If you found this review to be informative and helpful, please kindly note as it will help us better focus our future review efforts! We stayed at the Moana Sands Beachfront Hotel in late January on our visit to Rarotonga. This was our fourth trip to the Cook Islands and we’ve tried various accommodations to date, including two rental properties and another resort villas property within the island. Note Moana Sands Group has three properties on the island thus is the source of confusion for many reviews on TripAdvisor. We selected the Beachfront Hotel (believe it was the oldest property of the bunch) due to its ideal location beachfront on the reef for snorkelling. Upon booking the resort, it is important to note that those who have rental vehicles with flights arriving after-hours are still required to pay for a one-way shuttle for one person so the attendee can let you into your rooms. After further discussing with the property manager, you can elect to follow the transport or have one person join the shuttle. The driver from Kai Mani transport was efficient, friendly, greeted us with beautiful leis upon arrival, and waited on us while we sorted out our rental – they are an excellent transport provider. All hotel staff we interacted with during our stay were helpful and friendly. We elected for the deluxe suites on the third floor. The room itself is spacious and includes basic amenities in a mini-kitchenette of sorts (basic small appliances, utensils, mini-fridge). The room did show its age however, and during our stay we noticed the first- and second- floor rooms albeit smaller appeared to have recent renovations. We also found the air conditioner had serious challenges keeping up pace with the warm summer weather. We booked the property with the AC feature as a need to keep us cool, but the vaulted ceiling created more room volume/space to cool. Be aware as with any property in the tropics, that bugs/insects are abundant anywhere and some basic tips help keep them away from your room (keep food in fridge not on counter, clean up crumbs after eating, etc.) The option for a breakfast is a convenient way to start the day, but do note that there were few changes to selection during the course of our visit. Breakfast is continental variety, including fruits, teas/coffee/juices, breads, ham/cheese/veg, yogurt and cereals. During the last few days, we discovered a great way to make a toasted grilled sandwich – two slices of bread, buttered on the outside, with ham, cheese, tomato and onion, on the little George Foreman grill until golden brown. It really elevated the breakfast experience and is highly recommended. There is the option for grill breakfast items at extra cost should guests desire. The beachfront area was not busy during our stay, staff did their best to keep the area and sand nicely kept, and the property offers sports equipment for use. As avid snorkelers, we brought our own equipment and really enjoyed snorkelling the reef. In
Outstanding
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