Oriental Hotel Okinawa Resort & Spa

My family especially enjoyed the Okinawan buffet at breakfast, with its range of sashimi and local dishes. There were so many breakfast choices that we wouldn’t get bored. We stayed in a Club room, which included access to the lobby lounge for snacks and drinks from 7am to 11pm. It’s a quiet place with lots of facilities, including a public bath spa. The staff were exceptionally kind and helpful with our questions. My family had a wonderful time. Thank you, Oriental Hotel, for the hospitality!

The staff were really nice, and that’s the one star I’m giving this place. We booked five nights as a couple, and we’re not demanding travelers. We’re easily impressed, but this was a major disappointment and the only hotel experience we’ve both called bad after staying in many countries. Given all the glowing reviews, I even wondered whether some might be fake. Calling it a resort feels like a huge exaggeration and, honestly, false advertising. The lobby looks impressive at night, but there’s little to do there. Most of it is taken up by a members-only lounge for guests on floors 14-15, leaving a big empty area that most guests can’t access and that seemed barely used even by members. Much of the rest of the property is back rooms and undecorated corridors leading nowhere. The store is convenient, but charges about 30% more than other places. There are several restaurants, all requiring reservations even when they weren’t close to full. The food was mediocre and expensive. I’d have preferred a 900 yen meal at a local place down the street. During our five-night stay we got one dinner buffet coupon, and even with it the buffet cost 5250 yen per person. It felt very overpriced. There was no free breakfast either, unlike the other Okinawa hotels we stayed at, which all had delicious home-cooked buffet breakfasts with different dishes each day and cost less than half as much. All the outdoor pools were closed. We did visit in January, but the website didn’t make that clear when we booked, and we couldn’t find a schedule. We first thought it was just winter, though many days were warm, then passed six or seven other resorts with open pools. The spa was expensive and small for a resort this size, and I imagine it would be packed in the busy season. The gym was as bad as a typical hotel gym, which was even more disappointing at a resort. We went for tea at the nearby The Busena Terrace and were stunned by how much better it seemed, even without seeing everything. A large team greeted us, compared with one person at the Oriental, and they even offered free valet parking though we weren’t guests. The view was stunning, the lobby was open to everyone and felt welcoming, and the pools looked out over the beach and were open. We expected it to cost much more, but it was only about 5% more than the Oriental. We recommend it instead. Other problems: there’s no room-by-room air conditioning, so the hotel’s central control left our room hot throughout. Sometimes the taps suddenly ran in the middle of the night when everything was quiet. The place felt inaccessible and not much like a resort, mostly a way to get more money from guests. There also isn’t much around, so you need to drive to go anywhere. I’d only suggest it to someone rich who enjoys paying too much.

Breakfast was excellent, with tasty choices from both Japanese and Western menus. I also really enjoyed the shabu-shabu dinner. The pool was nice, and the water temperature felt right. It was a bit chilly outside, so the water seemed lukewarm, but that was fine. It’s easy to drive to sights in central and northern Okinawa, and the price was reasonable. I’d stay here again if I came back. I don't know

We enjoyed the varied breakfast selection of food and drinks. The rooms were clean and spacious, with a wonderful view. The pool area had quite a few families and children, so it felt somewhat crowded. There are only four elevators, and they can get congested. We sometimes had to wait for a few turns.