Ana Intercontinental Ishigaki Resort, An Ihg Hotel

“Honeymoon hotel of dreams”

We stayed here for the last portion of our honeymoon trip to Japan. I could not recommend this hotel more! They were SO lovely and thoughtful, really helping us to celebrate our honeymoon. The spa was also incredible, the massage we had was fantastic. We felt like we were staying in heaven. Would 1… more

We stayed here for the last portion of our honeymoon trip to Japan. I could not recommend this hotel more! They were SO lovely and thoughtful, really helping us to celebrate our honeymoon. The spa was also incredible, the massage we had was fantastic. We felt like we were staying in heaven. Would 10000% recommend and can't wait to visit again. arigatōgozaimasu to all of the staff!!!

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“Extra charges”

The resort and rooms themselves are nice, but more on the dated side. The food onsite is pretty good, considering there aren't many options walkable nearby. Before checkin, I was informed that I would need to pay an extra 8000Yen per night for the child I reserved for that is over 6 so is an adult… more

The resort and rooms themselves are nice, but more on the dated side. The food onsite is pretty good, considering there aren't many options walkable nearby. Before checkin, I was informed that I would need to pay an extra 8000Yen per night for the child I reserved for that is over 6 so is an adult. Upon checkin, I was informed that because I reserved for 1 adult and 2 kids, that I would be charged 8000Yen x 2 per night for the two children even though the room itself fit 2 adults. I chose not to waste time arguing at checkin or checkout. After settling in, we headed to one of two of three pools. There are two outdoor and one indoor. Surprised there was no onsen at this resort. We also headed to Maesato beach. We spent the next day at this beach as well. The beach has actually been divided into several areas with one for Ocean Park, which is an inflatable park. This is a per day cost and each session starts at the top of the hour and ends after 60 minutes. You have to put your name down for the session. It was fun, but one of my kids got scratched up climbing up and over one of the edges, maybe the velcro. Another section is just for swimming and it is crowded. There are couple clusters of coral that have fishes swimming around. On either side of these two areas are non swimming, one for boats and one for SUP etc. We got told not to swim in the SUP area. The room itself in the main Ocean Wing was nice. It has an entry hallway leading to a closet on one side and the bathroom and small refrigerator/mini bar on the other. The toilet is separate from shower and bathtub and extra sink. We saw Maesato beach from our balcony but it does not face sunrise or sunset head on. As with most hotels in Japan, they have PJs, toiletries etc. Coin laundry on 3rd and 7th floor. I spent some time looking for it since the map was not clear. Ocean Wing is convenient but we saw some rooms in Coral wing had bunk beds and looked a bit newer as did the wing in front of Sunrise pool. For our first dinner, we tried the buffet and it was really good. For breakfast, we used the online waitlist but at the expense of seeming like I was nagging, I did not ask the hostess when it was our turn since the website showed that it was not yet our turn. When it got close to closing time of 10:30am, I ventured to ask and they made it seem like I should've told them I was waiting . I guess you should check in with the hostess rather than rely on the online waitlist. Since our breakfast was short, I packed up some snacks for lunch on the beach. For dinner that night, there is a restaurant across the street I tried to reserve, but you need a Japan phone number so they can call to confirm. Should've had the concierge do that. Oh on the topic of concierge, I wanted to do a half day manta ray snorkel and had been corresponding with them via email. However, when we arrive the person was off that day and it tours were full. I had also tried to book on the web, but none of them replied and the vendor the concierge recommended did not actually turn up in my web search. So we did not do a manta ray snorkel. I don't think we will be coming back to this resort or Ishigaki. It might not be worth the trek if you don't scuba dive or snorkel.

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“5-star prices with 3-4 star service”

5-star prices with 3-4 star service Spent 4 nights at ANA Intercontinental Ishigaki. We stayed in an Ocean Wing seafront room. While the overall experience was positive, there were some key hiccups: Pros: 1. Quite a pretty property with its own beach that is free to use for hotel guests; 2. Brea… more

5-star prices with 3-4 star service Spent 4 nights at ANA Intercontinental Ishigaki. We stayed in an Ocean Wing seafront room. While the overall experience was positive, there were some key hiccups: Pros: 1. Quite a pretty property with its own beach that is free to use for hotel guests; 2. Breakfast staff at Sunset Coast were excellent; 3. Jean at the tour desk was super knowledgeable and helpful. He recommended a wonderful snorkeling tour operator. Cons: 1. Service level can vary a lot probably because the hotel has a hard time hiring/training staff. We had buffet dinner at Saltida and plates would be piled all over the table and still no one came to clear (see photo); 2. The dinner buffet at Saltida, while at JPY6,500/person was not too expensive, had sub-par offerings and limited selections. 3. The breakfast online queuing system can be a bit annoying - you have no idea how long you have to wait or how many parties are ahead of you; 4. The lack of lifeguards at the pools is a concern, especially with lots of children playing around; 5. No pool side service expected in a typical 5-star resort. You cannot even order a drink at the pool. 6. Why heat the indoor pool during summer time? 7. Some facilities were a bit rundown - the Ocean Wing pool looked dirty at the bottom and the table tennis table had worn out paddles and dented balls. While it was a pleasant stay overall, don’t expect the typical Intercontinental standard.

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