(This is part of a trip report to the South Pacific, flying Singapore Airlines and Etihad first class and Lufthansa business class home! This summer trip has a value of $33,996 and we paid $3,996 for all these flights/hotels!)

What can I say about Aitutaki, one of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific? It was incredibly beautiful, the very best beach destination I’ve ever visited!  It’s not easy to get to; we flew into Rarotonga, spent one night, then flew into Aitutaki.

We stayed at Aitutaki Village, on the lagoon side, which was phenomenal! It’s a small, locally owned operation, with 12 garden bungalows, just steps from the beach. But beware, wifi is expensive and sporadic, but this is definitely a place to “unplug.”

 Aitutaki is a small island, about seven square miles, with a population of 2,000, and eight villages. It is protected by a barrier reef, which makes the turquoise water of the lagoon spectacular!  I’m going to let the pictures do the talking…

We rented a car for a day and drove all over the island, ending our day with a hike to the highest point, a hill called Maunga Pu.

One thing about a small island is you see the same people over and over again. We would see the same tourists (there aren’t that many and mostly from NZ or Australia) every day and/or night! We ate twice at Café Tupuna – excellent food in a family run restaurant.

 One day we took a boat tour to an uninhabited island, One Foot Island, which was absolutely amazing! You could walk all the way to the island from this sandbank. Here are the pictures…

Goodbye, Aitutaki! It’s so fun to relive this trip on a cold December day!  (:

Next up, Tahiti and Bora Bora!