New resort will help ease room shortage

Press, 11 September 1987, Page 38

New resort will help ease room shortage

One brand new resort nearing completion, another with recently opened additions, and a third undergoing major renovations will help ease the seasonal shortage of accommodation on the Cook Islands. The newcomer is the Pacific Muri Beach Resort which is under construction on about three acres of land at Muri, 10 km from Avarua. It should be open for business in mid-November. When completed, the resort will have two restaurants, five small shops, swimming pool, tennis court, and landscaped garden with a pond and stream.

The 32 self-contained luxury rooms will have an international flavour: slate for the floors has been imported from India and the furniture, from the Philippines. On the other side of the island, $500,000 is being spent on a major upgrading programme for the former

Beach Motel, now the Manuia Beach Hotel. It will be opened later this month.

The 20 units have been stripped and are being completely refurbished inside and out. Verandahs are being added and the roofs covered with thatch to help create more of a Polynesian atmosphere. The old Beach bar and restaurant is also receiving a face-lift. The main restaurant, ‘The Big Are,’ will offer quality dining with entertainment three nights a week. Nearby, the Edgewater Resort has completed major expansions. With 173 rooms it is now the largest resort of its type in the South Pacific. It offers three types of accommodation: standard, superior, and deluxe with prices ranging from $6O to $BO. The general manager is Rex Moore, formerly an executive officer with the Cook Islands Tourist Authority. The Rarontongan Resort Hotel is currently developing its new facilities around Captain Andy’s Pub.