Te Vakaroa Villas

Polo, Tui and the team were amazing considering they weren’t expecting us every effort was made to ensure we could check in early and enjoy our stay. The rooms, view, location, food and pool were all amazing. The beach out the front felt like it was our own.

We stayed in December 2023. 3 out of 5 stars. Would give 5 stars if not for the gardener and reception. The villas at Te Vakaroa are centrally located in the suburb of Muri right on the Muri beach lagoon next door to the Sailing Club and short walking distance to the Muri Night Markets and Te Vara Nui Village Spectacular which is a cultural overwater night show and traditional buffet dinner of the local people. We stayed in a one bedroom villa which was roomy and comfortable and nicely decorated. The complex is beautiful and the design is stunning and excellent. The views overlooking the pool and Muri Lagoon out to the ocean are beautiful. On arrival all the lounge cushions for all the chairs was piled high under a villa balcony, which looked a tad uninviting. This place has an excellent location with well equipped villas. HOWEVER, This place had one very big major downfall. “The gardener”. When you pay good money to go on a holiday and relax, and these villas are not cheap accommodation, the last thing you need or want is a person using a leaf blower at 7.30am in the morning. For an adults only boutique resort, to escape noisy children, no one needs this noise. There is no sleeping in at this place, even with ear plugs. On day one of our stay, I asked him why he was using a leaf blower waking people up and why he couldn’t use a broom considering the place is a small complex with only 6 luxury villas. No apology for waking you up, just the gardener advising that it is less noisy then their old blower as it is electric and not petrol and he replied “It would take all day and that I would be woken up anyway at 8am by next door using their petrol blower”. After being abruptly woken up, I then sat there having a few cups of tea and advise by 10.30am, no one else in the area was using any power tools, petrol or electric leaf blowers. Whilst sitting under the outside balcony watching the pool and lagoon having been woken up by the gardener, we noticed the gardener blow all the leaf matter and dust into the pool and then spend an hour and a half using a net to get it out. Would have been quicker to sweep it up with a rake, broom and dust pan and not dirty the pool water which he rectified by putting a bag of salt chlorine into the pool. Would have also been more environmentally sustainable using a broom for such a small area and more importantly respecting paying guests to enjoy their holiday. The next day after being woken up again, the gardener used a broom. At the 2 other resorts in the Cook Islands we stayed at, no other venue was using any power tools before 10am (ie. Checkout Time) this was probably because paying guests could sleep in on their holidays. The day after that, the gardener was back to using the leaf blower but this time at 7.50am. As for reception we found Poko to be a tad apathetic and was hardly ever there. Reception was open only for a couple hours on most of the days we were there. The cleaning staff were friendly and helpful. T

We happened upon Te Vakaroa villas while walking along Muri beach. Unhappy with our current choice of accommodation, we checked availability and were so fortunate and delighted that we could spend the last three days of our holiday here. These villas are absolutely perfect for a luxury stay right on the beach. Beautifully appointed with all the amenities you need and a very comfortable bed. Breakfast of cereal, croissants and fruit was brought to our room every morning. We had a one bedroom villa on the ground floor and enjoyed our time relaxing by the beautiful pool and lagoon. The staff were all lovely and a credit to the management. Nick the owner was fantastic to deal with and came to our rescue when our transportation to the airport failed to arrive and he very kindly drove us there himself. We highly recommend these villas and will definitely come back and stay here again.