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A Cook Who Knows How To Get CrackingBy Jane CassieHow many dozen eggs do you think you’d have to sell to build a classy boutique hotel on the silky shores of a Cook Island? Although John Scott may not have the exact answer, he’d be a good one to ask. In 1992, Scott began the quest of constructing his dreamscape retreat, and instead of calling on bankers for backing, he let his chickens do the work. Gradually out of the sale of their well-laid treasures, his paradisiacal sanctuary was erected, and fourteen years later he opened the doors. And all due to poultry productivity!
Dhiru, a stocky fellow with a winning smile (and lots of muscle power) takes control of our luggage and whisks it quickly off to our room. More grins come from Uta, another employee who makes sure everything is running smoothly after we settle in. Although unpretentious, the service is impeccable, right from the get go. In other words, it’s typical Cook Island hospitality.
Our spa-style bath, boasting a glass enclosed shower is roomy enough for two, and oversized thirsty white towels from the heated towel bar provide a warm embrace. As well as meeting our everyday toiletry needs, we’re pampered with peppermint scented soaps, lotions and hair products. We emerge, feeling energized and smelling delicious! For the weight conscious, there’s even a scale subtly tucked beneath the vanity. This, I clearly avoid. As well as nightly DVDs, we make use of the well-stocked mini bar, and when the stars come out each night, so does a great turn down service, complete with home baked coconut cookies. Yum!
We quickly ditch our city duds, for some skimpier gear, slather up our alabaster bodies with SPF 50, and make a bee line for the aquatic wonder. Kayaks, and snorkel gear are included with our stay, and make a great combo as we go in search for what swims in the shallows.
We discover that the entire Cook Island of Rarotonga has that special hypnotic effect and figure it’s likely due to its
superlative location. Although geographically mapped between Fiji and Tahiti, it
appears to be just a speck on the vast sapphire Pacific, and is idyllically
distanced from any bustling metropolis. In spite of it being the capital queen
bee of the fifteen isle archipelago, it’s far from being a big wig. There are no
high rise complexes, no big box businesses, no Starbucks and no McDonalds.
During our stay we take in everything from cultural shows and an island night to hikes and safari tours that bisect Raro’s lush carpeted core. As well as being a paradisiacal escape, it’s a destination with deep roots and historical treasures. And as far as South Pacific fantasies go, it just doesn’t get any better!
How to get there: Cook Islands Tourism Corporation Where To Stay Jane is president of BC Association Of Travel Writers http://www.bctravelwriters.com She and her husband, Brent, freelance for a number of publications www.janecassie.com IMAGES BY BRENT CASSIE |
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Muri Beach Club Hotel snuggles up to the stunningly
turquoise Muri lagoon, just fifteen minutes east of Avatiu, the central hub on
the capital Cook Island of Rarotonga. Instead of expressing the traditional
Polynesian flare, this adult-oriented gem, with its virgin white walls and
sensuously smooth lines, glitters in contemporary brilliance. Powder sand
brushes up to its back door, and just beyond waits the tepid South Pacific.
A
profusion of hibiscus bloom under the shade of coconut palms and border the
narrow roadway leading to this sanctuary. Once beyond the threshold, they’re
replaced by the glistening marble floors and a chic, yet discreet, reception
area, where friendly staff welcomes us on arrival. Here, vibrant paintings
depicting the tropics contrast vividly to the stark décor and just beyond, the
secluded courtyard pool shimmers with allure.
Thirty one superbly appointed rooms also pay
homage to the minimalist décor, where maple-style furnishings, chrome, and
polished silver fuse in the glow of light-drenched trawled walls. Some are
cocooned beneath wavering palms and lush flourishing gardens, a few have a
bird’s eye view of the glistening pool, and others, like ours, overlook the
sensational beachfront.
But the real perk comes when we push back the
linen-light curtains that drape our picture window. This is what we’ve come for.
It’s what we’ve been dreaming about. Although we had previously assumed the
digitals on the promotional brochure had been doctored up, with reality now
before us, we know they were the real McCoy. Beyond our chalk white beach front,
Muri Lagoon shimmers with every imaginable shade of blue, from blazing azure and
teal, to the most vibrant turquoise. Bordering the far side is an uninhabited
Robinson Crusoe-style motus (isle) just waiting to be explored, and in the
distance, the fish-riddled reef edges the Pacific abyss.
Although Muri lagoon is predator-protected, there are lots
of sea-loving creatures to check out. Shards of sunlight pierce the tranquil
surface, silhouetting the colourful swarm within our visual field; angelfish the
size of saucers, rainbow-scaled parrotfish, zillions of skittering minnows and
lots of dazzling coral displays. It’s a surreal intermingling, and as we float
buoyantly in the bathwater warm swells, we feel at one with the Pacific and free
from any worldly cares.
There’s next to no crime, the pace is laid back, and the locals are unbelievably
friendly. They wave, smile and greet us with the Maori welcome absolutely
everywhere we go. From the moment we step off the plane, where Jake Numanga
plunks his blister provoking ukulele tunes, to Avarua’s Saturday market where
vendors sell everything from hand-sewn Tivaevae quilts to carvings of the
proudly endowed God, Tangaroa. “Kia Orana, Kia Orana!” It’s a grand Cook Island
hello, and is always accompanied by a full-faced grin. The iconic intro is so
popular in fact, it’s even embossed on the yellow and green license plates that
we follow while circumventing this tropical gem.
The main road hugs up to lush vegetation that drapes the
island’s volcanic interior and offers sensational vistas while we parallel the
palm fringed shore. Although our little red Suzuki Swift is stiff competition to
mighty mopeds, it gets us everywhere we want to go, as long as we stay on the
left hand side. The circular drive is all of 32 killometers and by the end of
the first lap, we’re feeling like pros.
Classical jazz mellifluously filters over the
chic Point Restaurant at Muri Beach Club Hotel where full service meals are
accompanied by languid lagoon views. Every evening, the beautifully executed
menu showcases gourmet pacific cuisine. And every morning it’s replaced by a
less formal continental breakfast buffet that would appease any discerning
dieter. Fresh picked papaya, pineapple, mango and banana compliment oven fresh
croissants, home baked muffins and melt in your mouth danishes. Although the
spread is complimentary with each night’s stay, there’s also the option to order
hot delicacies from an ala carte menu, and yes, you guessed it, eggs are
definitely included!