place was clean and very functional, but you go to the island for ocean and this place has too little of it for the price. Should be NZ$70 at most vs. 145. Boat Shed also terribly overpriced, small portion average food.

The damage caused by Cyclone Pat back in February is still being repaired so expect to see collapsed houses, buildings without roofs and relief tents almost everywhere on the island. The cyclone damage also explained why so little fresh fruit and vegetables were available for purchase at the roadside or in the shops.

Our initial impression was that we were isolated from the main community. We soon changed our mind cause everything we needed was right on the doorstep. The friendly folk in the office happily arranged tours, scooter hire etc.

The Boat shed is open for lunch and dinner. A word of caution - BOOK, as it is incredibly and justifiably popular. If you don't self cater, the place to go for breakfast and for coffee is the Kura Cafe - across the road.

The villas are spacious and very well equipped and are in an attractive garden setting. It is a short stroll to Ono Beach or a free boat ride to the Rarotongan Resort. Swimming is tide dependent. We suggest the best way to enjoy the lagoon and experience some really good snorkeling is to book onto Te Kings lagoon cruise. If you are interested in marine life then visit the marine research centre.

We were disappointed with our stay at this property.
The staff member that met us at the airport was not friendly at all, almost grumpy.
Although he did tell us how to book a tour we requested, a telephone message was not given to us until 10pm at night even though tour company had rang at 7pm to speak to us(we were in our unit) and this almost resulted in us missing out on the excursion the next day.
The room cleaners were absolutely great, even doing our washing for us on one occasion and not wanting to accept any thank you payment.
When we complained that our unit had no hot water at all for the whole of our stay, we were listened to but offered no apology or indication that it would be fixed at all.We are very flexible but having to boil the jug so my husband could shave should not be an option when staying here. The other units did have solar panels working but not ours!
The owner did also make a good impression on us when we went into the restaurant to speak to him at 10am in the morning and he was sitting drinking beer with another local.This is not a good look, also he did not actually introduce himself at all to us when we meet him for the first time.The staff member said he was her boss!
The local staff were very helpful and friendly but the owner and his offsider did not give the service and hospitality that a property promoted by Air New Zealand should be involved with.
We would never stay there again or recommend it to anyone although the location is great and it could be a such a gem!
We loved Aitutaki and highly recommend Teking for the day island tour.The lagoon was everything we hoped for and the local people so friendly and helpful.
There is still alot of damage from the Feb cyclone and the local pre schools really appreciated the childern's books we gave them. One school, the SDA still has no building and lost completely everything.

This review thing is quite new to me , but I was browsing the net and saw reviews for Popoara resort. My husband and myself have stayed there on three different occasions, starting in 2007 and also in 2008 and 2009. The owners Allen and Maria made our vacation!! Nothing was too much trouble, from finding us a coffee press for our room to baking a birthday cake for my husbands 50th. We especially liked the Boatshed resturant for intimate evening meals. If you are travelling alone or with a partner this is an ideal setting.