Ryukyu Hotel & Resort: Paradise in Okinawa

Last September, my husband and I were planning to cycle Japan’s famous Shimanami Kaido route. Given that my cycling prowess is more “London on a Lime Bike” than “Tour de France”, I knew that we’d both probably want something very chill immediately after the cycle, and we settled on a couple of days in Okinawa.

Looking at hotels around the island of Naha, I figured “go big or go home”… or more realisitically, “go big before going home” as it would be one of our last stops in Japan. The Ryukyu Hotel & Resort immediately caught my eye. After spending two gruelling days on the Shimanami Kaido, I’d earned that hotel on the beach, right?

I’ll talk you through the stay in this post, but the TL;DR: It was gorgeous. I wish we’d stayed longer. You will love it.

At a Glance

First Impressions

The first impressions of the Ryukyu Hotel & Resort is that it’s enormous. It’s tucked away on the southern point of the island, away from the city, and right on the beach. When you first pull in, the entrance is unassuming, but walking through the glass doors, you’re immediately in a gleaming, glossy lobby.

We’d booked one of the rooms with Club Lounge access, so a staff member loaded our bags onto a trolley and showed us to the lounge. Inside, there’s a dedicated check in desk for lounge guests and we were quickly checked in and shown to our room. One brief glance at the lounge was all it took to know I’d be back down as soon as we’d dumped our bags in the room.

The hotel was lively, but peaceful with people heading to the pool or sitting in the lounge or lobby areas with a book. The guests were a mix of families, friends, and couples.

Because the hotel is a little way outside of the main city of Naha, the type of guest in the hotel is someone who’s there to make the most of their time relaxing, rather than busy tour groups, or people looking for a party. It’s not going to suit you if you want to be able to nip in and out of the city quickly, but if you’re looking for somewhere to relax in luxury, it’s an incredible pick.

How to Get There

The transport time is the only real drawback of the hotel. In theory, it’s a short drive (25 mins or so) from Naha, but if you’re using public transport, it’s over double that.

If you’re landing in Naha Airport, find the Tokyo Bus desk in the arrivals hall. We bought a multi-day pass, which honestly made it so much easier than figuring out tickets and fare each time we took the bus.

The bus runs from about 8am – 8pm each day, both ways. If you’re planning a night out in Naha or a late dinner, you’ll need to book a taxi to get you back to the hotel, but the resort staff are very happy to help with this.

For us, each time we went into Naha, the bus ride was a little over an hour as it takes quite a winding route from the hotel into the city. At the time we were there, Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl had just come out, and put it this way, the bus ride lasts longer than the album. When I was a kid going to Catholic mass, as soon as we got to the “peace be with you” shaking hands business, I knew it was nearly over. In Okinawa, the song “Cancelled!” was my new “peace be with you”.

The Check-In Process and Amenities

Because we’d booked a room with Club Lounge access, we checked in at the desk inside the lounge, which was quick and easy. A staff member showed us to the room, pointed out the Wifi code, minibar, and air-conditioning, and then left us to settle in.

The Pool and Beach

As for amenities, the hotel, as I mentioned, is huge. Seriously, you could spend days in this place and still not uncover it all. They have two pools, one of which has a winding, lazy river style part to it. There are cabanas that can be booked, and if you’ve booked a suite, you’ll also get access to the VIP Pool and Bar. We didn’t have access to this part, but from the outside, it was a smaller pool but very quiet, with plenty of loungers around the sides.

If you’ve got tattoos, you’ll need to cover them up before getting in the pool or heading out to the beach. I was a bit gutted that I might not be able to get in the water, but I was directed to the pool house by a member of staff, and the staff on duty gave me a couple of stick on patches to cover my tattoos. They were pretty chill about it, and told me to cover the large tattoos on my bicep but weren’t too bothered about the smaller ones on my wrist and forearm.

If you are a fellow tattooed guest, a word of warning: these patches are hard to get off. I eventually figured out that the alcohol in hand sanitiser would help them along. They also only come in one beige-y type shade.

The beach area has a ton of sun loungers that guests can use, and it’s immaculately clean and quiet. There’s one section of the sea that’s netted off to swim in, and you can rent kayaks or take paddle boarding lessons. There’s also quieter parts of the beach without sunloungers or swimming where you can take peaceful walks along the water’s edge.

If you’re planning on swimming in the sea, the swimming season tends to run from March to November, and is not available outside of these times. Honestly though, as gorgeous as the beach is, the sea floor is prickly with shells and the pool is just as beautiful, with a view of the ocean.

Health & Wellness

The hotel has a spa onsite, which sadly I did not have the chance to use (maybe next time!), and a gym.

The gym is really well equipped and open from 8-8 each day. Outside shoes aren’t allowed in the gym, so you’ll either need to bring separate gym trainers to change into, or borrow some there for free. In Japan, it’s the custom to bring your own face towel to wipe down machines after use and you can borrow one there. I mean, in theory, that should be the custom everywhere, but I’ve also seen a woman eating chicken nuggets on the treadmill in my London gym so…

Shopping

There are two shops in the hotel: one for souvenirs, and you’ll find things like Okinawan glass, local treats, and cosmetics. The other shop is a boutique selling clothes, beach wear, dinner attire, and similar.

Being brutally honest, if you’ve got the time in Okinawa, you’ll get much better prices on souvenirs in the city itself. The main strip of Kokusai Dori (International Street) is full of shops aimed at tourists, but even at that, the prices are much lower and you’ll find a much wider range of souvenirs.

The Rooms

One thing I noticed when travelling in Japan is that twin rooms seem to be the most common bed setup. In smaller hotels in big cities like Tokyo, you’ll find double beds easily, but in Ryukyu Hotel and Resort, all of the rooms are twin rooms. They’re not the tiny Landlord Specials of your student days, and you could actually fit two people in one if you wanted to.

The Ryukyu Hotel and Resort has a number of different room types, the biggest being the Suites that come with both Club Lounge access and access to the VIP pool and bar. The “smallest” is the standard twin room, and I put smallest in quotes deliberately – they’re still much bigger than you’d find in Tokyo, and honestly probably bigger than the first flat I lived in with my husband in London.

Each room has a balcony, overlooking either the beach or the pool area, depending on what side of the hotel you’re on.

The room we booked was one of the Premier Club Twin rooms, which is one of the biggest non-suite rooms, and comes with access to the Club Lounge. At the time I was booking, there was only about £10 difference between the Club and non-Club rooms available, so it was kind of a no-brainer.

Where you’ll sleep

The beds are incredibly comfortable, and as I mentioned, surprisingly wide for a “twin” bed. Unless you’re in one of the suites, the room is your sleeping area and living area in one, and each room has a desk, and some kind of chair/coffee table setup.

I don’t know if it was the sore muscles from cycling or the beds themselves, but I slept so well here. We either got lucky with quiet neighbours or the rooms are just super soundproof, but it was a peaceful night’s sleep.

There’s also coffee and tea facilities in each room. I made a cup of green tea each morning and spent time writing in my travel journal and admiring the Pacific Ocean from the balcony while my husband slowly came to life inside the room.

Bathroom and Toiletries

The bathroom area is really well set up for a couple or friends sharing. There were two sinks in our bathroom, and both the toilet and the shower/bath were in separate rooms. No waiting for your companion to hurry up and get out so you can brush your teeth.

There was also a small box stocked with toiletries like cotton pads, ear buds, a toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, as well as the standard shampoo and conditioner.

Food and Drink

There are nine different restaurants and bars in the Ryukyu Hotel & Resort. When I said you could easily spend a few days in this hotel without ever leaving, I meant it.

On both nights of our stay, we ate at Sanraku, the hotel’s soba noodle restaurant. Both my husband and I are vegan, and I spotted the magic word “tofu” on the menu. I called the front desk and asked if they had vegan-friendly meals, and was told it was no problem, they’d be glad to serve us.

Even though they don’t have a dedicated vegan section on the menu, they have all the components to make a meal vegan friendly. The staff here were absolute sweethearts, and I emailed the hotel after our stay just to make sure management knew too. Our server pointed out the items we could have on the menu and talked us through what the chef could adapt for us.

The result was a table heaving with tofu, noodles, and Okinawan tofu which is a soft, creamy version made from peanuts.

Even though the words “noodle restaurant” suggest a casual dining place, Sanraku felt more like a date night restaurant. It’s not a stuffy place, but it’s warm, inviting and beautifully decorated like everywhere else in the hotel.

If noodles aren’t your bag, the other options onsite include:

• Nashiro
  • A buffet style dining experience with dishes from Japan, China, Okinawan specialities, and Western cuisine.
• Milano
  • A more fine dining experience that focuses on seafood, with some meat items on the menu.
• Kanazawa
  • A seafood heavy Japanese fusion restaurant.
• Niji
  • A teppanyaki restaurant with ocean views. Think an elevated Benihana.
• Harey’s / Harley’s
  • A BBQ restaurant with an extensive cocktail menu.
• The Lounge
  • Situated near the main lobby, the lounge is more of a casual place where you can grab afternoon tea or pastries during the day.
• Club Lounge
  • If you have lounge access, the lounge serves a breakfast buffet each morning, and has snacks on offer throughout the day. Similar to an airport lounge, it’s all self-serve and regularly restocked by staff.

The Ryukyu Hotel Club Lounge

The Club Lounge was one of my favourite parts of the hotel. All the food and drink is included in the cost of your Club Access Room, and you can help yourself throughout the day.

For breakfast, they lay out a buffet where you can self serve. It’s what you’d expect from a hotel breakfast buffet: the usual displays of fruit, breads, vegetables, bain maries filled with eggs, sausages, and other items. Fair warning for us vegans: there’s not loads to choose from in the way of protein. I loaded up on fruit, and there were some grilled veggies, but you’ll need a more nutritious lunch.

At breakfast, they’ve got a bunch of juices out, but they also have bottles of prosecco if you want a morning mimosa, as well as a beer tap and bottles of wine.

After breakfast, the buffet gets replaced with light snacks like tortilla chips, nuts, pastries, and fruit.

There are fridges filled with water, sodas, and a bunch of interesting juices like guava and dragonfruit.

From 17:00, the lounge turns into a cocktail bar and children under 13 aren’t permitted after this time. Each night, they have a couple of speciality cocktails on offer from the bar, and the drinks area has self-serve bottles of spirits, wine, beer, and soft drinks.

If you’ve ever been to an all-inclusive hotel in Europe, this is a completely different vibe. Even though guests are welcome to help themselves, the custom is to drink in moderation, and there’s no mad dash for the cocktail bar at last orders.

For us, we used the Club Lounge for breakfast each morning, and got a pre-dinner cocktail in the evening. On our last night in the hotel, we got to sit out on the terrace of the lounge, watching the sun set over the ocean, a cocktail in hand. It was the perfect way to wind down our last day in Okinawa, and the perfect aperitif before another great dinner in Sanraku.

Final Verdict

When we booked the Ryukyu Hotel and Resort, the price made me pause. It was a lot more expensive than other hotels on our trip through Japan, and there are certainly cheaper options on the island itself. We compromised by deciding we’d only spend two nights in Okinawa and head back to Tokyo a day earlier than planned.

Now that I’ve actually been, I wish we hadn’t cut it short. As we were bringing our bags downstairs to checkout, both of us agreed we could have gladly spent another day lounging by the pool, walking along the beach, and enjoying another sunset cocktail on the lounge terrace.

Because we spent one day out in Naha, and the buses take so long to get to and from the hotel, we didn’t really feel like we had enough time to fully appreciate and settle into the hotel.

Yes, the price might be higher than you’ll see elsewhere, and it might be one of the more expensive stays on your trip, but if it’s the one standout hotel for a bit of pure indulgence and relaxation, then honestly I think it’s worth it.

On each of our trips to Japan now, we’ve had one splurge hotel (like the Hakone ryokans on our first trip) and kept other stays simple (like the Knot hotel in Tokyo). The Ryukyu Hotel was worth every penny of being the splurge hotel, and I just wish we’d stayed a little bit longer.

Is the Ryukyu Hotel and Resort Right for You?

If you’re in the same boat, and you’re trying to decide whether this stay is worth it or not for you, then my advice would be this.

Book it if:

• You want some pure downtime, especially at the start or end of your trip.
• You want access to a beautiful beach and all the amenities on site.
• You want somewhere you can just fully relax and don’t have to do much more than enjoy yourself.
• You’re okay with spending a couple of days lounging by the pool, grabbing a drink in the bars, and exploring the restaurants.
• You’re coming off the back of a busy period at work, you’re celebrating something, or you need a bit of luxury for whatever reason.

Skip it if:

• You want to be able to nip in and out of the city easily.
• You’ve already got a splurge hotel on your trip and the budget doesn’t cover two (although it’s worth reviewing which one you’re most excited about).
• You want to experience nightlife in Naha, and don’t want to pay for taxis back to the hotel.
• You’re planning to use Naha as a base to explore the other islands of Okinawa.