Haimurubushi

If you’re a foreigner to Japan and researching where to go in Okinawa prefecture / Yaeyama islands - this is undoubtedly it. Having stayed just before here at the new bay wing of intercontinental on Ishigaki, Haimurubushi was a significantly better experience. Kohama island is truly a magical place with limited tourist development, meaning that you get a chance to disconnect. Haimurubushi itself is a wonderful property, and while the buildings on the outside don’t give a great first impression- the rooms are impeccably clean with incredible views. It’s certainly not as modern as the intercontinental (e.g bathroom area) - but it’s part of the overall charm. The staff are incredibly friendly despite the language barrier, et si vous êtes français vous serez très alaise car le manager Stephane est français également! Merci beaucoup Stephane pour votre hospitalité et accueil. No need to worry either about eating onsite all the time - they will help you make reservations at the various few restaurants on Kohama-jima and I believe most of the restaurants will come pick you up and drop you off (just try to book a bit in advance). Also highly recommend renting an electric bike (necessary! It’s hilly) from them to explore the island. Pick up / drop off is easy - there are only a few ferries each day and there is always a shuttle bus waiting to pick you up and take you to the hotel upon arrival. For the beach, it’s a short 10 minutes walk from the room - or you can rent a golf cart. I was fine without, but had I stayed longer I would have rented one - there are snakes in the grass (mainly at night). The beach and pool area itself is beautiful. Some people complained that there is a netted in swimming area on the beach - but in hindsight it’s for your safety and didn’t bother me at all. Okinawa shares its home with box jellyfish and also snails which can be incredibly painful if not dangerous when stung. In short - don’t hesitate to stay at Haimurubushi! I’m very much looking forward to coming back.

Simply perfect for everything! A huge compound (recommend to go around with golf cart) , well maintained garden, small zoo, pond, beautiful beach. Room is spacious, a nice bath tub and veranda with sea view! Open air bath onsen available with sea view. Rich breakfast menu even served free sparkling wine! We booked buffet dinner for two days straight which cost around 6000 yen per person. A bit disappointed on same menu of dinner buffet. I recommend to visit outside izakaya which has pick up/drop off service. It would be nice if they readjust price for bicycle rental (rather charge a whole day price than hourly) which I personally feel expensive for guests.

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.

Very good, clean and spacious facilities. Most of the Staffs are young and kind. The resort area is very big, you would need a cart to visit around. The rooms are beautiful with a lot of space and the terrace is very cozy to chill. The food is nice and well presented. Every places of the resort are well maintained and cleaned. Be aware of the crows when you having snacks outside, they will pick on your plate. The staffs might need more training about the service quality, they might be kind and energetic but hotelier service skills is also something that guest will expect accordingly to the price. Thank you very much

Gorgeous place. And a good value too, considering what you get. People say you need a cart, but I don't think so (barring the case of babies or elderly in tow). Rooms are spacious and have nice balconies and stunning views. Breakfast buffet is a winner. Dinner buffet was not bad. Lots of fee-based activities on offer, but the pool, beach, and japanese bath house are all great free options too. I'd love to give them five stars, but the rock hard mattresses compel me not to.

This place is absolutely gorgeous and beautiful with lots of nature/animals and wonderful staffs. You will never feel crowded. Super relaxed. Rooms are very spacious and cozy! There are shared washing machines and dryers available for free (which is very convenient for people going to the beach multiple times during stay). Foods here are so delicious, and many to choose from! (Okinawan, western cuisines etc at buffet ) You should have breakfast here at least! I personally recommend trying some real Okinawan Izakaya in this island for dinner, you can book in advance and will be picked up by a car for free. It’s easy to come from Ishigaki island by ferry.

Our daughter in law arranged a shared room for 4 adults at this resort. We were picked up by a shuttle bus at the dock, from a ferry ride from Ishigaki. Our room was large with big bathroom ( shower and bath separate) . Had a wander about, the beach is about 800m away but the path weaves through tropical gardens, so it is worth the walk. If lazy you can go by golf cart. Beach is small and monitored but it was a bit cool for swimming. There were lounge chairs, and a nearby bar/restaurant, as well as a couple of nooks for relaxing. The resort is popular with Japanese families, but most people keep to themselves and apart from a friendly Ohayo, we weren't disturbed by noisy kids. It was November so was cool and this probably kept numbers down. About the only issue I had was with the lighting. When you went to the toilet late in the night, the entry light would come on automatically, and shone into the bedroom. I understand that it is a safety feature but would have preferred the bathroom light to come on. This is a personal quibble so does not detract from the general good vibes regarding this resort. We had dinner under the stars, but being cold we went inside. Also had buffet breakfast. Both meals were good.|We used the resort as a base to go on tours to the other nearby islands and restaurants that our daughter in law knew about.

This was only my second time to Okinawa. I wasn’t particularly impressed with busy Naha but loved sleepy peaceful Kohama Island’s Haimurubushi. ||The resort has two quiet beaches facing East and West with warm crystalline waters, a clear blue sky from which you could see the milky way at night. We were a group of 5 adults plus 2 kids and just loved loved loved this seafront resort. ||For lunch, the East facing seafront beach cafe was perfect for eating semi-horizontally. Our best meals were at the hotel’s pool side grill restaurant (choice of Yakiniku, Shabu or Sukiyaki) and also at the various neighborhood izakayas dishing up steaming bowls of ramen and other delicious dishes (specialties include fried springrolls with spam, cheese and onsen egg). For exercise there is a hotel gym, or you have plenty of opportunities to walk as the hotel is fairly spreadout but we all had fun driving our own golf carts. ||I was in clean modern room 20 which had no seaview (the rest of the group had seafront rooms 65, 79, & 80), but I enjoyed my serene view of a huge green lawn with trees and outdoor lounging area. The understated and spacious room must have been newly renovated, it was just pristine and had a spotless shower/bath area. ||The not so mini-fridge was completely empty but the hotel shop comes well stocked with all kinds of snacks, drinks, swimwear, pretty dresses and well curated souvenirs. If you ask them not to clean your room for a day they will give you a 4000 yen coupon which can be used at the shop or restaurants. ||We took day trips to enjoy the breathtaking aquamarine sea surround Kohama. Especially loved the island hopping private cruise where the kids snorkeled and I got to scuba dive. I was less enamoured with the mangroves/ox cart /yubu island tours where everything was rushed and we had to endure an hour of ear drum blasting narratives during the crowded Disney like mangrove jungle tour. ||If you can ignore the way too laidback service (like we did), my only complaint was that the check in took forever (felt like 30-45 minutes) as most guests check in around the same time (from the ferry that comes in after lunch). Would suggest that the hotel allows online check in ie we can email in our passport pages and other info, and just be given the keys when we arrive||Other than that, a definite new favorite for us especially for short haul escapes with friends and family|