Tag: I Love This Place!

Best Restaurant On The Beach-Cook Islands

Posted in Beaches, Cook Islands, Good Food, Incredible Vistas, Money Saving Hints, Travel Hints, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Sure you can dine on many a swanky spot along the beach in many parts of the world but for spectacular dining at a decent price it is hard to beat Vaima Polynesian Bar and Restaurant outside Rarotonga in the picture perfect Cook Islands.

Arrive early for steps from the ocean seating with glorious sunsets and the lull of the waves lapping near your feet the ambiance doesn’t get much better than this. As night falls you may spot ghost crabs as they scuttle along in the sand and the stars will align to produce a spectacular natural show.

Vaima serves the best mango daiquiri I have ever tasted. Pair it with the establishments signature salt and pepper calamari served with hot and sour dipping sauce and you will be soon drooling for a second helping of both. Of course, you can never go wrong with the catch of the day which was plucked fresh from the ocean just hours prior. Orange glazed lamb was another favorite.

Come for the atmosphere and stay for the food should be the slogan of this charming eatery. And with the Cook Islands as your daily playground, well, it really doesn’t get much better than this.

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Money Saving Hint: From the United States if you fly with Air New Zealand you should be able to get a free stopover in Auckland. To get this you must book through the airline. It is a great deal if it is still available. Doesn’t hurt to ask!

Rhonda Spain

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When I think of Spain the first city that comes to mind is Rhonda. I love this mountaintop place and its vistas. The food, the weather, the town itself and the scrappy hills beyond. Everything about it is amazing and it holds fond yet distinct memories.

Julius Caesar kindly designated Rhonda a city  in late 4 A.D. The village of about 35,000 sits atop a gorge so high that when you cross the Puente Nuevo bridge you hold your breath for fear that the weight of that one breath could send it tumbling down into the ravine. The bridge, begun in 1793, is one of the most dramatic byways I have ever seen with a 352 foot drop. Stunning and spectacular it is something that must be seen to believed if not tiptoed across.

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Parador de Rhonda Cliffside on left

We stayed at the historic Parador de Rhonda a clifftop hotel which overlooks the town. Housed in the old former town hall our two-level room was magnificent with parents upstairs and children sleeping below. Both the views and the building took my breath away. The pool was pretty great too.

While it has been a while since I have been to the Parador, I remember being pampered, my wish list honored, the warm sun on my face and great food. Food that took hours to consume with whispers of “other” languages filling the air as people took the time to chat, sip and let the hours slip by. That is one of the things I love about Europe…how people take the time with their food …to savor and really enjoy it. To make eating an art instead of a necessary chore and by doing so honor those who so lovingly take the time to prepare it perfectly.

I remember tapas cooked to perfection…not soggy…but with the perfect bit of moistness that hit your tongue before the steamy, rich food itself. Morcilla sausage with texture and body and a smooth taste (yes, sausage!) Sangria that sucked the parch straight out of you with its first breath upon yours. Food that was regional, good for you and left you wanting to try everything on the local menus so you would’t feel like you had missed out on a thing.

And unlike many European cities the square was beautiful and so clean you could almost lick that spilled Rojas off the ground.

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Next Time: The Bullfighting Ring and Pileta Caves