As always, we have been having a great trip in Japan (and S Korea) with incredible interactions and experiences, fascinating culture and food. Nonetheless, we have been coping with heavy winds at times, which brings down the temperature and unpredictable weather. We recall, earlier on this trip, taking refuge in a hotel for a few nights so that we would have shelter from a typhoon, and when it has rained…it has been at times quite severe…unridable. Weather in the world is certainly becoming more extreme. Perhaps this is why we have both succumbed to a bug that just won’t go away. We debated about what to do with our remaining time in Okinawa and we came up with a brilliant plan….return to 2 of the Wellness Hotels we have enjoyed in the past and stay put for 3 nights in each place. The perk is that each hotel has a phenomenal onsen which is available to us as often as we like. We will then head to Naha and spend our final 5 days in this capital city which we have become very fond of.
We are first going to stay at the EM Wellness Resort.
Luckily for us, some of the Christmas and New Year decorations were still in place. This is the Kagamimochi, a New Year decoration made of 2 Mochis with an orange on top.
The boat shaped mosaic piece is filled with water and the overflow creates a fountain to the lower level. The colourful fans are a Christmas decoration.
At home, some businesses have a best employee of the month recognition, but we liked this approach at EM, the best smiler of the month. It must be hard to choose as we find that all of the workers have a ready smile and eagerness to serve.
Christmas and New Year decorations this year feature lots of bamboo, plants, red ball shapes and lots of colour. We are happy to be back at this hotel. The setting and environment can’t help but make you relax and enjoy where you are.
We stayed here on our last trip to Okinawa and some of the staff remembered us. Wow! They also remembered that we like our trikes undercover and they ushered them inside to park them in the lobby. Considering we looked like drowned rats and our trikes were wet, we appreciated their hospitality.
Mary Ellen is in the gift shop. We like seeing the Okinawan instrument, the Sanshin on display. Okinawan are very proud of this unique instrument. It has 3 strings and is often covered in snakeskin.
EM Wellness Lifestyle Resort has been around a long time. It was originally built as a Sheraton Hotel in 1972. The facilities and size of rooms is grand, but it is aging. We don’t mind, as it is comfortable and offers so much. Few hotels have their smallest room (ours) a size of 35 sq m. It is fairly close to an American base near Chatan and we always expect to see more foreigners. We were one of the few foreigners…we saw one other fellow from London whose partner is Japanese. People in Japan loves to frequent places like this with incredible Onsens, in a beautiful natural setting.
We have a room with an expansive view of the town of Chatan and the ocean. Our room is grand in size (35 sq m), modest with 2 beds, bathroom and a sitting area with 2 chairs and a table. We are always pleased that the rate is quite modest as well…and I guess that is due to its age.
The Spa….this is one of the reasons we come here. The onsen is excellent with a number of pools with therapeutic, hot springs to choose from, a steam room and sauna, plus quiet lounge areas for recovery. For hotel guests it is free with unlimited access…and the public can pay to enter.
We met this woman at the library who shares our love of books and children’s books, but she loves finding them in English. She has a reading group and delights in having members who are Japanese and English speaking.
EM Wellness Resort embodies its ideal….every aspect of the hotel is designed to foster wellness from the food they prepare..local and organic, to the environment surrounding the hotel, to the Onsen, the bathroom products supplied, the quality of the air you breathe etc. No shortcuts allowed. It sounds cliche perhaps, but we find the environment created here to be very relaxing and restorative. Just what we need.
The breakfast buffet is huge with authentic Okinawan specialities. We like these plates they offer as you can pace yourself with small bites. The honey is made from hives onsite, the veggies and fruit are grown here or local, meat is local etc.
