Terrace House Yamabare

The rooms have superb views, and there are lots of beautiful beaches nearby. Kabira Bay and the Blue Grotto are also easy to reach from here.

The view is what I keep thinking about: you can see the ocean from the rooms on both floors, and the terrace is lovely for watching the stars at night. The whole place feels comfortable and safe, with spotless rooms and fluffy Imabari towels. There were plenty of extras too, and the cleaners did a fantastic job. The house is about a 20-30 minute drive from Ishigaki city. I was a little unsure about staying that far out, but there are lots of good restaurants nearby. If you want to cook, though, stock up in town first. The large supermarkets, including about five in Ishigaki city such as Max Value, are roughly 25 minutes away. The house itself is beautifully put together, from the furniture and lighting to the kitchenware, and the owner's service was very polite. It gets very dark on the drive at night because there are hardly any streetlights, so take care. That darkness also makes the starry sky especially wonderful. I'd love to come back.

The spacious kitchen made it fun to cook with ingredients from the island, and the room was lovely enough that we enjoyed our rainy three-night, four-day visit anyway. When my flight was cancelled and I couldn't stay for one night, they kindly waived the cancellation fee. The photo is of a brief sunset. I'd like to return and see Ishigaki on a sunny day.

The owner of the rental villa was so kind and kept explaining things to us, which made it easy to feel at ease. The second-floor living and dining rooms were much nicer than the exterior had led me to expect. There aren't supermarkets in Ishigaki Island's suburbs, so even guests at hotels with meals included have to shop in the city. This place suits people who aren't keen on big resort complexes. Next time, we'd like to stay longer.