HOSHINOYA Okinawa

Stayed here in September 2025. To gauge my perspective, I’m from the Washington DC area, and have had the privilege to have traveled to most parts of the world. This is a beautiful place. Some of the reviews seem pretty unfair. Stayed in a base room for the standard 3 nights that gets you a good discount on the nightly rate. I think the main misunderstanding of Hoshinoya Okinawa is its isolation. It’s not near much. If you intend to explore Okinawa more you should definitely have a rental car. I however, just took an uber from the airport. I picked this place for the isolation. One of the most relaxing places I’ve ever been. The vibe is extremely peaceful, one giant spa. The staff encourage you to wear the provided uniform, basically pajamas at all times. It is beachfront. Yes, it doesn’t have the typical beach chair drink service, but from your beachfront room you can walk over to the beach and swim in crystal clear peaceful waters with no one around, which I had the privilege to do every morning. I did not try the signature “Michelin style” tasting menu restaurant. Was just a little over what I would expect it to cost having been to others in Japan. However, the grill restaurant is fantastic. Great service, good wine carafes, the premium waygu steaks were delicious. If you need a little more variation, the more conventional hotel next store has a great French restaurant and lunch buffet. The poolside lounge does make drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, available all day. Relaxing poolside with some sake, while a Ryoku musician is singing a traditional song while watching the sunset is truly magical. The staff of this place were truly phenomenal. The room was phenomenal. I left the peaceful Hoshinoya hoping to return someday for another stay as a retreat from the rat race. Come here to relax, not to rush. Breath, take in sounds of the ocean. Rejuvenate, then return to the city.

Heartfelt Hospitality in Hoshinoya Okinawa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Hoshinoya has long been renowned for its impeccable service, and my recent visit was yet another shining example of that legacy. The hospitality extended by every member of the staff was not just excellent—it was extraordinary. Their warmth and attentiveness are what truly set Hoshinoya apart.Although my tight travel schedule only allowed for a one-night stay, and I sadly missed out on the many indigenous activities the front desk staff enthusiastically recommended, the experience was still deeply fulfilling.From the moment I arrived, I was captivated by the breathtaking scenery. Watching the sunset from my room was pure serenity—I could have sat there for hours, soaking in the view without ever growing tired.But what truly touched me was the care shown to my family, especially our 3-month-old infant. Before our arrival, I had informed the hotel via email that we’d be traveling with our baby. To our amazement, they had not only prepared a cozy cot but also thoughtfully provided all the cleaning essentials for baby bottles. It was a level of consideration that far exceeded our expectations—something we’ve never encountered at any other hotel.One moment that remains vivid in my memory was when a staff member, herself a mother, kindly helped us carry our stroller and luggage up to our second-floor room. Later that evening, while dining at Bellezza—the hotel’s exquisite fine-dining restaurant—our baby fell asleep, and the staff graciously brought out a cradle so he could rest comfortably. I was genuinely moved. What other fine-dining restaurant would offer such heartfelt service? Bellezza, without a doubt, stands alone.🌟 In the end, what made our stay so memorable wasn’t just the stunning views or luxurious amenities—it was the exceptional professionalism and genuine kindness of the staff. They made our brief visit feel like a homecoming, and for that, I am truly grateful!

We stayed at Hoshinoya Okinawa for our wedding and a little bit of our honeymoon. The staff were SUPER helpful and responsive. You will often need to call for services, but the staff would pick up the phone in less than one ring. Rooms were very spacious and views were beautiful. The activities were also easy to book and we liked that the number of people in each activity we did was small. My Japanese was very rough, but the staff spoke English and we were able to have a stay with no difficulties in communication.

The rooms are incredibly spacious, and the ocean views are absolutely breathtaking, especially during sunset. The entire resort is beautifully designed and well maintained, with a minimalist, serene aesthetic that leans heavily into a Zen-inspired atmosphere. It’s clear this place is meant for those looking to truly unplug. That said, the service felt slow and understaffed throughout our stay. There was often a wait for even simple requests, and while the staff were polite, English communication was limited, which made certain situations a bit challenging. There’s only one main restaurant on site, and while the food is decent, breakfast was very limited — only two set options to choose from. For families with kids, there’s not much to do within the resort itself. No kids club, no pool toys, and no walkable attractions nearby unless you have a car. So if you’re not fully embracing the slow, quiet pace, you might find yourself getting restless. Still, the tranquil setting, well-kept grounds, and gorgeous views earn it 4 stars. But with better staffing, more dining variety, and a few family-friendly additions, this place could easily be a 5.

Beautiful hotel with incredible landscaping, gorgeous views of the ocean, and very spacious comfortable rooms. It is a lovely tranquil environment to spend a couple of days. However, the big caveat is that the service is incredibly poor (though very polite). In the restaurants we suffered slow service and dishes or drinks randomly being forgotten. Also be warned that the onsite selection for food is very limited in range and quite constrained in terms of the times it is available. Perhaps the thing that frustrated us most was the complete lack of flexibility. For example, we had prepaid for breakfast but realised that due to the very limited time range it is served, we would not be able to have it on our last day due to early checkout. When we gently enquired if some kind of refund, discount or even if just a small takeaway replacement snack could be provided, we were flat out told “no”. When you are paying such extortionate rates for accommodation, this kind of mediocre service is just completely unacceptable. Hopefully the hotel can address these issues because it really is incredible in most other aspects.

Such a disappointment for a resort that looks so beautiful on the surface. If I could give negative stars for service, this would be the one. Let's start with the positives - the rooms are large, beautifully designed, and a few staff members during check-in were genuinely pleasant and helpful. Unfortunately, that’s where the good experience ends. Even after adjusting for Japan’s pricing and room size standards, this resort simply doesn’t justify the cost. You’d get far better value staying at a 3-star hotel nearby, like a Best Western, where at least the service meets basic expectations. The biggest issue here is the poor service and housekeeping. We stayed for five nights with daily housekeeping requested, yet the bathroom was only properly cleaned once. Even if the intent was to do a “light clean,” a five-star property should at least wipe down mirrors and pick up very very visible debris (which happens to be next to the rubbish bin). We even had to call to ask them to return and remove small bits of rubbish on the floor, to which they replied that they don’t vacuum rooms. Also to add, they only picked up our in-room breakfast leftovers after calling them in the evening to do so. Not every staff can speak English - not even basic level, where they can understand when you're asking to replenish coffee pods. To make things worse, there’s no poolside service. If you want a drink, you’ll need to go to the front desk, pour a pre-made coffee or tea into a paper cup, and bring it back yourself. For a resort positioning itself as luxury, it’s shockingly minimal. Honestly, a vending machine by the pool would have been more convenient and transparent. Long story short - take your money and spend it elsewhere. Don’t let this hotel tarnish what could otherwise be a wonderful experience with Okinawan hospitality/people

We chose this hotel for our honeymoon because we wanted comfort, relaxation, and a special experience. Sadly, what we got instead was stress, repeated problems, and a management team that refused to take proper responsibility.||From the start, housekeeping was inconsistent and poorly explained. We were told that cleaning would alternate between full service and eco-friendly service every other day. In reality, they just stopped doing basic cleaning until we called about it. Even the most basic things — washing our cups, making our bed — were neglected, which has nothing to do with being “eco-friendly.”||The situation got worse when our toilet broke, not once, but twice. The first time, I was unwell and forced to deal with maintenance workers in the room. The second time, after returning tired from a long day out, we had to completely repack and move rooms. This was disruptive and stressful, and it directly caused us to miss a dinner reservation and our evening plans afterwards. On our honeymoon and with limited days, this was especially upsetting as we had looked forward to our plans that day.||Communication problems made everything even harder. For our diving trip, we were told by the front desk that we should book a taxi two hours early. Trusting their advice, we woke at 5am, only to arrive 1.5 hours before the shop even opened, waiting in front of closed doors unnecessarily. This kind of misinformation wasted our time and further damaged our experience. At no point were we able to have a proper conversation with any staff member, as their level of English was unfortunately far too limited.||When we raised all of these issues with management we were offered small token gestures: drinks or breakfast. To make matters worse, their response came so late that we couldn’t even make use of them before we had to fly out. Offering something we couldn’t use on our last day before leaving was meaningless.||What is most frustrating is that the hotel only took ownership of the language barrier, while ignoring all of the much bigger problems: the broken toilet, the missed plans, the failed housekeeping, the misinformation. To suggest that the main issue was communication is insulting given the level of disruption we experienced.||This was our honeymoon, a once-in-a-lifetime trip that we looked forward to for months, and instead we spent it dealing with unnecessary stress caused by the hotel. The way management handled our complaints — brushing them off with gestures instead of taking meaningful responsibility — shows a lack of care for guests.||We will not be recommending this hotel to anyone. Future guests deserve to know how poorly our stay was handled and how unwilling management was to provide proper compensation for multiple, serious failures.

Other reviews have mentioned the beauty of the location, the stylish design of the hotel and it's lush gardens and they are right.|The reception area that greets you on arrival has a wow ! factor too, like an upmarket art gallery, with similar hushed tones and smartly dressed staff bustling about. But dont be fooled. This is a bit of a fur coat and no knickers establishment. |Few of the staff speak anything but Japanese which given the international clientele, creates problems and frustration on a daily basis. |The restaurants are open for short periods and are inflexible if you want anything other than the set menus offered, even at breakfast. Any request for sonething non standard results in hours of negotiations, phone calls and referrals up the chain of command. Stressful.|You have to find your own way to the beach, which we did on a daily basis, to avoid the screaming kids at the pool all day long. Hoshinoya prides itself on being a sophisticated Zen like destination, with activities to help to unwind and find that peaceful place. Well it needs to make up its mind . Either it's a kindergarten or a retreat, it can't be both.