Maja P
Google
We stayed here 3 nights in May 2010 as part of a 3 week Japan round trip. The pension is a super friendly little place, and we had a very nice Western room with a big balcony and a breathtaking view over the beach, just a few metres away.|| ||Room was basic but clean and very spacious for Japan. Private bathroom with all amenities. Only drawback was that we got a twin room (two single beds) - a double bed would have suited our romantic getaway better. ||||The pension is located right on the beach, famous for its star shaped sand. The coral reef starts right off the beach, and we had some amazing snorkelling there. Best I've ever had! Myriads of colourful fish all around us and even the odd sea snake. Shallow and calm water, nice and warm, and lots of interesting coral and rock formations to visit. We rented snorkeling equipment from the pension. ||||Staff was super friendly and helpful. They picked us up from the ferry when we arrived, and they even drove us to the mangrove river sailing trip that we went on during our stay - and picked us up again afterwards. Took us to the grocery store too. They spoke a bit of English and were so sweet and helpful. The friendly resident labrador also made us feel right at home.||||The pension has its own little restaurant (and cute souvenir shop), and we ate there every day. They had a perfectly fine selection of Japanese and Western style meals, and there outdoor seating on the terrace overlooking the beach and the ocean. ||||The island of Iriomote felt quite remote, and there wasn't a lot of options for public transportation, shopping, restaurants etc. - which made it all the more perfect to have all you needed at the pension. The area was quiet, and we had the beach all to ourselves most of the time. ||||Would definitely go back! A very reasonably priced hotel in a wonderful setting and a very unique and atypical part of Japan.
