The property looks a bit on the tired side, with the tennis court in need of singificant maintenance, the beach is washing away and exposing the palms, the cages of rocks supposed to be protecting the beach and the creek are rusted and broken. The breakfast buffet is the same every day, and the variety is fairly limited. Surprised too that at a resort on the water, we were not able to change the flippers left in our room to a larger size. According to the Activities hut there was no spare XL fins to swap for the Medium pair. Both check-in and checking out were problematic. In the case of checking in, we were giving the keys to an occupied unit and surprised the guests there when we unlocked the door. This was rectified with another room and a free cocktail. And our request the day before for check out for a later time was not logged, so that we had to wait nervously before it was confirmed with the member of staff we'd spoken to.

Great options for walks along the beach and into the hinterland. Beautiful beach, safe swimming, snorkeling and kayaking options. Property somewhat dated and not as quiet as you would expect for an adults only resort.

On the beach

Just Love everything about it and very lovely staff

Absolutely paradise, staff are beautiful

I just didn't like that our room was at the door of the restaurant, at 6 am there was already loud music and the food at dinner was very bad

Loved our stay at the Sanctuary.. Location is next level. Snorkeling at your door and helpful friendly staff.. Complimentary breakfast was good so no complaints there. Only negative was the 2x we ordered food (eggs benedict and pizza) which was not very edible.. Would definitely stay again.. thanks x

Rather dated and a

Lovely place to stay

Absolutely loved our stay at The Sanctuary. We were a bit worried as we’d seen some bad reviews for this place but it must have had an overhaul because it was great. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Our room was lovely with everything working and everything we needed. It was nice and quiet and private. The private beach is great for snorkelling. They have so many activities happening and kayaks/snorkelling gear to use. The pool was awesome especially the swim up bar. Cocktails were yummy. Food was so good with large portions. Anything we needed the staff were happy to help. We will definitely be back if we visit Rarotonga again! Thanks for the lovely stay.

Loved the location, the pleasant and helpful staff and the great Polynesian feel of the property

Loved the look and feel of the resort, great staff and amazing beach

Lovely snorkeling but desk staff was not very helpful with information about the island.

Clean and convenient

The “adults-only” hotel and pool are nestled so intimately within the larger family friendly grounds that you can’t tell it’s separate.

Wonderful stay.

Only stayed for 3 days but its a lovely spot to be at, right on the beach. Will definitely stay again

Good room view of the beach

This hotel is tired, old and in need of an upgrade. The service is poor... i waited 3 hours for food one day and 1 hour for fresh towels. There are so many other beautiful hotrls on the island that you would think the raratongan woould step up... it doesnt. Friends of mine arrived to a dirty room that they then had to wait another r hours before checking in. Ultimately, id never stay here again.

Beautiful view and range of activities to do at the resort

Lovely setting right on the edge of the lagoon reserve - perfect for snorkeling and swimming. Bar / Reception staff were great and made for a very relaxing holiday.

Excellent marine reserve for snorkelling and swimming! The let down was the reception staff - from poor check-in process and communication was downright rude. When we dropped off our bags for early check-in we were told to just leave behind the bar at Sanctuary and didn't get any tags. On proper check-in they only asked for my passport despite having 2 separate rooms but later on during our stay one of the staff noticed the other guests in the gift shop and interrogated us about the number of guests. She later demanded that we come back with the other passports. We realised the receptionist didn’t put our card on file so we had to pay directly with our credit card every time we purchased from the restaurant or bar; so again had to go back to sort this out with the reception staff. Finally, when we asked for the reception staff to lend us towels for our snorkelling trip they wouldn’t accommodate us at all and when one of our guests was feeling cold, I asked for a blanket as there were none in the cupboards - again the receptionist was not cooperative until I begged / pleaded and she finally sent someone to our room to provide the blanket. Reception staff need to be re-trained and customer service needs to improve!

Simply incredible stay! The location is amazing, staff super friendly and accomodating, everything was just incredible!

Lovely snorkeling out front. Hallways were wet, slipery and had loose tiles. Lots of trip hazards. Long lines to order food.

We have visited this property 6 times. This time was the worst time ever. The rooms were not cleaned properly. They ran out of soap and shampoo. No clean cups or glasses done daily. Rubbish bins only cleaned every other day. Before dinner was brought to you, but now you have to go fetch your own meal from the kitchen. So service was actually non existent. Very sad because we always came back here but going forward we will not be returning.

Well groomed and cared for, service was a little slow

Lovely place. Amazing views

The room is clean and the bed is comfy. The view from the room is breathtaking

Happy hour only had one staff member for both bar and poolside bar. Pool got a bit murky.

Fantastic location but food very average.

Beautiful stay we will go again.

Stunning location and great for snorkeling. Food and cocktails are average but sold at premium prices. Go elsewhere if you are looking for a good cocktail.