Magic Reef Bungalows

This family owned and run place is simply marvellous. Right on the beach (and a good one!), great swimming pool too, electric cars to rent at great price, kitchenette in our lovely bungalow, everything provided that you could think of. Simone and Lawrence are perfect hosts: really private but also friendly and helpful. Three great beach side restaurants in easy walking distance too! PARADISE!

Third visit, there will be a fourth. Lawrence, Simone and the Crew at Magic Reef continue to exceed expectations and to ensure guests have a safe and enjoyable stay both in Magic Reef, and around Rarotonga. The new double room bungalows look amazing and will be a great addition to an already great resort and location.

We stayed in Magic Reef for week three of our three-week trip to the Cooks. Out of the three places we stayed this was my least favourite - I'd still rate it strongly but if you only have one option for staying on Raro, I would go to Muri over here. This is because the beach really isn't great outside the resort and I didn't really like sitting / walking on it and certainly couldn't get into the sea. The pool however is lovely although doesn't have any loungers around it - I brought one of the 'slug' cushions over from the beach to lie on, which the owners didn't seem to mind. Magic is also classed as an 'eco' resort and they only service the rooms every three days - we therefore had to empty our food waste into the slops bucket in between services, which really didn't please me whilst I was on holiday! We enjoyed our room and didn't have any issues sleeping - the freezer compartment however wasn't working properly, so the food we had purchased in Avarua wasn't properly frozen, and we had to stuff our face on prawns on the bbq very quickly...to be fair the bbq was high-end and spotlessly clean (it was also coincidentally right outside our room, so that was handy)! As we were there in shoulder-season, the owners let us stay for a late check-out and then dropped us at the airport for our flight - I am sure they'll only kick you out if they are fully booked and can't accommodate. Overall, I wasn't as keen on West-coast Raro as the east, but it was still great to see it. There is a great bar / restaurant a couple of doors up: the Waterline where we spent quite a lot of our evenings. Also be aware the nearest shop is 15 mins walk away if you want to buy beers - you can also get the bus into town to buy food at Prime Foods (we think the best supermarket on the island). Thank you to Lawrence and Simone for an enjoyable stay.

I stayed at Magic Reef bungalow, Beautiful place to stay nice and quiet with friendly staff, can see and hear the ocean from your room. I stayed for a total of 10 days, its just ashame the first 3 nights was living hell. I booked this accomodation due to aircon and massage within facility because i had a cast on my right foot and crutches. But unfortunately the air con wasn't working, we had to have cold baths twice a day and slept on the tilled floors with added cushion from the outside and inside chairs with the fan on high, it was so hot we slept in minimal clothing (swimmers). We spoke to both owners but couldn't do much because it was fully booked and maintenance wasn't available for 2 weeks . To end our vacation we thought the owners would give us some sort of reinburstment or a later checkout to make up for the horrible first 3 days but they smiled and proceeded like nothing happened and insisted we come back for a 10% discount. ***Double check Aircon is in working order because it is ESSENTIAL for surviving the heat in Rarotonga.***

We stayed in an 'Absolute Beachfront Bungalow' right on the beach and particularly enjoyed the outdoor bathroom (the toilet is separate and indoors). The bungalow didn't have good airflow and the thick material above the bed made it difficult to stay cool until we discovered the air conditioner had a turbo function which worked great! E-vehicles are available to hire for $NZ 75 a day, no cost for charging. Vehicles don't have to be hired for consecutive days which was great! The pool was a bit too warm for summer and the beach wasn't very good for swimming or snorkelling. The staff were friendly, and the bungalows are located within walking distance of a couple of restaurants.

We had such a wonderful stay at the Magic Reef. Simone and Lawrence were such nice hosts. We can’t wait to return and would highly recommend the Magic Reef to anyone

We stayed in an Absolute Beachfront Bungalow and loved listening to the waves lull us to sleep every night. The accommodation was so fitting for the site, being a bamboo bungalow with a beautiful outdoor bathroom including sunken tub. The most amazing thing about the place though are the people, Lawrence and Simonne and all of the friendly staff, including resident dog, Magic, and cat, Captain, made us feel like we were in a second home. Little touches like bringing over ground coffee for us, booking dinner reservations and handing us fruit they had picked, really made our stay. We used the on site electric car available to rent too, which are perfect for island life. Rarotonga is an amazing place, and this is a fantastic place to stay while you are there.

We were here for 7 days and loved every minute. The hosts were lovely, welcome drinks, home made bread and jams, fresh ground coffee and complimentary fruit platter was just the beginning. Clean rooms where everything worked and right on the beach as well as a pool. We loved the fact that it does not offer a restaurant and explored all the surrounding areas by e bike. Active recyclers with e bikes and e cars was another unique part, fresh drinking water and ice, limitless wifi as well. Thank you Lawrence and Simone we will back.

Quiet. Private. Right on the beach. Excellent crew of people working here. We stayed for two weeks and had a great time! Four very good dining venues nearby (easily walkable). [Insider tip: Rent the e-bikes from Tik-Ebikes just up the road - the selection of e-bikes at Magic Reef needs some TLC.]