ORIENTAL HOTEL OKINAWA RESORT & SPA — Hotel in Nago

We stayed in August 2024 as a family of four, with two kids aged 4-6. There were a couple of things we liked (see below), but overall this was very disappointing for a 5-star hotel and the corresponding price level. ||What we didn’t like:|- Breakfast waiting times of 30min or more are normal unless you’re there by 7.30am latest. At one point, we had to wait for 50 minutes. The breakfast capacity simply doesn’t suffice for the number of rooms. I never experienced such waiting times before at a comparable resort. |- The playroom only opens at 9am, so if you have to wait for breakfast you also cannot go there with your kids. |- The biggest let down by far: the outdoor swimming area hasn’t seen any capital expenditures in years and looks generally run down. There are no nice loungers (only cheap plastic ones without any cushions), and some of them are broken and stained from sun cream etc. (they’re also black for unfathomable reasons so get super hot when not covered by an umbrella). There are about 5-6 larger round sunbeds (in white), but they cost extra. I haven’t seen a single one being occupied during an entire week, so I’m not sure what the logic is - they don’t even have the fabric cover on top of the beds anymore, which makes them look even less appealing (no shade at all…). It would have been much better to simply let guests use them (it’s not like the hotel is cheap…) rather than have them stand around empty is a sad state every day. |- At the adults pool, there’s not a single sun lounger available free of charge. Bizarre?|- The food options at the pool bar are limited and very unhealthy (fries, chicken nuggets, an inedible “spaghetti napoli”), and there is no service around the pool. Also not what I expected from a 5-star resort. |- Do not go to the beach, is my advice: It’s not nice at all and you pay 40 Euros per day for two tiny (literally fit people up to 1.60m height, see my photos) sun loungers that look like they’re 30 years old, under sun umbrella that are about 1m high, so you need to squeeze below them as though you’re trying to get into a cave. The water land for the kids costs extra as well (about 16 Euro per adult and 13 Euro per child). We bought tickets and then discovered there was low tide from about 10am to 2.30pm and the slides ended up in water so shallow that our kids hurt themselves when sliding down. Swimming for us as adults was altogether impossible as life guards prevent you from going past the super shallow bit. |- Not an exception in Japan in my experience, but most staff don’t speak more than very very basic English, which makes it hard to ask for information. You can use a translator app, but you won’t have your phone with you at all times. |- The gym equipment is very dated as well. Air conditioning in there barely manages to cool the room down. Cardio bikes make screeching noise and screens are entirely in Japanese. Some of the weightlifting equipment didn’t work for me as the metal rod you need to insert into the desired weight level got blocked. On the plus side, it has a separate room for stretching, doing mat exercises and a decent range of dumbbells. ||Pro:|- The rooms are spacious, newly done, clean, quiet at night, have large fridge, nice shower & bathtub etc. |- Lifeguards at every pool at all times - generally felt very safe for our kids |- Large shop that has most of the things you’ll need |- Indoor pool (large) is a good alternative for when it rains or you don’t want the kids in the sun all day as it’s super intense in summer (downside: they don’t allow any inflatable floaters or balls, so all they can do is swim there). |- They have a laundry room (but be aware that Japanese washing machines only wash cold - I didn’t manage to get any stains out of clothes, would use only for freshening up sweaty clothes or getting pool water out of swimsuits)||Overall, we would have shortened our one-week stay by a day or two if we could have rebooked our flights easily. I didn’t enjoy our time there as it was mainly supposed to be a relaxing beach/pool holiday but both pool and beach area were a HUGE let-down. ||PS: there’s a great Wagyu beef burger restaurant just downhill, about a 10-12 min walk. Amazing burgers, really worth visiting (and quite...

This story happened 11 years ago, but I still think about it from time to time.

Back then, my wife and I had just gotten married. We were living in Hong Kong, crammed into a 100-sqft room, and there was barely enough space to turn around. We scraped together a small budget and booked a short honey"week" to Okinawa.

That was our third night in Okinawa but that night did not go so smoothly. We got into a minor argument because my wife did not like the first restaurant I picked. She was not feeling the umibudo because she was not into raw food, and I was a bit hangry myself. We drove around until we finally found a place she liked. She had a rafute rice and by the time we finished dinner, it was well past 11 pm. I was grumbling the whole way to the hotel and I said that we probably missed check-in and might not even get a room.

And sure enough, when we arrived, the front desk told us all the standard rooms were already taken. Yes we had reservations, but there were no rooms.

But then the receptionist said, well, you are already here. We cannot send you away. So we will upgrade you to the Crown Suite.

If you don't know what a Crown Suite is, google it. At that time I had no idea what a Crown Suite was either.

The Crown Suite was unreal. It had a hallway, a jacuzzi, an unbelievable oceanview. For two nights, we felt like royalty. We had never experienced anything like that before.

We spent those days exploring the north of Okinawa. I cannot remember the name of the beach we stumbled onto, but I remember how it felt. The breezy chill in that early March air. We were picking up seashells and looking at the sundown.

I looked out at the water and thought to myself, I need to quit my job. Back home in Hong Kong I was stuck in a toxic & high-pressure environment that drained me every day. And suddenly I realized I just could not go back to that.

So after we returned to Hong Kong, I gave it a week or two, then I quit.

It was risky. We had just signed on for a mortgage. Our income was shaky. I was unemployed for a bit. But somehow things began to move. I found a better job with better pay. We started to get on our feet. The next year, our daughter was born. Then I launched a business, and it eventually expanded into the US. And six years after that Okinawa trip, we moved to the US.

Today we live in the Midwest in a home that is 50 times bigger than that shoebox apartment in Hong Kong. It faces a pond. We now have two daughters. And we are still growing, still striving, and I can say with full honesty, we are living the life we once only dreamed about.

Funny thing is, my family actually has roots in Okinawa. Back in the 1850s, they left central Ryukyu and eventually settled in Hong Kong. I never thought much about that history growing up. But now I missed it.

And here is the lesson: all of this might not have happened if my wife had not refused to eat the umibudo in the first restaurant. Had we checked in earlier, we would have just gotten our regular room. (I am sure the regular room would've been great too, since I've never been disappointed in Okinawa) And had it not been for the jaw-dropping surprise here, my mind might not have been refreshed the way it was. If my mind had not been refreshed, I might not have dared to take the risk of quitting my job. And if I had not taken that risk, I wouldn't have had the courage to start a business, nor would I have moved to the US. And now, here I am. It was all a chain reaction. Butterfly effect. So yes, I will say it loud and clear, she was right. As usual. Moral of the story? Always listen to your wife. Always.

To the staff at オキナワ マリオット (the name back then), thank you. You probably do not remember us, or perhaps you are not even working there anymore, but you changed our lives in a small but important way.

If I could give you 10 stars, I would. Maybe more. You deserve every one of them.

I'm writing this review over a decade later because I don't want to forget this place. Now it is saved here, if we ever return to Okinawa, I know where I...

I took advantage of a special to stay in the executive suites. Upon arrival, I was told simply to "park anywhere". This confused me a bit since I read that there would be "special parking" for those in executive suites.

The check-in process went smoothly. I appreciated that the staff were very experienced with conversating in English. We made reservations for breakfast and went up to our room. What I discovered later was a lack of explanation regarding the perks of our stay. We were given a schedule, however, we were not told where certain events would occur (i.e. directions to the Ocean Lounge) or how to take advantage of the perks (i.e. happy hour is by reservation only in Qwachi Lounge).

Our room was gorgeous! We loved the view and in-room amenities. I immediately took advantage of the giant bath tub and provided bath salts. The additional items like toothbrush, hairbrush, and razors were all nice perks. The coffee/tea maker with pods/tea bags was also very nice. We went to the on-site convenience store for some adult beverages for our evening on the first night.

The included breakfast (as part of the executive suites deal) was delicious. We were given great seats and explained the protocol. The breakfast was buffet-style with largely local cuisine. Everything was tasty and filling.

On the second day, I went down to inquire about where the Ocean Lounge was located. I was given directions, and we went for afternoon snacks. There were packaged cookies and a couple of gummies. There was a fridge filled with a couple different canned sodas, juices, and green tea. There was an option for coffee/espresso and hot tea. The lounge had nice views of the ocean and was quiet. However, no adult beverages could be found there, so we figured that we would wait until the 17:00-18:00 Happy Hour posted on the signage on the 14th and 15th floors.

At 17:00 we found no Happy Hour in the Ocean Lounge or the Forest Lounge. We went down to the lobby to ask where the executive suites Happy Hour would be located. We were told to go to Qwachi Lounge. Qwachi Lounge told us that we needed reservations when we were simply looking to grab a beer or two before walking to dinner. We went back to the front desk to discuss the lack of communication and accessibility of the amenities that we were promised. Tons of apologies were made, and Qwachi Lounge held a 20:15 reservation for us to return for beverages. Before we left for dinner, we requested turndown service along with additional amenities (extra coffee pods).

We returned from our dinner around 19:20. While we relaxed in the lobby, someone from Qwachi Lounge called to say seating was available if we wished to imbibe. We enjoyed beverages along with a couple of small desserts until we were told last call at 21:00.

We made our way down to the spa, which was brilliant! The provided hair/body washes were heavenly. The atmosphere of the spa was serene. There were different pools with various temperatures and levels of bubbles. I also enjoyed the sauna. The staff was very friendly.

When I returned to our room, I found my husband had to call down to the front desk because they forgot about the turndown service request. They provided the items requested, but only after reminded of them by my husband.

The checkout process was smooth. I was a bit taken aback that a credit card was not requested up front when checking in. However, everything was taken care of in the end. The same nice lady who helped us with check-in took care of closing out our stay. To apologize for the many different slip-ups in service, she provided us with a couple of bottles of jam. It was a sweet gesture. This extra concern certainly makes it a solid 3-star experience. I would not stay here again, but I would recommend others to give it a go. Hopefully, they will fully inform their executive guests of all amenities available to them and if there are exclusive amenities (like executive parking), they actually...