We stayed in Paparei Bungalows in early June and booked through Airbnb. In hindsight I realised that it was best to book direct through the website as specials are available. We paid a total of $953.59 AUD for 4 nights and absolutely loved it.
The bungalows have a really nice set up with a bedroom and separate bathroom as well as an open plan kitchen lounge area. All areas were spotlessly clean. We really loved the little touches in the bungalow, like the fruit/milk/delicious coconut cake that Vikki provides on arrival, the flower decorations, the hand pump soap for the bathroom basin to name just a few examples. The bathroom had all required essentials as well as a hairdryer.
The weather was glorious while we were there too. While it still was a little humid at this time of year we found that the bungalow was not at all uncomfortable as the breeze flows through the screened windows so sleeping was no problem.
Vikki and Peter were fabulous hosts and went way beyond what is normally expected, providing us with local knowledge and sorting out some local bookings for us. Nothing was a problem for them but they were never overtly attentive, just available when you needed to ask for assistance. For example, one night the place across the road where we were going to get a takeaway dinner was closed and as Vikki knew our plans she came and told us then drove us to another. Highly recommended.
Hints
1. During our stay we ate out most of the time. The food at the nearby Pacific Resort is great for a bite to eat but the drinks are very, very expensive (no bottle of red wine less than $68). The Aitutaki Lagoon Resort was great for a late pizza lunch and has fabulous views but we did hear that others were turned away so maybe a mid-afternoon visit may be key. Loved Tamunu.
2. Neibaa’s grocery shop on the eastern side of the island in Vaipae is the only grocery store open on Sundays from 6am until late but is closed on Saturdays.
3. (please note: no fault of property owner): A couple of bookings that I made prior to arrival for early in our trip were cancelled. There was not enough people booked for an afternoon dive and a lagoon trip with a separate provider was cancelled on a perfect day as they “misread” the weather forecast. This had a flow on effect during our stay as each trip was put back a day or two so I only managed to get out on the lagoon once in a 4 day stay. Sadly because of this, if you have limited time, and want to book a lagoon cruise I’d recommend going with a larger operator. They are less likely to cancel due to a larger number of affected people.
4. Mount Maungapu is the best place in Aitutaki for panoramic views but be warned the road/walk from across from the Paradise Cove Resort is really quite steep. We drove up the road to just short of the track and walked from there and it still took us a while as the track, besides being steep, has loose stones.
5. We think that there is no real advantage of hiring a motorbike over a car other than that it is cheaper (and for insurance purposes you don’t require a motor bike licence). We criss crossed all over Aitutaki and there really was no area that was only suitable for bikes.
