R A R O T O N G A

 

Accommodation:  Our review on the two places we stayed, Aremongo and Vara's

Dining:  Read about our favorite restaurant

Transportation:  riding the bus, renting (hiring) a scooter, taxis and hitching

Scuba:  Two dive shops, one good, one bad

 

ACCOMODATION
(Rated on a scale of 1  to 5, 5 being highly recommended, 1 being if it's between here and the street, find a cardboard box and some newspaper)

Aremongo(2.5): Our first stop, we stayed for 3 nights in a double.  The flooring was poor quality vinyl, which comes unstuck to sweaty feet.  We will preface the rest of our review by the fact that this hostel had recently changed owernership 6 weeks prior to our stay, so conditions may be different.  The biggest problem we had here was cleanliness.  We'll skip to the chase and say simply this:  the kitchen sink had a mouse trap, and Ken saw a mouse scurrying across the counter and floor one night.  'Nuff said, just make sure to wash your dishes.  The girl and her boyfriend/husband running it were quite nice (although he did leave us stranded at the rugby match when he said he would give us a ride back).  Also to note, the friendliest dog on the island lived there, for what it's worth.  Although we liked it better at Vara's, we can't complain because it was here that we met some very nice people.

Vara's(4):   .

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DINING

The Flame Tree(5):  If you're looking for a fantastic dinner out on Rarotonga, look no further than this Restaurant.  It's located on the East side of the island near Muri Beach.  The guidebooks highly recommended it so we decided to give it a try.  The décor was lovely, an outdoor back patio with a dark wood floor, small lights and quaint tables.  You can choose between the regular menu and a special changing menu which follows a regional theme and includes a starter, main and dessert.  Stephanie tried out the special menu, which was Indonesian themed - pumpkin soup, curry beef and sweet tropical cake.  Ken ordered the parrotfish stuffed with brie cheese, baked in a phylo dough pastry.  Everything was outstanding, but the best was the appetizer we shared - camembert cheese deep fried with a flaked coconut crust, topped with fresh fruit.  Heaven! We topped everything off with a bottle of Australian chardonnay and a final drink of Amarula, Stephanie's favorite liqueur from South Africa (it deserves its own paragraph - it's seemingly impossible to find in the States so if you ever have an opportunity to try it, do so! It's made from the Marula fruit found in South Africa and tastes somewhat like Irish Cream but even better.  We spent four hours enjoying this meal with a large group of new friends, and we had all of the above-mentioned goodies for under US$50 for both of us!

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TRANSPORTATION

Public buses:  There are two buses that do a circular route around the island, each taking about 1 hour.  One leaves town on the hour, traveling clockwise, the other on the half-hour, traveling counter-clockwise.  It stops running after 4pm, and depending on what day of the week it is, will run a few more times during the night.  Though it can be convenient and cheap during the day, the fact that we had difficulty in the evening and at night warrants renting a scooter 

Scooters:  Our advice, rent (hire) one.  It's the best way to get around, especially if you're going places the bus doesn't.  Note that you will need a local driving license, which can be easily obtained at the police station (for a nominal fee, of course).

Taxi's:  Quite expensive, but necessary if you don't have a scooter and get stuck in town after the buses stop running.

Hitching:  Should be safe, though we were told the locals don't understand what the "thumb" means.  We hitched twice, once back from the market and once when we were stuck at the stadium. 

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DIVING
(Rated on a scale of 1  to 5, 5 being highly recommended, 1 being make sure your diving insurance is up to date)

Pacific Divers (1.5):  If you're in the mood for boot camp, BASIC training, or feel you missed out on ROTC this is the place for you.  The woman running the shop barks orders at you twice during your trip:  once when she's giving the gear out and again when you return from your dive.  Everything in the middle, though quite safe (which is why they got the .5) was not as enjoyable as it should be, and this is coming from others in the group who are very experienced divers.  

Cook Island Divers (4.5):  Like night and day, this shop made for a great trip.  I was picked up from the hostel, the dive master was very friendly and I felt very relaxed.  After a great dive, we were treated to a warm shower, dip in a swimming pool, and a cup of tea and ginger crackers.  It was really an enjoyable day.  

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