jpatokal

So I'm starting to plot a visit to Okinawa around March 2013. Last time I did the Ishigaki-Iriomote-Taketomi loop solo, staying in Y3000-a-night flophouses and youth hostels and loving it; but this time the whole family's coming along, including the in-laws, so I'll have to kick it up a notch.

Fortunately there appears to be quite a crop of recently built luxury hotels since I last looked. Ritz-Carlton Okinawa on the main island (Nago) seems mostly aimed at the wealthy golfer set, but Hoshinoya Taketomi is not only on my favorite island in all Japan, but looks pretty amazing. Advance rates from Y10000/pp too, excluding meals... which seem to consist of "French-influenced nouvelle Okinawan" cuisine at Y12,000+ a serve, which I'm actually glad to steer clear of. Googling a bit further, Peace Island Taketomi seems to provide basically the same kind of experience, only with less style and lot less cost. Hmm.

Any other ideas? Miyakojima's been on my to-do list for a while, but I'm open to pretty much any option reachable by direct flight from Tokyo. Small boutique-y resorts preferred; doesn't have to be super luxury either, but baa-chan's standards plus jii-chan's mobility issues mean that we probably need something a cut above your average minshuku. And access to good diving is always a bonus.

hailstorm

Busena Terrace isn't "boutique", but the Club Cottages are very nice, and the best ones even come with their own pool. This resort hosted the 2000 G8 Summit and features some interesting memorabilia from that memorable occasion. I think it's worthy of a night or two of your time.

jpatokal

Two years on, and this is finally happening! Part Abenomics, but mostly because of this NHK drama (curses!), prices on Taketomi have gone through the roof. Hoshinoya now wants Y40,000/person/night (), so we're slumming it at the Peace Island, where you can still squeeze in two adults and offspring for under Y30,000/night total with breakfast & dinner included.

But thanks for the Busena tip, will check it out if/when we finally visit the main island... someday...

msp3

If the centerpiece of my Okinawa trip is a 7-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton Okinawa, How should I go about planning day trips to the outer islands? Would it be more practical to stay at the IC Ishigaki?

The idea is to go HNL -> TPE -> ISG or OKA (all on SkyMiles), local flights & ferries, and then OKA -> TYO -> HNL (all on MileagePlus) on the way out

armagebedar

How much time will you be spending at the RC? It is located at the other end of the expressway from the airport, so that is about an hour of travel time at least.

Also, which "outer islands" are you planning to visit? Some are best accessed from the main Okinawa island, while others are easier to get to via Ishigaki or Miyako.

msp3

It will be 7 nights (or 5 if they let a lowly Gold like me get away with it) with a Marriott package, we do plan to rent a car to get around. A highlight for me would be Iriomote, would really love to see the cat species there. Would also like to visit one of those small islands where its all preserved and water buffalo walk around like Taketomi. In general, would like to see the corals, manta rays, and take a SUP out from the beach. Spouse has a diving license, does not dive in practice. I don't have one at all and never got around to getting one.

There's so many islands to visit though and I'm not sure where else is the best choice to spend the limited time we have. The entire trip will be 9-10 days max, basically a workweek plus the two weekends. Interisland, we can pay for ANA flights with miles, but none of us have JAL miles and would be paid fares.

jib71

It seems to me that you would enjoy spending most of your time in the Yaeyama islands (based on Ishigaki, with day trips or overnight trips to Iriomote and Taketomi). To get there from HNL, it looks like most routes take you through OKA. That might give you the opportunity to spend some time on Okinawa island and drive around the island.

Much as I like Taipei, I would be inclined to skip it in this 9 day trip. YMMV. Perhaps this works?:
Outbound = HNL -> HND -> OKA (with NH)
Return = ISG -> NGO (with NH) and NGO -> HNL (with DL) or
ISG -> HND (bus to NRT) and NRT -> HNL

I guess this doesn't make best use of your hotel points, but perhaps you could use cash for your stay on Okinawa Island, points for a stay on Ishigaki. I would also try to stay at a small Minshuku (B&B) on Taketomi. YMMV.

EDIT - Worth considering if you can take advantage of these air fares for any domestic flights in Japan that you want:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2364.html

msp3

The problem is I only have enough points for 1/2 of a night at the IC Ishigaki, while having lots more Marriott points to spend. And going for a Marriott package would make me spend 7 nights somewhere. Should I give up on the package idea at this point?

Also, are the air passes useful anymore since the LCC boom? Or are the low prices only when you fly from the middle of nowhere (say, IBR) to a destination? i.e. interisland flights are still expensive

jib71

It seems to me that using points will restrict you to being in one location. Only you can determine if that's compatible with the experience you want to have in Okinawa. If you fancy hopping around various islands, perhaps this is not the trip to use those points.

I guess you need to price compare. Schedule will probably trump price as a point of consideration. I think air passes might be the best option when it comes to connecting with Trans-Pac flights.

PS - Unless you're worried that I'm going to redact some contentious point in my post, there's no need to quote the entire thing.

msp3

Sorry I just hit the quote button on reply as a bad habit

AlwaysAisle

Both ANA and JAL have Visit Japan fare for non-Japanese visitors (I think 10,800 yen pre flight segment) which I think is good deal competitive with LCC fares. Given Visit Japan fare include seat assignment, two free checked baggage, etc. I think using Visit Japan Fare on HND-OKA is one of the best way to take advantage of Visit Japan Fare. Both ANA and JAL has HND-ISG (Ishigaki) non-stop twice daily. If you can get Visit Japan Fare on those flight then you really are getting good deal.

Even on island hopping between Naha and Ishigaki, JAL's 28 days advance purchase is 7,700 yen and full fare is 25,800 yen. Visit Japan Fare is not that bad deal even for Naha - Ishigaki flight.

Also unlike LCC, Visit Japan Fare is available on wide range of flight options. Where cheapest fare on LCC is often limited to a flight departing at 6 a.m. or a flight arriving at 11 p.m. And yes, you can find cheap fares to Naha on Skymark Airlines from IBR if you want to venture out to Ibaraki...