My Most Romantic Gesture
Our Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary Trip
Years ago, we would take romantic getaways along the California coast or to the Napa-Sonoma wine country every so often.
We also took a few trips to the Hawaiian Islands, but none of them compares to our ten days on the island of Rarotonga.
We stayed at the Manuia Beach Resort at Arorangi Beach, Arorangi, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Our original reservation was for us to spend 5-days in a garden cabin and then switch to one of the much more expensive beachfront units for the rest of our stay.
When we arrived at our room after a short time, we realized they were doing a massive renovation of the rooms, and unfortunately, they were working on one very close to our unit.
I went to the front desk to complain about the noise and they were very nice, telling me they would move us shortly.
Not long after, they showed up and moved us to a beachfront unit with a fabulous view, steps from the water. Needless to say, we were ecstatic.
Our stay included a daily breakfast in their restaurant near the water with a fabulous view. The floor consisted of sand.
They had a variety of fruits and a regular breakfast fair. We also had dinner there a few times and it was always good. One night we had the best lamb shank dinner we have ever eaten.
We also did lots of touristy things and had some other excellent meals at a variety of restaurants.
It was pretty expensive to rent a car and kind of a waste because you could drive around the island in about an hour. I talked the love of my life into renting a motor scooter, which we used for most of our stay. People drive slowly there, so we didn’t think it would be dangerous, and it wasn’t.
They had great food and exotic drinks at our beachfront restaurant, but as you would expect, the fancy drinks were pretty pricey. We would have some occasionally, but found a less expensive alternative for our daily snacks and alcoholic beverages.
The scooter had a storage area under the seat, so we would get snacks at a nearby store along with Australian or New Zealand wines and beers. Then we would sit on our deck and enjoy our view of the water and horizon, along with some fabulous sunsets.
As you probably guessed, there was also occasional friskiness.
We would often take a walk along the beach in the morning and collect seashells, some of which are usually on display in our great room. Dogs were everywhere, so we would usually encounter several when we hiked along the beachfront or elsewhere.
After ten wonderful days, we were whisked off to the airport late at night to catch our flights back home.
Here Are Some Photos That Highlight This Wonderful Moment In Our Lives.
