Aitutaki was reccomended to us by our travel agent for our stay in the Cook Islands, and you must stay at Etu Moana as it is one of the most beautiful palces you'l ever stay we were told.
So off we went looking forward to our stay, we had read the reviews and I guess like most people a little aprehensive. Well, let me tell you, all the reviews do not do Aitutaki and Etu Moana justice. Yours hosts Jo-anne and Jim along with all their staff always make you feel special and will do all they can to make your stay on the Island as memorable as they can. There knowledge of the island, where to go, what tours and with whom, where to eat etc is outstanding. Superb views form your villa, an honesty bar that makes getting drinks easy and a refreshing breakfast waiting for you every morning. This place is definately Paradise and to miss it for an inferior destination is a huge mistake.
I would advise as has been previously stated to take loads of mosquito repellant as you will need it.
Thank you to all the staff for making our stay so memorable.
Paul & Carolyn

Stayed 5 nights at Etu Moana and having visited a number of others on the island - this is the place to stay.
We were initially disappointed in not being able to book a beach front villa but found that Villa 6 ( behind the swimming pool but very secluded and screened by beautiful flowering shrubs) was perfect. On a return visit Villa 6 would be our first choice.
Not wishing to reiterate all the same comments from previous reviews I will suffice with the following :-

Do take mosquito repellant - you will get bitten.
Do take the Aitutaki Adventures tour of the Lagoon - it is one the great travel experiences.
We enjoyed the Samade Island night - less expensive than the Pacific Resort including complimentary pick ups.

We stayed at Etu Moana for a week as part of a longer honeymoon in the Cook Islands. It was by far, the most beautful and wonderful place we stayed in our entire trip. It is difficult to summarise exactly what made is so fantastic apart from saying that it was simply ideallic. Right from the first moment we were greeted ever so warmly by Jim and Joanne, the owners and operators of Etu Moana, and from that point forward we felt completely and utterly at home. Nothing was ever too much trouble and in fact, Jim went out of his way to engage with the guests in such a genuine way that it was as though you had always known him! The property itself and the villas were stunning. From beautifully manicured and maintained gardens (David the gardener is also fantastic) to stylish, modern and extremely comfortable accomodation it was obvious that nothing was overlooked in establishing this wonderful place. The beach right out the front was beautiful with pretty good snorkelling and in any case, other beaches are always a short walk or scooter ride away. Because there are only 8 villas on the property, there is a really unique feeling of peace and quiet whilst still having fantastic facilities at your fingertips. The swimming pool and honesty bar were great, as was the communal feeling around the pool which lead to some great friendships. All in all I cannot say enough about Etu Moana and we were genuinely sad to leave. The only consolation being that we are already planning our return trip. Simply loved it.

Struggling to add anything from other reviews - service and dedication to ensuring your stay is amazing is rightly why this place has been voted #1.

With only a small number of villas, Etu Moana probably struck perfect balance between luxury/service/cost.

Pro's

Service is amazing - On numerous occasions we struck down by the helpfull/friendly approach - Staff went out of the way to ensure you have a great stay. For example, when we said we wanted to kayak on the lagoo, they simply loaded up some kayaks and drove us all over there and picked us up - nothing was too much bother.

Gardens are lovely and pool area is quite relaxed and chilled out.

Con's (all of these are minor, but worth putting down FYG)

Whilst most villas have a sea view, the 2 beachfront villas are by far and away the best (be warned these are booked out about a year in advance!). There were a number of beachfront villas along beach from Etu - would perhaps tempt my hand and try one of these if had chance again but then again - you miss out on the Etu Service!

Mozzies were out in force, and beach wasn't great for swimming - still stunning though!

Location was good - but Aitutaki resort prob the best as it is on the lagoon (most of accomodation in Aitutaki is actually on other side of Island away from lagoon) That said, the Aitutaki resort is in a totally different price bracket - and Etu is terrific value for money.

In summary - we had a super time, and this place is truly amazing - only thing I would change is to book the beachfront villas early.