PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

Another property nursed back to health by Tata Crocombe, owner of The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa, this excellent resort is reached by boat across Ootu Pass to Akitua, a sandy, tadpole-shaped islet south of the airport. The magnificent lagoon laps a white-sand beach, off which a channel has been dredged for swimming. The choice -- and most expensive -- units here are seven overwater bungalows endowed with Polynesian charm. Although the lagoon off their decks is not as deep or as clear, their amenities are on par with most overwater units in French Polynesia. Their rears sit on land, and each has an outdoor shower in a private garden. Farther apart are the deluxe beachfront bungalows, each of which has a raised sleeping area behind a sofa-equipped lounge opening through sliding, wooden louvered doors to a lagoonside deck. Other units date from the early 1970s but have been remodeled. The super-private Villa Tearau is the most cleverly designed honeymoon bungalow I've seen in the South Pacific. Its central bungalow for sleeping is flanked on one side by a living room-kitchen and on the other by a daybed, from the foot of which you can literally roll into your private pool and swim over to your private hot tub! The open-air, thatched-roof restaurant and beachside bar serve good regional fare, and a spa offers full-service pampering.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's South Pacific, 11th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»