Smile Hotel Naha City Resort

There was dust in clumps around the room, and it clearly hadn’t been cleaned with much care. The equipment is so old the toilet doesn’t even flush smoothly. The front desk was very indifferent, with an attitude that I just had to accept it. Think carefully before booking.

As an American, I was happy with the rooms, which were decent and suited both Japanese travelers and what someone from North America or Europe might expect. There’s a great restaurant in the hotel, convenience stores nearby, and the staff were super helpful and mindful of the language barrier on both sides.

I stayed for one night and liked the location and facilities. The reception staff were very helpful.

After six months on a merchant ship, I thought I'd be glad to sleep anywhere that wasn't surrounded by steel. Turns out I was wrong. The room was small, poorly kept, short on outlets, and the decor felt decades out of date. Getting online was hard, and the speed was too poor for normal browsing. I only had to spend one night there before flying home, which was lucky. It seemed suited to late-night encounters with sex workers, followed by immediate regret.