Cook Islands Offer Casual Luxury June 02, 2008 The Other Side of the World, Just a Few Hours Away…
By Alex Palmer
One of the first responses you will likely get when telling someone you just returned from the Cook Islands will be an initial "Wow," then the question, "So where are those exactly?" This gorgeous destination remains a sort of mystery to American travelers, who may know about Captain Cook's exploration of the islands or the role they played in the famous Mutiny on the Bounty, but not a lot else.
That's just what Gabriel Haigazian, vice president of Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Creative Travel Planners, liked about these South Pacific islands, located just east of Tahiti. Planning a pair of recent trips to Rarotonga and Aitutaki (the only two of the 15 Cook Islands fully suitable to tourists) for a San Francisco- and a Los Angeles-based radio station, Haigazian himself had never actually been to the islands when he booked the programs. In fact he had only recently learned about their offerings to incentive groups while speaking to a representative from the islands at a trade show. Seeing photographs of the textured blue lagoons, and hearing about the adventure experiences and top-notch luxury accommodations the Cooks could provide, he was ready to plan a program there, sight unseen (which he describes as all but unheard of for the company).
"With our radio station clients, they are always looking for a step above since it is such a competitive market," explains Haigazian. "When you put out a destination that people have to stop and scratch their heads and say, 'where exactly is this place?' you're setting them up for a totally unique program."
Hosting the principals of advertising companies who work with the stations, Haigazian wanted to offer a trip that felt a little more special than the better-known resort islands. Working closely with destination management company DMCK, Creative Travel Planners put together a wide-ranging program that was made all the more special for being the first American incentive program to take place on the Cook Islands.
Though in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands is a self-governing democracy—and far enough northeast that travelers coming from America do not cross the international dateline as they do going to New Zealand (which controls foreign affairs and defense). It is a mere nine-hour flight from Los Angeles International Airport, and the time is only two or three hours ahead of Los Angeles, depending on the season. With nonstop flights leaving there from LAX once a week on Air New Zealand, it's easier than ever to get to this fascinating land.
The vast tropical jungles and beaches where one is unlikely to see a tourist proved a perfect arena for relaxing tours of the terrain as well as adventure games in the vein of The Amazing Race or Survivor (a recent season of Survivor was in fact filmed in the Cook Islands). From running up muddy hills to making flower leis and offering them to the locals, Haigazian's groups were able to enjoy the unique surroundings of the islands in a personal way. For those looking to add some vehicles to the experience, interested groups can secure dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles from Rarotonga-based Coconut Tours or take a more traditional Circle Island Discovery Tour of Rarotonga, or an Aitutaki Discovery Safari Tour to see the other island.
These two islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki each offer distinct experiences and complement one another on an incentive trip. The capital island of Rarotonga contains most of the Islands' population and is the more bustling of the two main islands (though it’s hardly a major metropolis), with numerous resorts, restaurants, shopping options and activities. Among the resorts and hotels is Crown Beach Resort, where one of Haigazian's groups stayed and which includes 22 spacious beachfront villas that will give guests a feeling of being in their own private luxury home. The resort has also recently added 14 Courtyard Pool Suites with personal plunge pool, king size bed, and bathrooms with bath and outdoor showers. Sunday nights the resort hosts a memorable culture night featuring native dancing and drumming, even getting the audience involved as participants.
For a destination so abundant with local flavors (a wealth of exotic fruits grow all over the islands) it is not surprising that the Cook Islands offer a distinct and delicious dining experience for travelers. Seafoods, like the local favorite mudcrab, dishes made with arrowroot (which can taste like a slightly sweeter version of the potato), the appetizer ika mata (a kind of maori ceviche made with raw fish and coconut cream) and vast plates of starfruit, coconut, and mango, are some of the favorite choices at many of the islands' restaurants and cafes.
Rarotonga has several top dining spots. Crown Beach's Windjammer restaurant has a top-notch menu with an intimate atmosphere. The close by Tamarind House Restaurant and Bar offers outdoor dining which is conducive to group events or performances in conjunction with the meal. For a local favorite, incentive groups will want to enjoy a meal at Trader Jack's Bar & Grill where the tasty meals compete with the stunning view through the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows.
Just a few minutes south of Crown Beach is Little Polynesia, a true gem of a resort with 10 beachfront bungalows, each with its own private gazebo and daybed. Modest in size, this is an ideal property for a small and exclusive incentive group.
For larger groups, Muri Beach Club Hotel ‘s 29 rooms look out on its large, centrally located swimming pool while the Club Beauty and Spa can supply a range of products and treatments to relax and refresh. Guests at any one of the Manuia Beach Boutique Hotel's rooms enjoy an incredible view of the lagoon and can enjoy a meal at the outdoor Right On the Beach Restaurant.
You are not going to find many large resort chains on the islands, but instead have a choice of many smaller, independently run resorts, with, in almost all cases, extraordinary service and attention to detail. The hospitality on the Cooks goes beyond good service, giving guests the sense they are staying with an old friend. "I liked the fact that it was not a massive tourist attraction with every known hotel chain building hotels there," says Haigazian.
Located on the edge of Muri Beach, one of the premier beaches on the island, is Pacific Resort Rarotonga, one of the premier properties. With a wide range of suites and villas set among the flora and waterways throughout its 5.5 acres of land, Pacific Resort can accommodate groups of varying sizes and interests. Guests are able to enjoy all variety of island activities on site, from snorkeling and windsurfing to cruising in a glass bottom lagoon. Set far back from the main road, it also offers luxurious privacy. The service and atmosphere of Pacific Resort Rarotonga is perhaps matched only by that of their sister property on the smaller island of Aitutaki (more on that in a moment).
Aitutaki is a whole other experience of the Cooks. The island is a 45-minute flight from the Rarotonga Airport on Air Rarotonga, which has several flights running daily between the islands and offers charters for an even more personalized experience. The striking colors, coral reefs and small islets that greet those flying into this triangle-shaped island will create a feeling of relaxation before travelers have even landed. Though technically larger than Rarotonga, a majority of Aitutaki is lagoon, making it a sort of rich blue pool in the middle of the ocean with a few floating sections of land for variety.
"I remember one qualifier said, 'you see pictures in magazines where they have touched up the photo to make it look like that,'" says Haigazian. "'This is looking at an untouched photo—it doesn't look real.'"
Pacific Resort Aitutaki is one of the best resorts on the island, and where Creative Travel Planners hosted their groups during their days there. Guests staying in one of the property’s 27 wooden beachfront bungalows can recline on their large back patios or push their sliding doors open to enjoy the lagoon view from inside their vast bedroom, complete with all the current technology even if. Like its sister property, Pacific Resort Aitutaki provides all variety of activity as well as a tranquil feeling of distance from the busyness of the outside world. The elevated Rapae Bay Restaurant offers traditional Cook Island cuisine and just a few steps down the poolside Black Rock Café and Bar is the ideal place to gather with fellow incentive winners after a midday swim or for a nightcap at the end of an unforgettable day.
For a local culinary experience, travelers must visit Café Tupuna on Aitutaki. Built as an open-air extension of the owner/chef's home, this small patio restaurant offers a range of Cook Island favorites. Though the seafood dishes and expertly-crafted desserts are full experiences in their own right, DMCK can also secure individual or groups of dancers and musicians to entertain guests as they enjoy their meal at Tupuna.
For more casual dining, the Boatshed serves up excellent island fare and signature cocktails, and gladly caters, allowing groups to enjoy their meal on a boat tour of Aitutaki care of Lagoon Lova charter boat, or to hold a dinner on the small islet of One-Foot Island. The flexibility and choice that groups have on the Cooks is impressive, where any activity can be customized to make it that much more special for guests.
For more casual dining, the Boatshed serves up excellent island fare and signature cocktails, and gladly caters, allowing groups to enjoy their meal on a boat tour of Aitutaki care of Lagoon Lova charter boat, or to hold a dinner on the small islet of One-Foot Island. The flexibility and choice that groups have on the Cooks is impressive, where any activity can be customized to make it that much more special for guests.
Haigazian sums the experience simply: "It blew away any expectations we had."
Sidebar: Planner Resources
DMCK, a division of Turama Pacific Travel Group www.dmck.com Kristina Lewis Tatam, Manager +682 23026
DMCK / Turama Pacific Travel Group www.turamapacific.com Nigel Bramich, North American representative (310) 951-8542
Air New Zealand www.airnewzealand.com/usa District Sales Mgr.—Ent., Meetings & Incentives (800) 351-2513
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