Palm Grove

The fresh tuna with lime and coconut at the attached Yellow Hibiscus was fantastic, and the serving was generous. I’m a big fan of ceviche and kokoda, which I have daily in Fiji and Vanuatu, and this was right up there. The restaurant’s food is very good and reasonably priced. The bure was lovely, right on the beach, and the staff were friendly, as you’d expect in the South Pacific.

The breakfast was surprisingly poor, so after the first morning we ate elsewhere. The beach villas are modern, nicely furnished and in good condition, but ours was set well back from the beach, dark, and had no pleasant view. They’re right beside the road, which gets especially noisy in the morning. The other staff were all friendly and helpful, to be fair. But manager Betsy greeted us in an extraordinarily rude and disrespectful way. She made us feel like a nuisance she wanted to get rid of quickly. We later heard she is active on tourism committees on the island. Perhaps she should learn to treat customers with friendliness and appreciation first.

For our first visit to Raro, this was a good spot for a quiet break beside a beautiful beach and lagoon. We were welcomed warmly, including a midnight Lei greeting and airport pickup. Breakfast comes with the stay, and Yellow Hibiscus serves hearty meals with live music three nights a week. There’s a bus stop at the resort, though we rented a car to have more ways to explore.

We usually choose an adults-only resort in Raratonga, but with the whole family travelling this time, we picked Palm Grove and loved it. The owners were a real help arranging things for our group of eleven. It’s on a great beach, and we’ve already booked again for next year.