Many new hotels opened in Okinawa over the three years preceding the source account.
One trend the author noticed was hotels with rooftops and saunas.
Perhaps visitors want to feel they are at a vacation resort, even on a city stay.
In Nishimachi, described as seven minutes by car from the airport and around JPY 1,000 by taxi at the time,
hotel androoms Naha Port opened.
It belongs to Solare Hotels, a well-known Japanese chain, and is part of a brand opening in several Japanese cities.
Many properties have restaurants; each aims to add an ‘&’—an extra quality—to the advantages of its urban location.
The source lists sister hotels in Kyoto Shichijo, Nagoya Fushimi, Nagoya Sakae, Shin-Osaka and Osaka Hommachi.
Naha Port is around a 15-minute walk from Asahibashi monorail station, beside a main road that makes it easy to find.
The lobby feels clean and uncluttered.
Farther inside is a restaurant called Blue Port.
We will see it at breakfast tomorrow.
Rental bicycles in the corner look useful for exploring nearby.
Coin-operated laundry makes longer stays more practical.
We notice the amenity selection during check-in.
Toothbrushes are supplied in the rooms; items that depend more on personal preference—cotton swabs, combs and razors—
can be collected at reception in the quantity you need.
Many Japanese hotels appear to be reducing disposable items this way.
This is the hotel’s distinctive Loft Room.
Its simple, modern style is exactly to my taste.
The table beneath the loft is surprisingly comfortable for working. It could suit a business trip or a parent who needs to work while traveling with children.
One arrangement might be children upstairs while an adult works below; follow the room’s actual occupancy and loft-safety rules rather than treating this as permission to play roughly there.
Basic facilities include lighting, a mirror and refrigerator, plus a tabletop mirror with a clock.
Wood-grain details in the indirect lighting and blinds create a calm atmosphere.
The bed is on the loft above.
The high ceiling makes the upper space feel usable rather than cramped.
Pajamas and towels are provided.
The bathroom is a combined unit, though clean in this newly built hotel.
We also look at a Deluxe Twin Room.
Perhaps because it occupies a corner,
it has a generous area with a sofa.
A small table sits between the bed and sofa.
Finally, the least expensive category described here is the Superior Double Room.
A straightforward, simple double room.
Its long sofa makes it feel spacious for an ordinary double.
The sofas in these rooms are quite large,
large enough that one person seems able to lie down on them. This is a size impression, not confirmation of an approved extra sleeping place.
As expected of a recent hotel, USB outlets are available.
An air purifier, now an increasingly familiar provision.
Original cups
and a well-known Kyoto green tea are provided too.
The bathroom is slightly smaller than in the Deluxe Room.
Still, it has the essentials, including amenities and a hair dryer.
Now for the main attraction: the pool and sauna.
The sauna is positioned right beside the rooftop pool.
In good weather, the pool overlooks the sea by Naha port,
creating a resort atmosphere.
It is pleasantly long, too; I am very satisfied.
This sense of openness is not easy to find in a city hotel.
Several drinks are set out nearby.
From left: oolong tea, jasmine tea and drinking water.
Ice is provided as well, so you can enjoy them chilled.
Other drinks, alcohol and light Western-style food are sold separately.
A Finnish-style sauna stands immediately beside the pool.
Water is released automatically from time to time, making it feel intensely hot.
The unusual interior evokes the seabed. I cannot tell whether the soundtrack is waves or underwater sound,
but it is clearly the sound of the sea.
It seems a welcome way to unwind after traveling.
The hotel has two sauna arrangements:
the poolside shared sauna and a private sauna.
The private sauna was JPY 4,000 for two people for two hours, a somewhat expensive option to me.
Towels and pajamas are provided.
Two bottles of water in the refrigerator save bringing your own.
The hinoki-cypress sauna has a lovely wood aroma.
Pouring water from the container by the entrance
quickly raises the perceived heat inside.
There is plenty of ice in the bathroom for a cold-water cool-down.
The source describes filling the bathtub and adding ice for a Finnish-style sauna-and-cold-bath experience; follow the facility’s instructions rather than these remarks as a procedure.
Quite a bracing sensation.
For dinner, I buy what I fancy at a nearby supermarket and assemble my own little ‘kaiseki’ meal.
The following morning, we come for breakfast.
The main feature is a build-your-own sandwich.
A variety of fillings lets you put together something satisfying.
Thick roast pork, bacon and ham are among my favorites.
Japanese and Okinawan dishes are available to one side.
Alongside the sandwich, we try Okinawa soba and goya champuru, a bitter-melon stir-fry.
The curry is reportedly a highlight; the butter chicken curry is genuinely delicious.
Travelers who focus on Okinawa’s resorts sometimes overlook city hotels.
With many resorts a long way from the airport, spending the final night at a well-equipped hotel like this
could make the return journey more comfortable.
hotel androoms Naha Port
Hotel androoms Naha Port
CONCEPT | hotel androoms Naha Port | Solare Official Hotel and Resort Reservation Website
A hotel with an ‘&’ to enrich the story of a night away. What do people truly need to spend rewarding time at a hotel in the city? After asking that question repeatedly, hotel androoms… [The original linked excerpt ends here.]
www.hotel-androoms.com