Three Tastes of Rarotonga - Crown Resort - Kathy's House and Villa Onemaru

Kia Orana
Welcome To Beautiful Rarotonga.
Every plane that arrives and leaves, is serenaded by Kathy's Dad.
(Kathy is our host for the major part of our stay).
He has been welcoming visitors to Rarotonga for years.
Our first visit was in the 80's and we have continued to visit and still love it.
Our last visit was full of adventures with Heinzie, Ms Mary and Ms Lana, click here to find out more.
We have just spent 10 days in The Island. Every time we visit we discover new treats.
This time we experienced three different but equally wonderful accommodations.
Thanks to our friends, John and Hiria Morton, we had our first two nights at The Crown Resort. A delightful upmarket resort. We arrived at 2am, an awkward hour, a charming concierge greeted us, a simple registration...

and a ride in the golf cart to our suite.
Pulled up outside, a rather impressive entrance
What a lovely room.
Not only that we had our own private pool. This was our view on awakening.
This will do.
Looking back into the room. As you see we have spread our possessions around.
Doesn't take long.
Classy bathroom
Off to explore... our entry, in the light of day.
Tropical paradise.
I went to breakfast. They serve a complimentary fruit, toast and pastry breakfast.
Papaya, what a lovely way to start a day. Plus who could resist this view.
So after 2 nights, it was off to Kathy's House.
Set in the hills in Titikaveka.
Our instructions were to turn left at the Mission House, past the Pineapple Plantation
and continue up the hill. There it is.Nice sweeping decks
The Master Suite, complete with ensuiteStanding in the dining room looking out at the wonderful view
Looking out to the poolYours truly, getting ready to pour the first wine.The gentle sound of the surf in the distance. No traffic noise. PeaceAll around us, tropical bush
Just what the Doctor ordered.
This is a perfect place for a family holiday.
Three big double bedrooms, an enormous living area.
A downstairs family room, which can be set up for kids accommodation.

Two TVs and DVD players. Two areas for dining outside and a big dining room table inside
So the next day the troops arrived. Chris, Katie, Mia, Cleo and Joseph.
Chris, so as not to disturb the Grandparents, took the kids down the road to the beach.
By the way the first, and as it turns out, the only walk by the kids to the beach.

Down the Hill

A wander past our Waste Disposal Unit.

First day of fun for the kidsThen the walk back up the hill. Not too hard
Wait for me!
Into the poolSo after 7 fabulous days we farewelled the family. Dale was on chauffeur duty.

One of the highlights of a Rarotongan journey ,is to watch the planes coming in.
They come right in over your heads. I defy you not to duck.

Some people, (namely, some male members of the family), make this an evening event... apparently after a couple bottles of wine, sitting underneath the plane is... "Amazing".
One just waits here on the road
Here it comes, you can see how close to the sea it is.Wow the noise is intense. At night of course, you only see the lights coming, then the noise. Fun.So the plane that was taking Katie, Chris, Mia and Cleo home, was delivering Dan, Helen and Sophia. Joseph was very excited to see his parents and even his older sister Sophia.
So Accomodation Number Three
Villa Onemaru. What a stunning place to stay.
Lovely outdoor bed for the Afternoon Nap.
Plenty of loungers for Sun BabiesSomewhere to put your glass of wine...could be doing one's blog here.The blue elephant, one of a pair, seen here cavorting in the pool at Kathy's house
(Unfortunately one of the elephants flew off to Elephant Heaven),
now has a new homeStill keeping Joseph happy though.So it was our final night. Drinks prepared by Dale
Had Ika Mata, prepared by Dan.
In fact, we have decided the Ika Mata produced by our family, Rocks...
Below Chris' version.
Both Work
There is a pool table, table tennis table and this Chess set...plenty to amuse both the Children and The Grownups.
Well of course, there is the food from Raro, but that is another blog
A Beautiful Place in the Sun.