Ana Intercontinental Ishigaki Resort, An Ihg Hotel

“Great resort hotel”

My son has raved about this hotel, and we decided that we would like to try it. After a short flight from Naha, we arrived and quickly got to the hotel. At the front we were met with friendly staff who took us to the club lounge check in. In a lovely area we sat and had a welcome drink as they expl… more

My son has raved about this hotel, and we decided that we would like to try it. After a short flight from Naha, we arrived and quickly got to the hotel. At the front we were met with friendly staff who took us to the club lounge check in. In a lovely area we sat and had a welcome drink as they explained everything to us. A nice soap gift was given to my wife. The room was great, large with a great view, nice big shower/bath, with comfortable beds, a sofa and large balcony. The entertainment system was first class, with many options. The rest of the hotel was also great, the pools, so clean and well cared for. There were many dining options and the hotel offers different play areas for children, near the hotel and at the beach. Afternoon tea was great, as was the cocktail time, with many choices of foods and drinks. All in all, it was a fantastic stay and the staff and facilities were all first class. Will definitely stay here again!

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“Lovely but perhaps a split personality?”

This was a lovely hotel that may have a split personality. The Ocean Wing, where the taxi dropped us, seems like the older part of the hotel. It houses the Japanese, Chinese and cafe/buffet restaurants as well as the spa and gym. The Bay Wing, where our room was, was updated and lovely. The room wa… more

This was a lovely hotel that may have a split personality. The Ocean Wing, where the taxi dropped us, seems like the older part of the hotel. It houses the Japanese, Chinese and cafe/buffet restaurants as well as the spa and gym. The Bay Wing, where our room was, was updated and lovely. The room was not overly spacious but had enough room for the 2 beds (no king bed rooms available) and a small couch and a nice view. Beds were comfy. The pools on the Bay side were beautiful and access to the public beach was just a few steps away. The Bay side has a buffet/ala carte restaurant as well as a lounge that offers happy hour. The queuing system for breakfast worked fine even when the buffet seemed to be busy but required a little bit of advanced planning. We made reservations for dinner but nothing seemed overly crowded. The food overall was good/ok. The gym was a little sad but well-equipped. We didn't use the spa but the entranceway did not look at all inviting or relaxing. There is a free shuttle that runs between the 2 wings of the hotel which was great on the nights of pouring rain. There aren't a lot of restaurant options within easy walking distance but the taxi to town was not expensive and provided many more options. The hotel caters primarily to Japanese tourists but there are some English speaking 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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