Ranginui's Retreat

Position was idyllic. Walk out of your room and into the lagoon. The owner can help you with anything you need. Food and drink venues nearby.

The place fills its purpose… it offers decent accommodation for a fraction of the price of the resort across the lagoon. But there is a reason for it. Reading the other reviews I can see we were not the only ones to be ‘forgotten’ at the airport… Upon landing, all the meet and greet services from all the hotels are here to welcome their guests with flower leis, except this one… we had to wait a fair bit before seeing someone to pick us up. Additionally, it is true that there is hardly any chance to get any requests attended during your stay unless you find yourself on the ‘retreat’ premises during office hours in the morning. The last issue that some customers may find, is the lack of soundproofing between the cabins. Otherwise, everything was fine. The place was clean and well appointed. The bed was comfortable. Just don’t expect 5 star services but I do not think this place claims to be 5 star! Once you know this, you can definitely still book a cabin at Ranginui. It still is a nice place to stay if other hotels are full or not within your budget.

Steve was helpful in finding rooms for us all, car hire and airport pickup. This place is well located with good swimming on the doorstep and nice cafes and restaurants nearby. Rooms were clean and comfortable with excellent beds. We loved the low key vibe and would happily return.

Really enjoyed our stay at Ranginui’s Retreat. A great base to explore Aitutaki from. You can walk to Blue Lagoon or Boatshed for something to eat and drink, but you will need transport to go further afield. Units are well set up, clean and have everything you need. Steve and Lanie are great hosts, very helpful and assisting with local information and recommendations.

I stayed two nights at Ranganui’s. The location is great, walking distance to the boats and 3 nearby restaurants. The room was small but clean. The area is rampant with mosquitos, so bring insect repellant! The only reason I gave this place 3 stars instead of 5 is due to the lack of communication with staff. I had emailed my itinerary as well as the need for a morning airport shuttle. When I arrived, I had to wait an hour outside to find someone to help with check-in. I never saw the owner again and upon leaving, did not have a ride and had to walk 35 minutes to the airport with my heavy bags.

I stayed two nights at Ranganui’s. The location is great, walking distance to the boats and 3 nearby restaurants. The room was small but clean. The area is rampant with mosquitos, so bring insect repellant! The only reason I gave this place 3 stars instead of 5 is due to the lack of communication with staff. I had emailed my itinerary as well as the need for a morning airport shuttle. When I arrived, I had to wait an hour outside to find someone to help with check-in. I never saw the owner again and upon leaving, did not have a ride and had to walk 35 minutes to the airport with my heavy bags. One thing to note that I didn’t know in advance is the office is closed some days and only open 8:30-noon others.

This place is a great find….. Great location on the lagoon, not for from the lagoon cruises set of point - just down the road. Koru Cafe and The Boatshed Bar and Grill are within easy walking distance - there is no restaurant at Ranginui’s Retreat but the rooms have cooking facilities. There is a pool, sun-loungers, kayaks, paddle boards and snorkelling gear. There are scooters available for hire. The rooms have recently been renovated and are nicely decorated. Our room had a king bed, table and chairs (inside and outside), bbq, microwave, cooking facilities, kitchen utensils/equipment, bathroom with external shower. Other rooms had two bedrooms and slept 4 adults - they had all the other stuff too.

Friendly hosts picked us up from airport & showed us to our beachfront bungalow. Well equipped, pretty room with wonderful porch looking over the lagoon. Outdoor shower was also lovely. Hosts made sure we had everything we needed. Only stayed 2 nights & would stay longer next time.

Inside my room, ants on my bed,got many mosquito bites though having put on mosquito repellent. Flies in the bathroom. No Customer service. Calling a taxi, they will charge you NZ$0.50 per minute. Worst of all, Larni is only nice to white people. On the day when I did my Safari snorkeling cruise, they advised me to pick me up at the accommodation,but Larni told me to walk all the way down the road.My last day there I asked her to store my luggage and she just told me to leave mine on office sofa myself and the next minute when a couple of white people walked in to store their luggages, she served them nicely and put theirs in the storage place. Walking out of there angrily with my bag, I went to Pacific resort Aitutaki. There I received paramount customer service and they helped me storing my luggage for the day for free and dropped me off to the airport. Shape contrast! Warning:if you are not white and don't want to be discriminated, don't stay there!

We had the best time at Ranginuis retreat. The managers were so very helpful. They went that extra mile to make our stay super enjoyable. They gave us lots of good tips and helped us negotiate experiences around the island and lagoon excursions.