4-Star Hotels in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan

Grand Mercure Okinawa Zanpa Beach truly impressed us with its spacious, comfortable rooms and stunning ocean views. The well-equipped swimming pool and other facilities make it an ideal choice for family trips. The friendly and attentive staff further enhanced our stay, making it a thoroughly satisfying experience.

The check in was very easy, as was finding the location along of the villa on the beach. The condo/villa is absolutely stunning with a view of the ocean that cannot be beat. We appreciated the gorgeous sunsets, the pool and soaking tub on the 2nd floor balcony, and the outstanding views of the beach and island (Yojima) in the distance. The beds were some of the most comfortable we slept in while in Japan. We deeply appreciated the amenities - breakfast and food delivery (sausages, veggies, fresh bread, eggs and drinks) upon arrival, and found the layout of the house was fantastic for our family of 5. With two sleeping areas downstairs (kids), and an upstairs master bedroom (parents), we had MORE than enough space. One thing we would have liked about the location description online is an understanding that there is VERY little near by in terms of restaurants, convenience stores, etc. Depending on the weather, not much is walkable within 15-20 minutes. We ate at the Taco Rice restaurant, and walked 30 minutes to a local supermarket, and we drove the other places we needed to go. Also, the general impression we got from the website was that you can access the beach directly from the villa - sort of a, ”walk out to the sand” idea. You cannot. There is a 6-foot wall that separates the bottom floor of the villa with the actual beach area (needed for water level rising during storms, we get that :))... but there is no way down without jumping, nor a path to the beach (from our #3/C Villa, at least). We ended up jumping down the retaining wall using their small gate, walking around to a local business area that had a clear path, and accessing the beach that way. This was fine, don't get me wrong. Also, while the view is spectacular (and it really is), there is a TON of rebar from a former construction project (unfinished, we asked around) that sticks up out of the ocean at low, or extremely low tide (both of which we experienced while visiting - the extremely low tide happens each new/full moon, we were told). When this occurs, the beach stretches for 550 yards. We were able to ”walk and explore” (careful of course of the coral!), but for 1.5 days, we had a view of tons and tons of rebar sticking straight out of the sand, that stretched for 100s of yards in each direction. Again, this did not ruin anything, but it would be nice to know when booking a pricey room. I think the views are outstanding, given the timing you take the photo :) Overall, we would likely not stay again for the price, but it was a relaxing and splurge-y way to get that Okinawa sunset in at the end of long trip (5 weeks) in Japan. We are grateful for this adventure and my shared experience in this review is simply to help families understand more about the property. We traveled in mid-July. Thank you!

When we arrived, already liked the atmosphere of the lobby- bar-restaurant, which was lively, with nice lighting and the green foliage from the window wall and smell nice too, which is very important. We could early check-in in a corner room and high floor! Our purpose was to leave our bags and was surprised with rooms ready. Our room was spotless, decorated with neutral colours, very comfortable, everything was new. The only thing, the window only opens just a little bit and was hard to close it back and the faucet of the sink was just below the glass shelf and you will hit it every time you turn it on and the room lights had few individual switches, therefore was almost an all lights on or all lights off deal! Another down thing was the flip-flops which weren’t comfortable. The breakfast was delicious and fresh, with just the right amount of choices but everything available was really good. The public bath as well, everything was new, clean and with enough number of showers and the bath had the right size, decorated with simple and tasteful colours, the water was delicious. The location of the hotel was very good, just a few minutes walk to the monorail and with convenient shopping around. We enjoyed every minute of our stayed! It was excellent!

Review of Onna Resort, Okinawa About me: I’m a frequent flyer to Japan and a long-time fan of staying at villas and resorts across the country. I enjoy discovering different accommodations across Japan. This time, I chose Onna Resort for a relaxing group trip. ⸻ 👍 What I liked: • Spacious resort– Very roomy and comfortable, easily fits 7–8 people. Perfect for families or groups of friends. • Clean and well-maintained – The entire resort was spotless and felt well cared for. • View exactly as shown in photos – Stunning ocean view that matches the listing. Great for enjoying sunrise and sunset. • Beach nearby – A beach is within walking distance. While it may not be the best in Okinawa, it’s still nice for a stroll or quick swim. • Washer and dryer setup – Includes both a washer-dryer combo and a separate dryer, which is especially handy for drying towels and clothes after swimming. • Well-equipped kitchen – Good selection of cookware and appliances for preparing meals. • Private and quiet surroundings – Peaceful setting with no disturbance from other guests. ⸻ 👎 What could be improved: • Inconsistent check-in information – The email offered early check-in, and a staff member via video call said I could check in at 2pm. But when I arrived, another staff said it was 3pm. This communication gap should be addressed. • Missing basic items – No cups or glasses were provided, obviously an oversight by the cleaning staff. • Limited towel supply – Towels are provided strictly based on headcount. Given the proximity to the beach, it would be more convenient to offer a few extra towels without needing to ask. • Limited Coffee Supply - The resort provides coffee bags based on headcount as well, which was insufficient for guests who consume two or three cups daily. A more generous and considerate coffee supply would enhance the experience. • Insufficient tableware – Only two large plates were provided. It would be more practical to include additional small dishes, rice bowls, and condiment plates (e.g. for soy sauce or wasabi), especially for guests who plan to cook. • Lack of basic cooking ingredients – It would be helpful if staple items like cooking oil, salt, and pepper were provided to make meal preparation more convenient. • No power outlets near beds – Most sockets were located low on the wall and away from sleeping areas, making it inconvenient to charge phones or devices overnight. • Weak Wi-Fi signal in places – Internet connection was spotty in some areas of the villa, although it offers several wifi spots within the resort, but still weak

The room size was decent, and after pushing the beds together, there was enough space to open a 32-inch and a 20-inch suitcase. The lobby had a good selection of toiletries, maintaining the usual Daiwa quality. The hotel's location is excellent; after exiting Makishi Station on the Yui Rail and turning right, you can follow the elevated walkway directly to the hotel's sign – it’s very convenient and easy to find. There's a local supermarket downstairs that we visited daily, and it's also very close to Kokusai Street, just a ten-minute walk. For a family of three, the price was reasonable, making it a highly recommended choice.

The structure of the hotel is old, but the rooms have been updated and were very comfortable and new. I absolutely loved the retro charm of the place and the common areas such as the atrium pool and inside courtyard area were beautiful spaces. What the marketing doesn’t show is the vast open spaces at this hotel, the stunning landscaped gardens and the art-spaces such as artist in residence and exhibition space. I was blown away by this and enjoy a fantastic painting workshop with the artist who focuses on the local flora and fauna of Okinawa. The best point about this hotel is the staff. They are all incredibly lovely. Lisa and another lady name starting with H on front desk especially were so amazing, very helpful! One night there was an error with our dinner and the chef personally came to apologise. He replaced our meal with a local menu which was incredible and after eating he said the bill was on him as a gesture of apology. I was truly touched by this gesture of kindness. Areas for improvement: the kitchen being closed outside of designated times. If you want food at 10am for example, no chance. Also nowhere to buy drinks near the pool and beach. Food options are not great and the buffet is really mediocre. Also, I would expect their approach to sustainability to be better on an island like this. There is an overuse of plastic, especially single use such as straws and each tiny piece of cake at the buffet being individually wrapped. Really no need for that. I do worry where all this plastic is going. Beach is smaller than it looks. Can’t swim, very shallow full of seaweed and dead coral. Very quiet. Very strict lifeguard: no throwing a ball, no jumping, splashing, laughing it seems. We were using an empty bottle to collect water and build a sandcastle -he removed it. No standing on inflatables. No swimming outside of the fenced off area. From what I’ve seen this is an island-wide thing though, not limited to here. Local area: really not much to see and do outside of the hotel.

I was very satisfied with my stay this time. The location is excellent, and I could even watch the fireworks from my room at night, which was a real treat! The room was spacious and comfortable, and the staff were very helpful and friendly. If I had to pick one downside, it would be the breakfast buffet, which had limited choices and an average taste. However, overall, I was very pleased.

If there is more grass nearby, there will be a lot of insects. There are spider webs in some corners of the hotel room Before going to bed, I found bugs on the bedside and yellow stains on the sheets It’s a pity that there are so many insects at night that it’s impossible to use the swimming pool It is recommended that the hotel provide some insect repellents The price of the hotel is not cheap, and the location is not convenient either. Unexpectedly, there was no one to help carry the luggage to the room after check-in. Breakfast options are less If I get a perfect score out of 10, the price/performance ratio can only be compared to 6 points.

I love the stay at Mecure Okinawa Naha. The hotel is conveniently located with the train station outside the hotel. You can take the train to Kokusai Dori conveniently. There are also family mart and Donki just 5 mins walk away from the hotel. Hotel is king size bed and well maintained, clean and non smoking Definitely will visit this hotel again in my next Okinawa trip.

The environment was very clean, though the room was a bit small; it would be a tight squeeze if two suitcases were opened up. The location is incredibly convenient! Kokusai Street, Tomari Port, and the Yui Rail station are all within a 10-20 minute walk. Breakfast was excellent! There were some Japanese specialties like sushi and chazuke (rice with tea/broth), and it was handy to be able to take coffee to go in paper cups. However, the hotel doesn't provide disposable shower caps, and the washing machines were often occupied by clothes that hadn't been picked up after washing, making them unavailable, which was a slight inconvenience.