The Islander Hotel Rarotonga: Perfect for a Cook Islands Layover

If you are traveling to the Cook Islands and looking for a Rarotonga hotel for your layover, then look no further than the Islander Hotel Rarotonga.

Located directly across the road from the Rarotonga International Airport, the hotel is accessible by just a three minute walk from the International terminal.

We stayed at the Islander Hotel Rarotonga for one night after our long 17+ hour journey to the Cook Islands and it was a clean, affordable option to get some rest for the night before our vacation began.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about staying at the Islander Hotel Rarotonga.

Islander Hotel Rarotonga: The Hotel

The Islander Hotel Rarotonga is an 11-room budget hotel located in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. More than just a hotel, The Islander Hotel is also home to a popular waterfront restaurant and bar. You’ll find both the Islander Hotel as well as the Hula Bar and the Tiki Bar all combined in one single story building. There is even the Divine Spa and Salon functioning within this space.

The hotel is located immediately across the street from the Rarotonga International Airport. Due to the small size of the airport, you can easily walk to The Islander Hotel in just three minutes after your flight lands.

The hotel check-in desk is located immediately when you walk in for the restaurant. Just stop at the desk instead of proceeding into the bar and dining room area. Note there probably will not be an employee sitting there waiting for you. It seems like they send someone from the restaurant to a assist when a hotel guest arrives.

The rooms themselves are located down a single hall to the right of the check-in desk. All of the hotel rooms are located in a row and face into the garden courtyard of the property. This courtyard is nicely landscaped, but note it is shared with the Hula Bar. The restaurant’s restrooms are also located here, right across from the window of the last hotel room.

It is important to note that the restaurant, Tiki Bar, and Hula Bar are open to the public . The Tiki Bar and Hula Bars are considered to be popular nightlife destinations in Rarotonga. With this shared space, that means it could be very loud late at night. Personally, we feel it really depends on the season you travel in. It was fairly quiet and tame when we visited during shoulder season, so we didn’t personally have this experience.

Overall, I would say The Islander Hotel feels more like a motel or hostel than a traditional hotel. The set up is a bit odd and the hallway down to the rooms feels a bit dark and dingy, but overall the hotel is maintained and clean. You just can’t beat the the proximity to the airport or the restaurant and bar on site if you are on a layover.

Islander Hotel Rarotonga: The Rooms

The eleven rooms at the Islander Hotel are identical to one another and called the “Couples Cabana” rooms. They feature two beds – a King and a twin – and can sleep three people. Note that children under 12 traveling with parents stay free at the hotel.

In addition to the two beds, you’ll find two night tables, overhead pendant lights, a seating area with two chairs and a small table, and a work desk with a television mounted above it.

Behind the closed curtains is a view of the hotel’s outdoor courtyard from our room’s windows. Note in the distance you can see the Hula Bar for perspective on how close the rooms are to the nightlife. Also, to the right note the wooden divider. This is the entrance to the restrooms. So restaurant and bar patrons will be walking right in front of the windows to use the restroom.

In lieu of a closet, the room features a built in bureau to hang up your clothes. Here you’ll also find an ironing board and iron, a safe, a mini fridge, telephone, and tea and coffee facilities.

Overall, the rooms feature bright and bohemian decor and are very clean. I personally felt the room smelled a bit musty, but I wasn’t surprised by this. It’s an older building, an affordable hotel, and a tropical destination. It happens.

Each room has its own ensuite restroom. All restroom facilities are located behind a door and are not open to the room.

In the restroom you’ll find a large vanity area with one sink, a toilet, and a shower. I appreciated that ample bar soap, shampoo, and conditioner were provided even though it is a budget hotel.

Note the windows at the top of the shower. Because they are for ventilation, they are kind of open to the hotel hallway. The ceilings are very high so you can’t reach up there to adjust.

Islander Hotel Rarotonga: Restaurant

The Islander Hotel is home to a full-service restaurant as well as two bars, and all are open to the public. With its excellent location by the airport, The Islander Hotel Restaurant is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat before your flight.

This restaurant is an open air, beachfront restaurant. However, all of the seating is covered in case of inclement weather.

There is a plunge pool located in the middle of the restaurant, and it is open for swimming. We couldn’t quite tell if it was for hotel guests only or if restaurant guests could use it. We did see some kids swimming in the pool while their family ate breakfast.

The restaurant has open seating, so we were able to pick where we wanted to sit. We chose to sit near the beach to enjoy the views. There is also seating closer to the bar and kitchen area, which feels more “inside” even though it’s still open air and technically outside.

The restaurant has a nice oceanfront setting. While the beach in this area is small and rocky, the lagoon is beautiful to look at while you are dining.

There was even a cat that lives at the hotel! This cat likes to hang out by the tables and I of course fed him some of our breakfast. Note that this is a very common occurrence throughout the Cook Islands. Almost every restaurant we visited had a cat employee.

The Islander Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With most stays, breakfast is complimentary at the Islander Restaurant and Tiki Bar.

We started with lattes with soy milk and caramel and they were fantastic. I ordered the Big Breakfast, which is essentially a traditional English breakfast. It was really good and filling.

Islander Hotel Rarotonga: Hula Bar & Tiki Bar

There are also two separate bars at The Islander Hotel. The Tiki Bar is located at the Islander Restaurant. Here you have a selection of cocktails, premium wines, and coffee drinks.

The second bar at The Islander Hotel is the Hula Bar. This is an outdoor venue with a beachfront location. It is located just past the restaurant in the courtyard by the hotel rooms.

Here you’ll find a covered bar area and plenty of outdoor picnic table seating in the sand. Although note, this is more of a manmade sandy area as the actual beach in this area is pretty limited.

The bar advertises an all day happy hour. Although the bar was closed early morning when we were exploring the property and having breakfast at the restaurant, we have seen online that they offer $3.50 NZD international drinks as part of their happy hour.

The Hula Bar is an incredibly popular nightlife spot with both travelers and locals alike. Here you’ll find late night music, drinks, and dancing. The parties here can get loud and go pretty late into the night.

The Islander Hotel also hosts an Island Night every Tuesday night at their restaurant and bars. Island Nights typically feature dinner (usually a buffet), along with live cultural dancing, music, and sometimes even fire shows! This is an incredibly popular tradition in the Cook Islands.

Cost of a Room at Islander Hotel Rarotonga

So what is the cost of a night at the Islander Hotel? I have to say, for a budget hotel, it did cost a bit more than I would have thought.

Direct booking with the hotel is not available, so we booked through Expedia and paid $165.42 for one night. I think this seemed a bit more expensive to us because I expected this price to be in NZD like most other accommodations we booked. Americans enjoy a very favorable exchange rate which helps with the prices, but in this case, we were charged by Expedia in dollars.

With that being said, if you are sleeping three and splitting it three ways, it’s pretty reasonable. Plus, you can’t put a price on the convenience and proximity to the airport, and keep in mind that price included our complimentary breakfast.

Islander Hotel Video Tour

Interested in seeing more? Check our our full walkthrough of the hotel property and our room on YouTube. If you found any of this helpful, we would sincerely appreciate you subscribing to our channel.

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