Hotel Moon Beach, established in 1975, is one of the oldest hotels in Okinawa. In Okinawa, where there are many new hotels, this is a precious hotel where you can feel a retro tropical resort. The hotel was quite luxurious when it first opened, but it has been well-renovated and is a comfortable place to stay.
Point 1: Hotel Moon Beach is Okinawa’s first full-scale resort hotel!
©沖縄観光コンベンションビューロー
Hotel Moon Beach, established in 1975, the year Okinawa Ocean Expo was held, is Okinawa’s first full-fledged resort hotel, about 50 minutes by car from Naha Airport.
Although the hotel has a history of more than 40 years, the renovation has been completed in areas that need to be spruced up while retaining the retro aspects of the hotel, giving it a good sense of taste.
I was surprised when I first entered the hotel! The interior is overgrown with many tropical plants. Tropical natural light pours in from the ceiling, and a refreshing breeze, different from the one created by air conditioning, blows through the room. It felt like a tropical hotel I had been to in the distant past.
The ceiling with natural light and the breezy lobby was probably state-of-the-art at the time of opening, and the architecture must have been quite luxurious.
Taking advantage of the fact that it was Okinawa’s first resort hotel and has been established for 40 years, the hotel still utilizes the architectural qualities of the time to create a one-of-a-kind space that current architecture cannot compete with.
I was surprised again when I entered the room! The rooms are bright and functional with a tropical feel, so much so that it is hard to believe that this is a very long-established hotel. In addition to standard rooms, there are also rooms with a natural image and club rooms.
The hotel is in the same family as Terrace Hotels and MB Gallery, both of which are famous for their contemporary-style hotels!
In Okinawa, where new hotels are everywhere, this is the perfect choice for those who are tired of the same old modern hotels.
Point 2: The retro-style club lounge at Hotel Moon Beach is lovely!
Hotel Moon Beach opened its Residential Club Lounge in 2012. Even in the long history of the hotel, it was impossible to resist the trend of hotels opening club lounges one after another.
However, instead of suddenly creating a new modern lounge, we created a lounge that is somewhat retro and “like an old Hawaiian hotel” with a real sense of style.
The design of the tables and chairs in particular was carefully chosen. The furniture is a combination of Showa-era retro and modern. And the view of the ocean from the large semi-open-air windows is superb!
This lounge is available for Club category guests and above, but check-in and check-out are also done in this lounge, and you can fully enjoy yourself in this lounge from breakfast, where champagne is also served, to aperitif from 5:30 pm, and snacks and soft drink service until 8 pm.
I have never heard of champagne being served with breakfast even in the Club Lounge! I am suddenly very excited!
However, it seems that the lounge is unavoidably far from the club category rooms, perhaps because it was added later.
Point 3: There is a private island at Hotel Moon Beach!
Hotel Moon Beach has its own private island. I have never heard of a hotel in Japan that has a private island.
The name of the island is “YO Island,” and it is a 15-minute boat ride from the Moon Beach Pier. You can easily go there with a bathing suit and sandals. There is also a totem pole standing near the pier, giving it a tropical Showa-era feel!
There are two types of tours available: a picnic tour (currently on temporary hiatus) and an eco & snorkeling tour.
The eco & snorkeling tour takes 2.5 hours. The snorkeling experience on the beach, which is even clearer than Moon Beach, allows you to see a large number of tropical fish “just like in an aquarium.
