The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa: A Stay Review

It's Yoko, the hotel-hopping gourmet hunter, @foodie_yoko! I live in hotels and eat out 365 days a year.

I went to The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa! The Ritz-Carlton is famous as a luxury hotel, and this was my very first Ritz. I was so excited to go.

Location of The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

We rented a car and set off for the Ritz!

The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa is in Kise, around the middle of the main island.

Halekulani Okinawa is nearby too, so if you like luxury hotels you could enjoy both.

The Ritz itself sits up on a hill, so it's fairly far from the beach. That makes it mostly a stay-in-the-hotel kind of place, but there is a private beach too.

The lobby at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

We dropped our bags at the main entrance and went to the lobby. By the way, self-parking is free and valet parking is ¥3,000 per night.

This is what the lobby looks like. The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa opened in 2012, so it's still very clean! The ceiling is high and it feels like a temple.

Comfortable chairs and tables are luxuriously arranged.

At the center of the hotel there's a wooden deck you can step out onto, surrounded on all four sides by a channel of water.

There were sofas positioned to look out over the water channel and the outdoors.

You can check in leisurely at the sofa seats across from the check-in counter.

This was a two-night stay, and using the Marriott Bonvoy Amex (formerly SPG) cardholder benefit, it was free!

There's also a proper check-in counter area, and at checkout you're guided there to receive your receipt.

Being able to check in and out while seated is a really welcome service when you're tired from a long trip!

As a Marriott Platinum member benefit, there was a welcome gift, and breakfast was available at a discounted price.

I chose the Bonvoy reward points.

I also received aroma-scented wet wipes and a brochure for the activities you can sign up for at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa.

After check-in, we crossed the water channel to the wing with the guest rooms.

For security, you need to tap your card key to operate the elevator.

The hotel stands on a hill, so the lobby is on the 3rd floor and the pool is on the 1st.

There's a window in front of the elevators, which feels open and airy.

This is the hallway outside the room. The atmosphere reminded me of Mesm Tokyo.

The door is heavy and closes with a solid clunk.

The room at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

Into the room. There was no upgrade this time, so I had a Deluxe Room (double).

When you enter, there's a bar corner on the right. Beyond it is the bathroom area.

A Nespresso machine, four bottles of mineral water, and paper cups.

Under the counter are drawers. Let's open them!

Drawer 1 is packed with wine glasses.

Drawer 2 has teacups, small plates and forks.

Drawer 3 had a kettle! They've thought of everything.

On the left is the luggage area, wide enough for two suitcases (about three nights' worth) and a backpack.

The drawer held loungewear.

On the right is the closet, with a luggage rack, a robe you can wear outside around the hotel, and beach sandals.

The beach sandals come in proper sizes, which shows that Ritz quality.

And I found, of all things, cardboard boxes! If your luggage has grown, you can ship things home.

And a cardboard box with the Ritz-Carlton logo might even sell afterward, lol.

Then, with your back to the closet, the bed.

Across from the bed are the TV and a desk. I forgot to take a photo of the desk.

On the other side of the TV, the bathroom areas are lined up side by side.

This is the vanity. There are two sinks, so two people can get ready at the same time.

A full set of amenities is laid out in a box.

The hair dryer was a mid-size Panasonic.

To the left of the vanity is the bathtub. It has a window, but there are automatic blinds so you can keep it from being seen from outside.

Next to the tub is a rack with a loofah, body-wash towels, soap, bath salts and more.

What I liked was the bath pillow! It's handy for resting your head while you soak.

To the right of the vanity is the shower booth. The tub is outside it, but you can wash your body here, so no problem.

The body wash, shampoo and so on were all Asprey.

The amount seemed a bit small for two people over two nights, but they lathered well.

Note that towels aren't replaced unless you leave them on the floor.

The toilet is to the right of the shower booth.

When I looked closely, the toilet paper is embossed with the Ritz-Carlton logo, which surprised me, lol.

The spare toilet paper is wrapped in paper with the Ritz-Carlton logo too, which feels very proper.

Welcome sweets at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

Next, let's look at the table beside the bed.

On the table were a welcome card, face masks, wet wipes, pineapple juice, and a mysterious box.

Opening the box, I found bonbon chocolates!

The chocolate filled with awamori (Okinawan spirit) had a strong boozy flavor and quite a punch, lol.

This is the view outside the room.

There's a table and sofa too, so you can have a drink outside.

Paid drinks at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

I opened the drawer under the TV.

A mini bar and snacks lined up inside.

The fridge below it was packed with Orion beer and soft drinks, all paid.

The pool at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

After looking around the room, we headed to the pool.

The pool floor has sofas and smells amazing. I'd buy the fragrance if they sold it.

A lounge with board games and books.

A rest area with artificial turf outside the lounge.

And this is the pool! There are several sofas beside it, and when guests arrive at the pool a staff member speaks to them and brings towels and detox water.

By the way, moss was growing in the grout at the bottom of the pool, so I wished they'd clean it a little more carefully...!

You can also lounge on the sofa and order drinks. There was a wide variety on the menu.

Dinner was coming up soon, but I got carried away(?) and had a rosé.

There was a food wagon by the pool too.

Getting carried away again, I ordered a margherita (¥1,400).

I'd love it with juicier tomatoes, fresher basil, buffalo mozzarella and a chewier crust... (I'm picky).

It was cloudy but fairly hot, so the pool felt great!

The bathrobes were fluffy, too.

Turndown service at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa also provides turndown service.

Turndown is a housekeeping service in which the room is prepared for sleep while guests are out.

They leave water by the bed, close the curtains, and leave the next day's weather forecast.

Many people don't like staff entering the room while they're out, and these days hotel staff sometimes ask about your preference at check-in. The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa didn't mention it at check-in, so I was a little surprised to come back and find the turndown already done, lol.

First, the next day's weather forecast and chinsuko (Okinawan shortbread cookies, so good) were on the bed.

The blanket was folded down and slippers were set at the foot of the bed. That's where you'd want them when you get up at night, lol.

On the table by the pillow there was water and a glass. The curtains were closed and the room lights were dimmed a bit. A perfect Ritz turndown.

Activities at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

In the lobby there was a densely packed schedule of the various activities you can enjoy at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa.

Going out with the purchasing manager for an umintchu (Okinawan fisherman) experience sounded like a lot of fun, and honestly I wanted to try everything! But some weren't being offered because of COVID, so I signed up for just the night yoga and morning yoga.

Yoga at The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa

Yoga was held in the courtyard on the 3rd floor, where the lobby is.

A yoga mat, water and a towel were set out for each person like this.

There are no large buildings around, so you can see the sky well. The morning yoga felt great, but the night yoga under a sky full of stars, with even the Milky Way visible, was incredibly relaxing, so I highly recommend it!

Who The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa is for

On a clear day, the view from the room is lovely.

The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa is recommended for, quite simply, people who want to hole up and enjoy the hotel itself!

I'll write about it in another post, but the restaurants and spa in particular are recommended.

Even if you go out by car, there's an activity called Ritznic where you take a picnic box with you, so food is never a problem.

There are also free activities like yoga, so it's perfect if you want to go to Okinawa with no plans and simply enjoy what's there.

The atmosphere is quite grown-up, so I think it suits couples looking for a quiet, intimate stay more than families.

If you're curious, please go and see for yourself!