We were thrilled to host Escape Magazine recently. Hear all about their stay at MOTU and what they got up to on Rarotonga:

How’s the serenity? Spending five days in the Cook Islands was the ultimate remedy for stress for this traveller. Here’s where to find the best of island bliss.

Visits to the Cook Islands should come with a money-back guarantee: go home happy and relaxed or they’ll refund your holiday. I arrive there a tightly coiled spring of 21st-century concerns and head home five days later without a care in the world. The Cook Islands will do that to you.

The relaxation therapy begins the moment I arrive at Rarotonga airport to find a ukulele-strumming man singing welcome songs. Local mamas with flower crowns bustle around the baggage carousel introducing travellers to their hotel and transport reps. Everything’s free and easy.

Soon I’m tootling along the main road – the 32km Ara Tapu, with no traffic lights and speed limits set between 30kmh and 50kmh – heading to my hotel. Within the hour I’m toes in the sand, sun on my face, staring at a world of blues in a palm-lined lagoon. I can feel my muscles and mind unwinding.

At the 10-room MOTU Villas in Titikaveka I have perfumed gardens and a swimming pool, a BBQ and honesty bar. And a light-filled, as-new villa stocked with breakfast supplies, coffee machine and fruit in the kitchen. There’s a huge bathroom and a comfortable, fan-cooled bed.

There are kayaks and paddleboards under my deck, and mask and snorkel supplied, so whenever the mood strikes I can explore on or under the sea, where colourful fish and corals further soothe the senses.

My hire car’s waiting in the hotel carpark (no paperwork, no hassles). I hop in and tour the island, tracing a coastal route edged in flame trees and frangipani. In the centre, jungled peaks vanish into clouds that deliver occasional showers to freshen the place up and leave things sparkling.

A lap takes 50 minutes so I get to know Rarotonga pretty well. There doesn’t seem to be a bad spot to base yourself. Most tourist accommodation is right on the water, usually beside a translucent lagoon.

Titikaveka is at the quieter southern end, handy to Vaimaanga where the peppy crew at Ariki Adventures take me on a sea-scooter safari into Avaavaroa Passage to meet dozens of resident green turtles whose chill attitude contrasts with my own yelps of excitement.

It’s also just a 20-minute drive to Avarua, the island “capital”, and even closer to Muri for water sports, lagoon cruises and a bite at the Muri night markets where locals sell homemade dishes.

There are provisions stores, the fascinating Te Ara – The Cook Islands Museum of Cultural Enterprise, Vietnamese and Mexican eateries and The Mooring kiosk where I grab a bulging taco of just-caught, Cajun-crusted tuna to eat on the beach. It’s the second-best street food I find. The best is a yellowfin tuna burger with tartare and salad on a soft white bun, from the Vibe Fish Van at Nikao Beach. The food everywhere is so fresh and local and probably organic that I’m sure I’m getting healthier just by eating.