Doc Holiday: What’s the best family stay in Rarotonga?

About 47,000 Aussies are expected to visit the Cook Islands this year. So, what are the best resorts for families in Rarotonga?

Escape's Doc Holiday, Dilvin Yasa, answers your travel-related questions.

Can you suggest some good family accommodation options in Rarotonga? The island doesn’t seem to have any familiar chains and we’re not sure what will work best for our family.

One of the things I love most about the Cook Islands is how little it has changed since I first began visiting in the ’90s. Unlike its South Pacific and French Polynesian neighbours which have big hotel names such as Accor, IHG and Marriott, the Cook Island locals prefer smaller, more intimate properties which lend themselves to a sense of place.

Now that Jetstar has added a fifth weekly seasonal service between Sydney and Rarotonga, it’s expected some 47,000 Australians will visit the Cook Islands in 2025 (up from 36,383 in 2024). That’s perfect timing really, because the island’s first five-star property, the Grand Resort Rarotonga is scheduled to open at the later end of this year.

If you’re planning to visit earlier, I recommend the Rarotongan Beach Resort & Lagoonarium, which offers a wealth of activities for the whole family (and some of the island’s best snorkelling). Nautilus Resort, Te Manava Luxury Villas & Spa and Pacific Resort Rarotonga are also excellent options covering various price points.

Would you consider staying in a self-contained bungalow? That’s always my first choice when I’m in Rarotonga with my own family as it gives me the option to occasionally tap out of eating my body weight in ika mata and fish and chips three times a day, plus I enjoy having the space. I speak highly of Tuoro Holiday Villas, Are ‘Rimaira Beachfront, Moana Sands Beachfront Villas & Apartments and Pacific Palms Luxury Villas, but you can also find affordable bungalows (usually with their own in-ground pool) on Airbnb, NZ Holiday Homes and cookislands.travel.

My preferred spots are usually near Muri Lagoon, but the island is so small (just over 30km in circumference) that driving here and there is easy. Just be sure to get in early with a rental car if you’re travelling with a larger family.

My wife has dementia and gets lost easily when using public bathrooms with two-sided entrances. I have booked flights to Laos and I’m wondering if it would be permissible for me to enter the female WC to be with her? I’m 75 and my wife is 80.

Unisex toilets have begun popping up in some of the destinations you mention in your email, but your best bet – where possible – is to use bathrooms in Western-style restaurants and hotels. It doesn’t matter if you’re not eating or staying there; people aren’t heartless and it’s a rare human who’ll turn down your request if you explain the situation. Just be sure to have a sentence or two about your wife’s condition printed in the local language on a card you can show them if you get approached.

If you find yourself with no choice but to use a two-sided public toilet, you could ask a staff member (sometimes they are manned) or another English-speaking tourist to keep an eye on her (I would have no problem with someone approaching me with this request and I can’t imagine I’m alone).

Following your wife into a women’s WC should only be your last resort but honestly, an awkward moment or two is better than the stress of having your wife go wandering. Again, remember you’ll have your card handy to explain your presence.

My daughter is travelling around Europe between her studies in the UK but it seems she’s about to overstay her 90-day visa-free allowance in the Schengen Area. What can she do?

You and your daughter have every right to be concerned. While Australians can enjoy up to 90 days of visa-free travel in the Schengen Area within any 180-day period, those who overstay may be fined, deported or banned.

Depending on which countries she’s planning to visit during her break, she does have a couple of options. She could travel around non-Schengen countries such as the United Kingdom, Albania, Turkey and Croatia (among others), which will let your daughter make the most of her time away while she waits for the Schengen clock to reset.

However, if she’s keen to stay within the Schengen Area, she could travel to countries which either have a bilateral agreement in place, allowing eligible travellers to stay for an additional 90 days within that specific country after using up their 90 days in other Schengen countries.

Or, she can apply for a long-stay visa such as the Type D (also known as Long-Stay Visa) for the likes of Italy and France. There are a few caveats with these, so they may not be appropriate. That said, they are well worth looking into.

Need help?

Doc Holiday is on duty to answer your travel questions. Email [e-mail]. Personal replies are unfortunately not possible.

Originally published as Doc Holiday: What’s the best family stay in Rarotonga?