The Adults-Only Travel Guide to Aitutaki© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com
The Adults-Only Travel Guide to Aitutaki

The Adults-Only Travel Guide to Aitutaki

© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

How to Plan an Adults-Only Holiday to Aitutaki

Far from the “rat race” of Rarotonga (well, some people call it that), Aitutaki is a sleepy paradise and one of the most stunning lagoons in the world. With that, you can be forgiven for desiring a tranquil atmosphere to match. That’s where the adults-only getaway comes in. Aitutaki is not only home to several resorts exclusively for adults, but even the holiday homes and boutique accommodations have that “adults-only” ambience. Combine your stay with some of the lagoon charters, spas and private dining experiences available, and you’ll surely feel like it’s just you, the people (or special someone) you choose, and the lagoon…

10 Adults-Only Tours and Activities on Aitutaki

Before we dive into this complete adults-only travel guide for Aitutaki, here is a taste of the sort of experiences a kid-free getaway entails:

  1. Experience the Aitutaki Lagoon on a private cruise with Kutekute or Teking Lagoon Tours
  2. Try your luck at bonefishing with E2’s Way or blue water fishing with Black Pearl Charters
  3. Indulge in a spa day at the Pacific Resort Aitutaki or an in-villa massage at Etu Moana
  4. Enjoy a tranquil piece of paradise at an adults-only resort
  5. Treat your loved one to a private dinner at the Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort or Aitutaki Escape
  6. Experience Aitutaki’s famous kitesurfing at Honeymoon Island
  7. Set sail on a Hobie Cat with Sailing Aitutaki
  8. Discover the underwater world on a scuba diving trip with Bubbles Below
  9. Swim with whales in the whale season with Wet & Wild or Bubbles Below
  10. Tee off at the Aitutaki Golf Club.

Learn more about all of the above experiences in the 10 Adults-Only Activities on Aitutaki or simply continue reading…

The Adults-Only Travel Guide to Aitutaki© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

How to Get to Aitutaki

Aitutaki lies in the Southern Group of the Cook Islands, some 220km (137 miles) from Rarotonga and the Cook Islands’ international airport. The only real plannable way to get to Aitutaki (by avoiding the unreliable cargo ships) is via domestic flight from Rarotonga.

Regular flights are available between Rarotonga and Aitutaki multiple times a day, six days a week and once on a Sunday. Flights take approximately 50 minutes. Codeshare flights are available from New Zealand and Tahiti. Learn more about flying to Aitutaki in our guide, Domestic Flights in the Cook Islands: Your Guide to Interisland Flights.

How to Get Around Aitutaki

The main island of Aitutaki has a road around the island that’s approximately 18km (11 miles) with plenty of inland roads to cut the journey shorter to where you’re heading. The main ways to get around include car rental, scooter rental and cycle rental with a couple of taxi services also available. Water taxi services and lagoon cruises are the main ways to get to the other islands in the lagoon. Find out more about transport in our Aitutaki Transport Guide: 5 Ways to Get to (& Around) Aitutaki.

The Adults-Only Travel Guide to Aitutaki© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

Aitutaki Lagoon Tours for Adults

Let’s not waste any time sharing the ways you can experience the Aitutaki Lagoon free from children.

Private Lagoon Cruises

Don’t miss your chance to cruise the lagoon, hopping from motu (island) to motu with a private lagoon charter. Snorkel, float on a water hammock and indulge in a private sunset picnic with Kutekute Island Tours & Transfers. Alternatively, Teking Lagoon Tours offers a shorter sunset champagne tour. Learn more about the lagoon cruises in the 10 Best Lagoon Cruises in Aitutaki.

Kitesurfing

The butter-flat waters of the Aitutaki Lagoon offer the perfect conditions for kitesurfing between May and September. Kitesurfing specialists like Wet & Wild and Aitutaki Kitesurfing can take you out to their bases on Honeymoon Island for private lessons, while water taxi and gear rental is also an option for those who know what they’re doing. Learn more in our guide, Kitesurfing in the Cook Islands: The Top 10 Places to Kitesurf.

Bonefishing

When you’re not cruising in the Aitutaki Lagoon, try bonefishing. E2’s Way and Aitutaki Blue Lagoon Flyfish both offer private fishing guidance with all the gear included (except the fishing licence, which you can learn more about in The Ultimate Guide to Fishing in the Cook Islands).

And there are more things to do on the Aitutaki Lagoon for adults, between Hobie Cat sailing and scuba diving, which you can find out more about in the 10 Adults-Only Activities on Aitutaki.

The Adults-Only Travel Guide to Aitutaki© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

Aitutaki Land Tours for Adults

Aside from an independent tiki tour around the main island of Aitutaki or hiking up Maunga Pu (learn more in the 5 Best Walks to Do on Aitutaki), Aitutaki’s main island also offers some memorable experiences for your adults-only getaway.

Day Spas and Massages

It doesn’t get any more “child-free” than a spa day. Aitutaki is home to several resort spas, with top contenders being Tiare Spa at the Pacific Resort Aitutaki and SpaPolynesia at the Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort. Alternatively, guests at Etu Moana or Tai Roto Bay can enjoy in-villa head-to-toe massages. Discover which spa is right for you in the 5 Best Spas in Aitutaki.

Aitutaki’s Golf Course

You’ll hardly hear a peep out of the island’s excitable children at the Aitutaki Golf Club. That’s right, Aitutaki has its own tropical 9-hole golf course among swaying palms and lagoon views nearby the airport. You can hire clubs from the airport to enjoy teeing off at your own leisure or join the locals for their Thursday competition starting 3.30pm-4pm. Find out more about making the most of Aitutaki’s golf course in The Complete Guide to Golf in the Cook Islands.

The Adults-Only Travel Guide to Aitutaki© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

Adults-Only Dining on Aitutaki

Connecting with your loved one or group of friends over tropical cocktails and divine Pacific cuisine is better to the sound of clinking glasses than overenthusiastic children. Set the tone right by treating yourselves to some of the more adult-friendly dining experiences available on the island.

Private Dining

Enjoy the “eating out” experience with just the ones (or one) you choose with a private dining experience. From a candlelit dinner in a private pavilion on the edge of the Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort to dining under the stars on a secluded private deck at Aitutaki Escape, couples and adult groups have plenty of choices when it comes to memorable meals. For more romance, check out the 10 Most Romantic Things to Do on Aitutaki for Couples.

Rapae Bay Restaurant – Pacific Resort

The adults-only Pacific Resort Aitutaki‘s fine dining restaurant, Rapae Bay, is open to the public ages 12 years and up (except on island nights). Needless to say, the atmosphere remains sophisticated, providing the perfect setting to watch the sunset from the restaurant’s elevated position overlooking the lagoon.

Flying Boat Beach Bar & Grill – Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort

Take the resort’s ferry from Ootu Beach to Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort to dine at their casual Flying Boat Beach Bar & Grill on the beach. The resort exclusively for guests aged 16 years and older welcomes adult visitors to share in the Pacific revelry among resort guests. Enjoy a casual lunch or fine-dining plates for dinner.

Be inspired for more eating excursions with The Food Guide to Aitutaki: Places to Eat & Food Tours.

More About Adults-Only Vacations to Aitutaki

That’s it for our complete adults-only travel guide to Aitutaki but by no means the end of our tips. Check out more guides to inspire your next adventure:

And finally, browse The Complete Adults-Only Travel Guide to the Cook Islands and 20 Best Adults-Only Resorts in the Cook Islands for anything you might have missed.

Author

Laura S.

This article was reviewed and published by Laura, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Cook Islands Pocket Guide. Since arriving solo in the South Pacific over 10 years ago with nothing but a backpack and a background in journalism, her mission has been to show the world how easy (and awesome) it is to explore a paradise such as the Cook Islands. She knows the islands inside out and loves sharing tips on how best to experience Raro’s must-dos and hidden gems. Laura is also the editor of several other South Pacific travel guides.

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