Ritz Carlton Okinawa – Review

When people mention Okinawa, the first thing that they think of is normally beaches and just lazing around on a beach resort somewhere for the duration of the trip, for Ms. Buddha and I however, we don’t enjoy “resorts” but instead like to explore a bit, so when I was doing research on where to stay, I ended up with the Ritz, which is located a bit more inland and a bit more away from the hustle and bustle.

To start off with, the resort itself was impressive and we took advantage of the CitiPrestige 4th night refund with this booking that made the price quite attractive. We drove up to the front entrance and was immediately out of no-where a team of staff came and unloaded our luggage and to valet park our car with typical and still amazing Japanese efficiency. The check-in took a tiny bit of time but the great thing about that is it allowed me to do a bit of exploring of the property – which frankly is gorgeous.

 

After we were checked in, we were escorted to our room (we booked the Deluxe room) and decided to relax a bit before dinner. The room itself is very adequate for Ms. Buddha and I with a large comfy bed and a roomy sitting area (which we used a lot of during our stay!)

The bathroom had separate bath and showers (expected from a nice property) and the bath itself had a really nice view of the golf course, which felt very tranquil – especially during daytime. The amenities are very nicely laid out as well as long as a little welcome gift and a “warning” about the harmless geckos.

The Gym

One thing that Ms. Buddha and I always make an effort to do when we’re on holidays is not to neglect exercise (because we eat soooo much). And staying at the Ritz was no different, we got up early in the morning and tried to find gym in the huge property – and even walked through this amazing walkway.

In the end, we failed and ended up going to the front desk – then in true hospitable fashion – they came back in a nice 7 seater and drove us to the gym (we actually weren’t far off).

The gym itself was downstairs below the beauty clinic and it wasn’t that big but adequate with good running machines – it did get a bit stuffy though.

The Breakfast

With gym done, we’re now permitted to have breakfast, and the restaurant overlooks the water features, which is beautiful and very comfortable.

Food selection wasn’t crazy varied but it was very very high quality and still a great selection of both Japanese and Western breakfast choices -absolutely tasty! One thing I do love in Japan for breakfast is Nat-to beans.

While eating, our natural neighbour also managed to get some breakfast for himself 🙂