Hoshino Resorts Iriomote Hotel — Hotel in Taketomi

Hoshino hotels have the reputation of being a luxury hotel but sadly this location did not live up to that image. I hope that this can be blamed on the current pandemic and being short staffed.|||| It all started when we drove up to the property. There was no-one at the front to greet us, we had to look for a staff member to help us with the check-in procedure. Then there were no valet parking, we were told to move the car first and park then come back to the reception desk for the check-in. Done. ||||At the check-in desk we were showed the information of the hotel on an iPad/tablet but when we asked to please the language to English for easier understanding we were told that she did not know how. There were also no hot/cold towel offered to freshen up, which is customary even a non-luxury hotels. Check-in done and then we were told to go and help ourselves to the welcome drink in another part of the lobby.||||The staff then escorted us up to our room. Elevator was not cooled by fan or air-con. This is summer in part of the world where it's always hot and humid. We were then handed the steel key for the room and given a tour.||||The room, while adequate, it was far from being modern and also not that comfortable. There were no drawers for us to unpack our clothing, only a closet for hanging items. No towel rack in the bathroom so we had to use hangers to dry the towels we used after bathing. The a/c was not at all powerful and even in shorts and a t-shirt we were slightly sweating by the morning. The daybed was flat and hard, not comfortable at all for relaxing. ||||While it is understandable to use the big bottles of soap and shampoo instead or the small single use ones but at least present them nicely instead of just putting the bottles on top of the tub, now tray or any attempt at presentation. Also give the option to use a bar soap. There was also no shaving cream available. ||||The hotel website says they are a friendly hotel, but all the signs were just in Japanese and no other language. I guess they don't want foreign guest?||Free ice cream popsicle were available at the lobby but all the flavors were just thrown-in a big box freezer without any organization or presentation. This I guess would be good for kids but again, its suppose to be a luxury hotel so a bit of presentation would be nice.||||There was also no room service or lunch available during our stay, hopefully this was because of the current situation but still. The food on offer during breakfast and dinner was tasty. Very nice how the hotel adapted to the pandemic by offering gloves to use while getting food at the buffet. They also placed plastic partitions between tables. ||||The pool was nice with nice lounge chairs. The jacuzzi however was never full of water. The jacuzzi was mainly used as a foot bath when I was there.||||As a hotel it would be great, but as it is attached to the Hoshino name, it failed. It felt like a regular hotel and not...

Hoshino Resorts bills itself as five-star ‘Omotenashi’ level of Japanese service. Far from it. From the start everything has been a hassle, with inflexible rules and inconveniences that ruin the experience. When I arrived at the ferry terminal I had missed the shuttle bus to the hotel. There are no taxis on the island and I was told to wait 90min for the next shuttle bus. The hotel is an 8min drive from the terminal but a 30min walk, which is impossible in the heat with luggage. I basically had to beg them to come and pick me up and it took two phone calls and lots of groveling. Why was something so simply solvable made so difficult? Upon arriving I was told I could not check in until 3pm. Again, the hotel was clearly not full, this was simply the check-in time and they were not going to budge it at all. Fine. I’ll have some lunch while I’m waiting. “Sorry the restaurant is closed” "We offer take-away of two lunchbox options, both meat. Nothing else. And there’s nowhere nearby to go. Instead, please have some pineapple juice in the lobby and wait for two hours. Seriously? You’re tired, hot and just want to change your clothes and relax, but can’t. Finally, there were at least 20 cheap, old bikes in front of the hotel. Can I use one? “No, you need a reservation and they’re all booked”. There was absolutely no one using these bikes and it was not up for discussion. Hoshino charge Four Season price for APA hotel level of service....

We stayed here for 2 nights and 3 days. This was my first time staying at a Hoshino Resort hotel. It was quite difficult to reach the hotel, but I think I was able to spend a very luxurious time during my stay. It was a great experience for me to participate in free activities and learn more about Iriomote Island, a World Heritage Site. Sundowners were my personal favorite activity. Enjoying the sunset over the ocean with a glass of sparkling wine served free of charge in the lounge. It was a bit cold when we were there, but in the summer it is a very exciting and romantic activity because you can go out to the ocean and drink sparkling wine. You can have a meal at the hotel restaurant, or you can choose a restaurant in the neighborhood. At the hotel restaurant, you can enjoy dishes unique to Iriomote Island.

The rooms are very spacious, and it was an interesting experience that there was a daybed in addition to a bed for sleeping at night. You can relax or take a nap on the daybed in your spare time. Amenities include shampoo and body soap, but there are no toothbrushes, so you will need to bring your own. Toilets are of course equipped with bidet toilets. Although the time spent in the guest room is very short, I think you can feel that you are spending your time in luxury.

I would like to come back to this hotel if I...