Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa

Right in the heart of American Village, with a great beach view at sunset. The room felt fairly small, though, and there’s a lot of self-service. I had to go to reception in the lobby just to get a box of tissues. Breakfast was below average, so eating at nearby restaurants would be better and cheaper.

The room was clean, had a sea view, and the housekeeping was commendable. Cleanliness and hygiene felt up to Japanese standards, and the shower had good water pressure. The buffet offered a wide range of Japanese and American food, including Blue Seal ice cream. American Village and convenience stores are close by. I’d highly recommend this hotel to travelers.

We stayed in an Annex compact twin room, and it was roomy with a great layout. My sister and I could open our luggage at the same time. The bed was great, and the air conditioner was easy to use. There’s a nice view from the balcony, too. The area around the hotel has a fun atmosphere, with lots of shops and restaurants. The staff were really kind, and the free parking lot was great.

The location and room size are the main positives. You’re right by the water, within walking distance of the beach and American Village, with plenty of places to eat nearby, especially useful if you don’t have a car. The room itself was spacious. But the first room had two cockroaches. I killed them and told the front desk, and thankfully they moved me to another room in the main building for free. That room had no bugs at first, but it had no towels and clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly. There was dust in the bathroom, hair near the toilet and on the sink counter, and a lot of green mold around the sink drain and sides. Staff came in, took pictures, and said nobody could clean until the next day. I agreed, since there wasn’t much else to do, and at least the bedsheets were clean. The issues weren’t dealt with over the following days. When I asked for room cleaning, they brought fresh towels and made the bed as usual, but didn’t clean the sink or remove the hair. I also saw two or three small bugs over five days. They weren’t roaches, but I don’t know what they were. I felt so uncomfortable that I kept all my clothes in my zipped suitcase and never fully unpacked. For the price, this five-night stay was a big disappointment. My flight home was at 7:30 a.m. I asked the airport staff when to leave, and they advised allowing an hour for the drive. We agreed that leaving at 4:30 a.m. made sense. I arrived in about 30 minutes, but airport staff wouldn’t let me in and said I had to wait outside until it opened at 6. My taxi driver was still there, so I used Google Translate to ask if this was common. He said it was common knowledge on the island, and that he’d told the hotel staff the airport wouldn’t be open, but they said it would be fine. Okinawa is beautiful and its people are very kind, and I had a wonderful vacation overall. This stay was the part that fell short. For a four-star hotel, seeing roaches and other bugs in a room that wasn’t properly cleaned for days, and getting inaccurate information about when I could enter the airport, wasn’t acceptable to me. I personally wouldn’t stay here again.