Pros:
All your basic living needs and a very friendly bunch.
Cons:
Beach could be a bit better maintained.
Kell
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(5)
Well, Tom's maybe a bit under the weather, they have the basics. I found it very neat and tidy, they had mosquito screens in all the rooms and they had everything you needed to cook a simple meal. The beach was alright, you can swim when it's high-tide but I mainly went to another beach during the day, so you might want to rent a bicycle or scooter. It's not like it takes hours to get there, it's only like a 10 min cycle and the roads are flat. Overall, it's basic, tidy and affordable, especially after you fork out to pay for the fare over there. So I was quite happy with it, you could do alot worse, seeing as it's one of the cheaper places to stay on Aitutaki.
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(Review ID: 33)
At $27NZ a night, you get what you pay for., December 21, 2005
Pros:
convenient, friendly and safe.
Cons:
It's dirty and junky.
islandboi321
saw things this way
Maintenance
(2)
Cleanliness
(2)
Facilities
(2)
Atmosphere
(2)
Tom's Cottage is probably the cheapest place to stay on Aitutaki.
Tom the owner and his family are friendly, but you will be disappointed when you see your accomodation. It is an old residence with several rooms. Tom and his family live in a smaller house on the same property.
The house is not very clean but it is okay if you're not too fussy.
The kitchen was dirty and I was apprehensive about using using the crockery or cookware there.
Although it is on the west beach of Aitutaki and in the shade of trees, the grounds surrounding the guesthouse are not nice and full of junk. The beach is not as nice as it looks and water is very shallow, full of rocks and coral and totally unswimmable.
The sunsets at night here are very beautiful, but there is no where to sit on the beach or under the trees except on the ground.
The bedrooms are all right and were fairly clean but very basis.
The whole house seemed too gloomy and dark and was so quiet as there were few other guests there.
The toilets were not too tidy either, and toilet paper was often out and floors, showers, sinks not being cleaned daily.On positive notes, it is very close to the main village on Aitutaki and shops along the road. You can rent scooters from Rino's Rentals across the road and can swim in a large, manmade hole in the beach at Rino's Bungalows beside Tom's where the water is at least more than over your knees.
Tom and his wife, daughter, son in law are very friendly and pleasant.
