HOTEL Ishigakijima 2020

We loved watching the sunrise over the ocean from our balcony. The hotel itself is roomy and clean, with lots of amenities. It’s a little outside downtown, but the airport bus gets you close, then it’s just a five-minute walk. A taxi into town costs around ¥1000.

I like this hotel and found it affordable, with no real complaints about the stay. Check-in went smoothly even though I got there at 14:30. The in-room washer and dryer were easy to use, and the rooftop has a fairly decent sunset view. Maesato Beach is about a 15-minute walk, though the heat can make that feel much longer. Sometimes you can hear someone upstairs dragging what sounds like a heavy table, but it wasn’t loud enough to bother me. One thing that would reassure me is having at least one staff member at reception during business hours. I didn’t need help, but it’d be good to know someone was there in an emergency.

I felt at home in Ishigaki and really enjoyed my time here. The apartment was spacious, the Wi-Fi and everything else worked properly, and it had all I needed, even laundry detergent. There were extra things like bathrobes, rubbish bags, and shower caps on the ground floor. A couple of luggage racks would be nice. The place is on a quiet residential side street. Bus stops are within walking distance, but I’d recommend renting a car to make sightseeing easier. Free private parking is available if there’s space, and I always found plenty. Donki and other shops are nearby on the main road, with more supermarkets and stores farther along. There’s no staff on site. You get instructions and access codes to enter, which worked fine for me, though guests who aren’t comfortable with technology might have trouble.

The stay was far more disappointing than I expected after reading all the positive reviews. We were put in a corner room on the lowest floor despite staying a long time, and the view looked straight onto Mr. Nakamura’s workshop, where they paint exteriors. Watching the daily work there wasn’t relaxing. The room also had an awful rotten smell when we arrived. We traced it to something decaying in the refrigerator’s condenser tank and found the source by following the odor. The tableware was another letdown: plastic plates, bowls, and utensils like things from 100 Yen Shops. It felt like a bad joke for a vacation apartment. The table was very low and the chairs much too high, so eating meant sitting awkwardly. The furniture looked made for outdoors and was impractical inside. Noise made it hard to feel comfortable. You can hear conversations and footsteps from upstairs because the building isn’t soundproofed. The gas dryer in a neighboring room gets loud, especially at night. The loose aluminum balcony railings rattle constantly in winds over 30 km/h, which are common on Ishigaki, and become unbearable during typhoon winds. I’ve stayed at different places on Okinawa without these problems. Higher floors are even noisier. Cleaning started as early as 8:00 AM, with staff scraping furniture across the floor. Sleeping in wasn’t possible.