Hotel Emerald Isle Ishigakijima

For a budget hotel, it was about what I expected, and the staff were nice and accommodating. Its spot near the terminal worked well, while being away from the restaurant strip meant less noise from drunk people at night. There were some annoyances: pigeons woke me up every morning, breakfast options were a little limited, and the old bathroom fixtures could be noisy. Sound insulation wasn't great either, so I could hear guests chatting in the hallway at night and in the morning. I also seemed to kill all the mosquitoes every day, only for more to show up after housekeeping. I suspect the room door was left wide open while it was cleaned.

The hotel has a hip, edgy feel, with an art gallery, and our room was clean, comfortable, and well kept. We spent four nights here while island hopping around Ishigaki, so we didn't need a resort packed with activities. It's nothing fancy, more like a typical modern Japanese hotel updated from the 80s. The main pier is only a few minutes away on foot, and watching the spectacular sunset from the roof each day was a great way to wind down.

We stayed here for the Ishigaki Triathlon. The hotel is a cute little boutique-style place near the ferry terminal, reasonably priced, and they opened up a spot to store bikes. It's about a 30-minute drive from the airport. There's a cute cafe too, though breakfast onigiri are made to order, so sometimes there's a bit of a wait 😂

Clean, small room and a good deal for the price. The staff and service were good, and breakfast was tasty, with several kinds of Japanese rice balls. The only inconvenience was no hotel parking, but there are lots of public parking lots nearby and the fees are reasonable.