Haimurubushi

We stayed at Haimurubushi for 4 nights in the middle of August. Indeed it was the 1st visit after 25+ years when I first visited Okinawa. It was amazing to remember the great memories back then. Room: We stayed at an Ocean View Suite (Twin). The room was spacious and...

We stayed at Haimurubushi for 4 nights in the middle of August. Indeed it was the 1st visit after 25+ years when I first visited Okinawa. It was amazing to remember the great memories back then. Room: We stayed at an Ocean View Suite (Twin). The room was spacious and the view was fantastic. We also had a nice surprise that a stray cat (though believed to inhabit in the resort) visited our terrace, when we were eating breakfast. The lounge access for Suite room guest was a plus with complimentary soft-drinks and alcohol. The only down-side was that we were harassed by the invasion of ants, as some other reviewers point out. It seemed they were coming from the terrace and we couldn't help spraying anti-ant spray, but still there were still those who managed to come in especially around the mini-bar area. Hospitality: Almost all the staff we came across were friendly. Activities: We participated in the night-safari within the resort, snorkelling to visit wild sea turtles and coral reefs and a night-time Okinawa live music. We also enjoyed the time in the private beach. In spite of the fact, the time was one of the busiest times during the summer holiday seasons, the beach was quiet enough. You could find some varieties of fish, one of which pops out its head out of the nest on the seabed. A note to non-Japanese visitors - they don't speak English, so you need to have at least a basic command of Japanese or should be accompanied by someone who can assist you. Food: Me and my wife are veggies - unfortunately the food selection was very limited. There were only a few items we could eat in the buffet (breakfast & dinner). For us the food items stood out were the super-food salad bowl containing quinoas, chickpeas, avocados etc available at the Beach Cafe, and brown-sugar flavoured cream puff available at the Open Cafe. The Suite room guest could optionally switch the breakfast buffet to a "picnic-style" breakfast containing a panini (though cold), chips (French fries), onion rings, a pack of fruits, yogurt and two beverages. It is indeed better than too small, but we found the volume was too big, and probably chips & onion rings were not necessary. Transportation: Probably for 1st time non-Japanese visitors, it may be a bit hard to reach the resort. You need to reach Ishigaki Airport first, then to Ishigaki ferry port. From there, you need to pick a correct ferry service to Kohamajima Island, as there are other ferry services going to other islands. The resort bus is waiting at the Kohamajima Port for the arrival of the ferries, so no booking is necessary. Advice: Have a stroll around the resort as it is easy to come across some cute animals. Join some activities and make sure to listen to & enjoy the Okinawa live music.

Absolutely love this place. It's a great escape from the other touristy islands of Okinawa, Phuket, Maldives, Hawaii, etc. Not the most luxurious hotel, but very comfortable and relaxing place to be with plenty of activities for the family. The beach is beautiful and the floating water base is great...

Absolutely love this place. It's a great escape from the other touristy islands of Okinawa, Phuket, Maldives, Hawaii, etc. Not the most luxurious hotel, but very comfortable and relaxing place to be with plenty of activities for the family. The beach is beautiful and the floating water base is great for families. The snorkeling trips are amazing and the overall island is just spectacular. Plenty of things to do both day and night. The nature walk, the start gazing, the spa, etc. Highly recommend going early summer before the kids get out, otherwise the place will be packed!.

We stayed here for five days and it was very nice. Stephan really made us feel welcome and helped us with everything we wanted. A very nice beach location, although the beach beds were not very comfortable. The room was big, clean, had good beds and a good bathroom. Food...

We stayed here for five days and it was very nice. Stephan really made us feel welcome and helped us with everything we wanted. A very nice beach location, although the beach beds were not very comfortable. The room was big, clean, had good beds and a good bathroom. Food was good, although not excellent and quite expensive (especially the fine dining). The environmental policy is very good: get a voucher for not cleaning your room or only getting new towels. The landscaping of the resort is very beautiful.

We loved Haimurubushi. Getting there was easy. Haimurubushi bus transfer was waiting for our boat as soon as it docked. Check in was swift. We had a lovely big double room with a balcony and excellent bathroom. All exceptionally clean. Stephane, the guest manager, was extremely helpful and always had...

We loved Haimurubushi. Getting there was easy. Haimurubushi bus transfer was waiting for our boat as soon as it docked. Check in was swift. We had a lovely big double room with a balcony and excellent bathroom. All exceptionally clean. Stephane, the guest manager, was extremely helpful and always had a few helpful words for us when we saw him. We enjoyed hiring the golf buggy to get around the resort, especially up and down to the wonderful beach club, we enjoyed lovely meals there too. Staff cannot do enough to help you. It was also nice to go off-site for dinner one night to a local village restaurant where the owner collected us and dropped us back to the hotel at our convenience. The only thing we missed was probably some more relaxed/lower budget lunch options - though we probably felt this more than most because we slept in and missed breakfast twice!! We will be back if we ever return to Japan! Thank you Stephane and team.

Booked the place as highlight on the island trip. We were not disappointed, positive: - the gardens around the hotel are superb - rooms not brandnew but very comfortable - BBQ restaurant offers the local Ishigaki beef - very nice experience (but not so cheap) - staff very friendly, hotel...

Booked the place as highlight on the island trip. We were not disappointed, positive: - the gardens around the hotel are superb - rooms not brandnew but very comfortable - BBQ restaurant offers the local Ishigaki beef - very nice experience (but not so cheap) - staff very friendly, hotel manager Stephane is a very nice guy - they offer a discount voucher if rooms are not cleaned every day, nice idea as you don't need cleaning if you don't stay long - transport to and from the port well organized - hotel beach is very nice but low tide no swimming at all - we booked a 1-day snorkel tour and it was fantastic.... 3 spots, lots of fish and beautiful coral reef (and a shark) Some opportunities: - pool is not the latest standard... need some upgrade - main restaurants don't really offer budget food, walking to the small village is a 20 min tour - we made a mistake with our booking and asked to cancel the last night... hotel was very unflexible, it was a long discussion process to avoid the full room charge as a penalty... we finally changed our flights because it was easier - we booked a 1/2-day snorkel tour and it was a waste of time and money... why not go to a nice spot... they just take you outside the main port, why not add 20 mins boat trip to take you to the nice spots - English speaking staff is a bit hard to find, communication works but with some effort Overall a great place to relax and to take a break. Would come again.

Seamless transfer from sea port. All the staff very friendly and helpful. We were the only westerners here but not fazed at all. Staff happy to try out their English and their French manager Stephane was always around to help everyone. The rooms are enormous with all 5 star comforts...

Seamless transfer from sea port. All the staff very friendly and helpful. We were the only westerners here but not fazed at all. Staff happy to try out their English and their French manager Stephane was always around to help everyone. The rooms are enormous with all 5 star comforts you'd expect. Restaurant staff and food very good. Lovely pool If you are visiting Japan and fancy a beach component be adventurous and come here. We have had 4 days of complete relaxation away from it all. You cannot say that about most. similar types of beach holiday. Highly recommended