HOSHINOYA Taketomi Island

If you ever wanted a Robinson Crusoe experience, this hotel is for you, and you never thought you can get such a tropically exotic holiday in Japan! First up the location – it’s very secluded as getting here means you need to go through both a boat and domestic plane transfer, but I assure you that everything is worth it, and you can seriously recharge your mind and escape from everything and just snuggle up in this beautiful resort and experience amazing island life when you’re here! The island itself is very small and beware because during typhoon season the boats do not run to mainland Ishigaki at all - Ishigaki connects to Naha in mainland Okinawa, but you can also fly here from other cities in Japan, like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, so it really isn’t THAT secluded with such air connectivity! The hotel does provide a bus shuttle that brings you around the island and the beautiful beaches with crystal-clear waters and amazing fine sand – there is even a beach call “star sand beach” where you can see sand speckles that are actually shaped like stars! The hotel itself is beautiful and all rooms come in individual Ryukyu-style ‘villa’ with your own dedicated porch and entryway. Inside your room, you will find generously spaced living areas, bathroom, shower, and the very comfortable Hoshinoya bedding! The hotel, being a Japanese hotel, will also provide you with a set of pajamas for the night, and also Yukata, which you can wear and wonder around the resort, such as going to The Lounge, where local snacks are served alongside coffee and a tea cabinet comprising local herbs like Ryuku Mugwort and Okinawan bitter melon! Every evening there is also a happy hour where you can indulge in delicious local Okinawa liquor - Awamori! I also highly recommend you to have dinner in the restaurant as the food was amazing! I actually prefer the menu here more than that of Hoshinoya Tokyo, as I find the presentation and ingredients here to be more spectacular, especially those that they sauce from the Okinawa Islands! Facility-wise, the hotel is not beachfront, but, as mentioned earlier, the shuttle bus does bring ypu to the beautiful beaches on this island, and on-site, there is a huge pool that’s almost like a lagoon or a pond where you can swim under the beautiful skies. There is also a spa here which gets booked out quickly so if you want a treatment, you should get it as soon as possible when you reach the hotel. Overall, I spent six amazing nights here and I found it to be so recharging for my mind and soul that I will not hesitate to come back here again.

TLDR: this island and hotel is not a luxury experience. The swimming pool is the only good feature and it’s not worth the time and travel to get here. Hotel: rooms are quaint and a nice traditional feel. But again, not worth the trip and expense. Our room had mould in the bedroom and the dehumidifier was full every three hours and needed to be emptied. Service: very friendly but largely not useful. When asking about facilities at the local beach it seemed like we were the first to ask. We could not get any answers on what would be available. Overall the service was like a bad air bnb. They don’t serve drinks or food at the pool. Everything feels like a bad self serve experience. Things to do: very little to do on this island. The beach next to the hotel is not for swimming and covered in plastic. There is a shuttle to a local beach ten minutes away where the hotel give you two towels and water if you are lucky. Then it’s a case of renting a sun lounger and umbrella from a man in a van. ( as no one at the hotel seems to know, it’s 2000 yen per lounger and per umbrella. He sells drinks too. If he is not working that day then you will have nothing ) The snorkelling off the beach is not worth it. Nice beach but again no reason to travel for it. I cannot believe the hotel does not offer any beach set up, not even a picnic set or cooler box. Bearing in mind there is no shops for you to set yourself up it is ridiculous. Food: not a lot of options in the hotel. Some basic Okinawa dishes or it’s full on french fine dining. The hotpots are ok but you have to have these in your room as the restaurant is only for the french cuisine. You can go in to the town and find a few restaurants. They are intermittently open and the hotel makes no effort to assist you in booking or checking if they are open. Excursions: we did the snorkelling trip. Started off well on a small boat and then we were transferred to join 40 other people on a crowded swimming spot. 10 minutes from the ferry dock. I would never have booked a trip if I realised it would be part of a huge tour. Not in line with the hotel at all. It’s clearly something they take no interest in or care about. When another guest asked about private tours they just gave him a phone number! If you are here for a weekend break from Tokyo I’d say go for it. If you are travelling from afar, then this is not worth it. It’s neither good Japanese service or good western service. This is a three star hotel with a nice pool.

Nice weather but a little boring especially for kids. Highlight was feeding a cat and petting a goat. Did the ox ride which was a good way to introduce ourselves to the island. I’m sure the beaches there make it a better trip but we only toured the town for a couple of hours. Ferry ride was packed coming back

I used this place for my honeymoon. The standout feature was undoubtedly the fantastic customer service. If you're planning to visit Taketomi Island, spending a leisurely day here would be perfect. For those seeking a luxurious and indulgent experience, this is the place to be!