The Cook Islands had always been a dream holiday destination for me and staying at Te Manava made the dream holiday perfect.
We stayed in one of the beachfront villa suites. The villa was very clean and well appointed for a self catering stay. The view of Muri lagoon is fantastic especially at sunrise. A few steps down and you are on the beach. We went in February and saw barely any people on the beach, it was like having your own private beach. Very quiet other than the sound of the sea, beautiful.
The Matutu brewery is a 10 minute walk away, they do an interesting talk and tasters. The nearest place to get supplies was a 10 minute walk in the other direction, a small petrol station, which had everything we needed for our stay.
Free transfers between Te Manava and Pacific Resort if you wanted to go for a meal or drinks there or get closer to more shops.
The spa is brilliant, the girls are very friendly and the services provided are extremely relaxing.
The biggest thank you must go to Teina and Tutu the villa managers. They were a constant source of advice on island life and history, best places to eat or drink out, how to get around the island, places to visit and they booked and arranged all our excursions for us, removing any hassle. We went to see them most days for one thing or another and were always greeted with a friendly Kia Orana and an interest in how our last excursion had gone. Fantastic service and I cannot thank them enough for making our stay perfect.