Renaissance Resort Okinawa

We lived on the same bay as the Renaissance Okinawa Resort but just a little further north in Nakadomari Village near Moon Bay Hotel. The Renaissance Okinawa Resort is a Marriott property and has been an Okinawa landmark since its construction. The hotel has an open atrium and several fine-dining restaurants inside and two outside, one named "Umikaji" which is built underwater with spectacular views!

We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary by staying here for the first time after we moved to Okinawa in August 2003, even though we had tried the fine-dining restaurants like Four Seasons. The brunch there is fantastic and they also have a European Cheese Cart which is rare for Japan.

The rooms are very spacious with incredible views from each balcony. We were able to schedule an in-room massage for about USD $60. Room rates for 2 people (yes, they charge by the person in Japan) is $210-$400 per night, which is a bit cheaper than Buseana Terrace Beach Resort in Nago futher north.

We ate at the underwater restaurant Umikaji which was quite an experience. Very pricy but the food and service was delicious in a setting you'll never forget.

The hotel staff speaks excellent English (probably due to the fact that Jenny taught many of the staff) and there are plenty of recreation activities to choose from. Unfortunately, you have to speak Japanese to swim with the dolphins at this resort, but you can pet them on special tours pierside. The Japanese use the wedding chapel overlooking the water several times a day for festive wedding ceremonies with a short ride up the driveway in an antique American roadster convertible. It has a private beach and several pools, plus a collection of young (under 3 years old) sea turtles (called "Kame" in Japanese). The sunset sail on the catamaran is fun and goes out to Maeda Point which has some of the best snorkelling/diving in all of Okinawa.

Definitely the place to stay if you want to be pampered by Japanese culture and experience the beauty of Okinawa. It is rather expensive, but again, not as bad as Busena Terrace Beach Resort in Nago. Be impressed and stay at Marriott's Renaissance Okinawa Resort on the best crystal green-blue sheltered bay on Okinawa!