Stayed: February 2017, 5 Nights
Room: 2 Bedroom Deluxe Suite
Overall Rating: 8/10
Although it’s not right on Muri Beach where all the more popular resorts are located, Castaway is a hidden little gem located on the western side of Rarotonga.
This resort is known for it’s helpful staff and friendly owners. Whatever you want to do or wherever you want to go, they’ll point you in the right direction with a smile on their face.
The resort is home to a decent sized pool, a bar located next to the water on beautiful white sand and a yummy little restaurant.
I’ll be honest, there is no spa and it’s not super glamorous in terms of beach bureaus located on top of glistening clear waters but it’s defiantly somewhere I would stay again if I just want a holiday to Rarotonga with my family or a nice little break away.
As there were four of us staying in Rarotonga, we where looking at either two rooms next to each other or a nice two bedroom place which we could all enjoy.
When I was booking my accommodation, I was e-mailing the owner of Castaway Resort, Michelle, and she suggested that we get one of their two bedroom suites for our stay.
I was pleasantly surprised with how big the suite was when we arrived!
Two big bedrooms right next door to each other with two bathrooms as well so we never had to share.
One bedroom was the ‘master bedroom’ and had an en-suite, small closet and a chest of drawers with a mirror.
The second bedroom was a bit smaller and had a queen bed along with a single bed (I’m assuming for families with kids) and their bathroom was just across the hall way.
My boyfriend and I got the Master Bedroom while our friends shared the smaller one.
We all found them to be very comfortable, the only problem our friends had was they didn’t have an air-con unit in their room like we did so they had to leave their door open at night to cool down from the one in the lounge.
As we’d never been to Rarotonga before, we found the staff to be very helpful in providing us with information and advice on things to do and places to eat. I feel weird even calling them ‘staff’ because the ladies in reception where the most chilled-out, friendly bunch that it just felt like you where staying with friends.
As we went in the low-season, the resort was pretty quiet (as in we were sometimes the only people in the pool) so it was never over-crowded or very noisy.
The only noise we had was from the room next door to ours on the first night – a group of lads had flown in and drunk lots on their flight so where having a bit of a party. The owners had no problem sorting them out the next day however to ensure that everyone else at the resort had a pleasant and relaxed stay without being kept up all night.
In the peak season from April – October, I can imagine the themed dinner nights that Castaway provides have lots of people attending. Every night they have something different for their meals, Monday night may be Pasta, Wednesdays may be Mexican and Sundays may be a BBQ night.
We attended the BBQ night on the beach and there was a really great turn-out from people at the resort and other holiday makers from the area (as you can eat at the restaurant even if you’re not a guest)
The food was a buffet of meats, salads and rolls along with some yummy ice-cream and banana cake for dessert after wards.
And if you get hungry during the day, the Beach Bar also have a range of little nibbles you can order such as spring rolls, calamari rings, chicken nuggets and french fries for an afternoon snack in the peak season.
Pro’s
- Decent sized rooms
- Adults only
- Lovely people who work there, always kind enough to book us activities or recommend things to do
- Great price
- Very clean
- Free local phone calls from your room – great to book dinners etc.
- BBQ’s available for personal use down near the pool so you can save money on eating out
- If you don’t feel like the free continental breakfast – you can order pancakes, eggs or french toast off the menu for something a bit different
- Always felt safe, eg; the rooms had a fire extinguisher, torch and a safe to put your valuables
- Beach Bar
- Private Beach
- Amazing sunset right on the beach
- Snorkeling gear available for free
- Easy free parking across the road for guests
- Themed dinner nights right on the beach
- A Happy Hour
- Bus stop literally right outside the resort
- Bonfires on selected nights on the beach
- Towels available for swimming
- Large decks for the Deluxe Suites
- Proper hair driers in the bathroom – not those small ‘hotel’ ones you always get
- All rooms have a little kitchen with fridge, sink, microwave etc…
- Can book massages & nail services through Reception for an ‘in-room treatment’
- Little Library at the reception where you can trade in your book for one of the ones available
- Pool with sun-loungers
- 10 minute drive from the airport
Con’s
- No unlimited Wi-Fi (however you can buy a Bluesky SIM card for around $50 for more data)
- The beach is swim-able but not the nicest in Rarotonga
- Steps going up to the two bed-room suites. Not really a Con, but wouldn’t be suitable for wheelchairs
- TV’s only have 1 channel
- About a 20 minute drive to Muri Beach but if you have a car/scooter it’s not too big of a deal.
- In the low-season, the bar/restaurant isn’t open until a bit later
If you’re planning on going to Rarotonga on a budget and want to stay somewhere friendly, clean and spacious I’d defiantly recommend Castaway Beach Villas.
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay here (even if it did rain like crazy for the last couple of days haha!)
ThePassportPrincess 