoor shower, you also have a mini fridge in the room and tea making facilities. There are hammocks and beach chairs outside under the coconut trees, you can relax anywhere, there is plenty of shade. Breakfast was average, limited choices, but enough to get you started for the day. There is coffee and I was very grateful for being able to choose from a variety of plant-based milks. Lunches and dinners are also vegetarian friendly, which is a plus and much appreciated. Their drinks at the bar are very good, but dinner service is very slow. It helped that some nights had a band playing for entertainment. The pool was small, good size, but bottom had sharp floors, my husband cut his toes, the blue paint also rubs off onto your feet. They have some work being done at that end, when that finishes I assume the reception and spa area will be lavish. For those thinking about using the spa facilities, we also got massages, but since they only have one spa specialist, we got our massages one after the other, we were told in advance and so we expected this arrangement. We felt well taken care of. We thoroughly enjoyed our candlelight dinner by the beach, but took over 3 hours, the courses came in very slow. They had a lovely setup for us complete with tiki torches and good food, and very polite wait staff. On our last day we went around on the mini walk around the island, the pristine beaches were amazing anywhere you look. Overall, the resort was very quiet, staff were very friendly and accommodating. If you want to relax on your holiday, this is the resort for you. I did plenty of research before making this booking, in the end we really wanted to stay by the water and I think I made the right decision.…
From the start me and my partner were very warmly greated with floral necklaces at the airport and transported safely to the private island resort. When we arrived at reception we were greeted by more friendly staff who introduced us well to the island and gave us all the information we needed before being guided to our stay. Not sure what we did to deserve it but we got an amazing up grade to the over water bungalows. Just wow! The bungalow was well layed out, had great amenities and of course stunning views! Everything was so neatly placed and decorated with added fresh flowers around the place. I was suprised at how spacious the place was. After quickly viewing the bungalow we planned the vaka cruise for the day so quickly put our bags down and headed near the restaurant to catch the cruise. Whilst waiting we were greated by a lovely waitress who told us to come and sit whilst we waited for the cruise and she told us she was waiting for us to arrive to serve us breakfast. I certainly didn't think we would of got breakfast that day as it was just after 10am we got there- this was a pleasant suprise. Knowing we didn't have much time to eat they quickly served us and we enjoyed our first breakfast there on the island. That evening we enjoyed a lovely meal at the restaurant and service was also great. The next morning we enjoyed yet another breakfast which is continental style, fresh fruit, pastries,toast, porridge all served nicely to the table.plently of food to fill you for the days activities which can include taking out kayaks or snorkels free of charge and bikes which you can ride over to the main island with. The island is also a beautiful place to have a small walk around amongst the palm trees and ocean views. Our last evening we had a very special candle lit dinner for my birthday which was organised by my partner and the restaurant manager Sarah. With only 24hr notice (usually need 48) Sarah happily served us the mostly lovely 5 course dinner. It was nice to try local polynisian style foods presented very well and all tasted great. Much appreciated Sarah and chefs! This place is a dream come true! A place to relax and enjoy the surroundings.…
If you go to Aitutaki, this is THE hotel to stay at! Everything about this hotel is incredible except two things: service and wifi. The service was honestly below average, from checkin to checkout. The staff not once went above and beyond. Additionally, the staff was never willing to work for guest requests and we often got the "that can't be done" or "no" when we requested even the most basic of things. However, this hotel is truly at the most beautiful spot in Aitutaki, so I still recommend staying here. The rooms are large and the Air Con works great. PROs: - Beauty, scenery, ease to walk to beach and grab your own kayak - Clean rooms, comfortable beds, room has table with chairs and a refrigerator - Privacy on your own island CONs: - ZERO working wifi in the room (when it's supposed to). - Poor customer service. Staff just didn't care. Some staff actually talked down to you. Most of the time, the staff talks AT you and not WITH you. However, Va at the beach bar was fantastic! - Food not good at main restaurant. Breakfast is only cold dishes and dinner was very basic buffet. I recommend boating across the lagoon and walking to a nearby restaurant.…
From the moment we arrived at the airport at Aituaki and got off the plane we were greeted with open arms and made to feel very welcome and special by all the staff. A very special mention goes out to the Number 1 Restaurant and Bar manger on the Aitutaki "Sarah" . Sarah went the extra mile to make sure we were looked after by herself or her staff . Nothing was a problem at all and Sarah made us feel like part of the family while remining professional all the time. We had many a great laugh with her while staying at the resort . Sarah thanks for all the birthdays making as feel welcome and making our stay even better!
We were lucky enough to be invited for Dinner. It is the most beautiful setting to watch the Sun go down The service was excellent, great cocktails and world class food. Definitely worth staying a few nights.
Our room was amazing and the Beverage and Food crew MADE our stay! Sarah and her team are nothing short of amazing; Miti, Nani and Inia all felt like family by the time we left and made our faces light up when we would see them daily! We didn't have housekeeping service during our stay at the resort, but I did interact with them for fresh towels and just saying hi and they were all lovely as well! The transfer team and reception were a different story, it was disappointing to be picked up at the airport with no flowers or welcome given (all the other resorts had reps standing and welcoming you off the plane, ours was by the van out front), bikes at this hotel no longer are available which was a HUGE disappointment when we were told the only way to get to town was a taxi at $20 per person per way, when we made inquiries at reception we were told that the information was located in our room in the directory and if we did push further for clarification it was as though we were an inconvenience to them and there are a lot of things that just aren't happening around the resort as they aren't back to full capacity yet (like culture night, activities, managers social, etc.) Again we HAD a great stay and the restaurant and bar crew are the real STARS of this property, if I could give them 1000 stars I would!!!…
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