We had an amazing holiday to The Cook Islands, made perfect by the beautiful Crown Beach resort. The staff were amazing, and the 'private plunge pool' room was just beyond my wildest dreams. The rooms were spotless and the grounds were lovely.

The food was really good, although a little pricey. Then again, food is quite expensive everywhere in The Cooks, and what we spent on food, we saved during the day because we found loads to do on the island without spending a great deal of money.

Would jump at the chance to go back.

The Crown Beach Resort was beautiful !!

They were hit badly by the Cyclone in Feb 05 and had been working hard to repair the damage. In fact work was going on while we were there, but I can tell you for nothing we hardly noticed a thing!!!

The pace of the island is one speed and that is slow, the people are so laid back and just enjoy life, what's the rush? They have got to be the friendliest people on the earth.

The resort will be even better now than it was when we visited, with more improvements that were being finished. The villas are lovely and you can even have your own jacuzzi on the decking.

The accomodation is spacious, light and airy. Air conditioning in the open plan lounge/kitchen/dining area and bedroom. The furniture, lamps, tv cabinet, dining table etc. suited the accommodation, and looked great.

The bedroom had the same style furniture and a built in wardrobe with safe. Plenty of storage space for all your clothes.

Each villa has a decked area, some have a jacuzzi, these villas were just being finished when we arrived.

The villa had a TV and DVD player, you can hire DVD's from reception, I think this was free or for small fee. The Cook Islands only has one channel, a mix of Australian and New Zealand programmes, with adverts from local traders (which were very funny).

The resort has a bar with a dining area for breakfast and lunch only. This is on the beachfront and next to the swimming pool, with it's new waterfall and stream running round the bar and dining area. Plenty of options for breakfast (tropical breakfast is included but you can pay extra for alternatives, such as cooked breakfast) and a really nice lunch menu too, a choice of 5 or 6 dishes.

Freshly squeezed pineapple juice every morning - delicous!

The cocktails and mocktails were gorgeous! We found ourselves having a drink at the bar most nights before heading out for the evening. The staff were very friendly and always chatting to the guests. Every member of staff always had a smile for you, from the housekeepers to the managers.

We loved the fact it was always so quiet, despite having the all the villas full you wouldn't notice.
It definitely livens up on 'Island Night' most of the resorts on the island host these. They have a barbecue buffet and entertainment with Cook Island music and dancing - this night is an absolute must! You have to book in advance for this, but it's well worth seeing.

There is a lovely little resturant in the resort called the 'Windjammer' rack of lamb to die for! It's a wonderful little resturant that you have to book. It's a favourite with the staff too, twice in our stay we saw some of the staff enjoying a meal out with their frrends and family. There are also plenty of resturants in walking distance of Crown Beach.

There are a few shops and a takeaway opposite the resort.

Snorkelling is great, neither of us had tried it before and we quickly became addicted. You can hire snorkelling gear from reception for free.

The area of the beach the resort is on is a great place to go reefing walking when the tide is out. We went out shortly before the tide was coming in and watching the enormous waves crashing against the edge of the reef a matter of yards away was spectacular!

It's not a great place for snorkelling because it's close to the edge of the reef, but you can do it. The best place is the other side of the island where the reef is further away.

Every morning there was someone raking the beach to move the stones the tide brings in.

We think the location was perfect, with many resturants a short walk away. The bus stops outside the resort and can take you into town or hire a car. Reception can book this for you, as they can any tours you want to do.

We hired a car which meant we could go wherever we wanted and not rely on the bus, which could get quite busy on Sat's particularly.