Round-Trip Flights to the Cook Islands of Polynesia for $840
Aitutaki of the Cook Islands. (Photo: Christina Spicuzza / Flickr)
The deal: Nonstop round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Rarotonga of the Cook Islands in Polynesia for $840 per person on Air New Zealand (includes taxes).
When you’ll go: From Aug. 10 to Nov. 16, 2014, or Jan. 11-25, 2015. The flights leave Los Angeles on Sundays and return the following Saturdays for a six-day trip.
Why we love it: From a pure hipster perspective, you can tell people you were one of just 7,500 annual North American visitors to this secluded island chain with abundant natural beauty. From a budget perspective, you’ll be paying half (or less) of what it might cost to fly to such Polynesian destinations as New Zealand and Bora Bora.
What you can do there: You can channel your inner Tom Hanks in Castaway by basking among isolated white-sand beaches and diving into warm, translucent lagoons. The entire Cook Islands are inhabited by just 17,800 people, most of them in Rarotonga, so you can truly find some alone time among the other islands, which are accessible by island buses. The locals enjoy umu (earth oven) feasts of meats steamed for hours on hot volcanic stones. July to October is whale-watching season.
How long does this last? July 30 (subject to availability)
This deal is provided by Travelzoo
