Hotel Kanaloa

I stayed at this hotel and was very pleased with my experience! The restaurant was excellent with delicious food, and the rooms were clean and cozy. The hallways were also well-maintained. I especially appreciated the convenient location near the port and the hotel’s shuttle service to the beaches. One minor downside is the lack of an elevator — you’ll need to carry your luggage up to the third floor. However, the staff are always happy to help and willingly carry your bags, so it’s not a major issue. Overall, it’s a wonderful place to stay — I highly recommend it!

I would give more than 5 stars if possible to this hotel! Extremely courteous and kind staff - they have a shuttle bus to send and collect guests from Aheren beach or Tokashiku beach. The hotel is very modern and rooms are not huge but spotless with everything you need. I had dinner in the restaurant one night and the sushi was exceptional. Definitely recommend staying here - for people who understand and respect Japanese culture and cleanliness, in the style of ryokan there is rule of no outdoor shoes in the hotel please 🙏

A very modern, clean hotel with friendly English-speaking staff and a commendable restaurant (see my separate review of their restaurant for pics). Pros: Very close to the port, and they can pick you up if needed. There are about 4 parking spots by the hotel otherwise. You can only wear indoor slippers inside, which helps to keep the interior clean. The rooms are standard-sized for Japan, so small but efficiently set-up. I could open my carry-on easily, but there might not be enough space to leave a larger suitcase open. The rooms are also spotless, with many power outlets (probably helped by the newness of the building). Pajamas provided. The attached restaurant serves great food and has a water dispenser so you can refill water bottles. There is coin laundry on the first floor as well as an accessible bathroom, which I thought was a nice touch. The few food options in this part of the island are all within a few minutes’ walk. Late check-out up to 2 pm is also available for a fee so you can still shower if you’re planning to snorkel then take the 4 pm ferry back! Cons: A few minor issues kept this from being 5 stars. There is no elevator, so if you’re on the second or third floor, be prepared to carry your luggage up. To be fair, the staff offers to help you with that, and the stairs are wide enough that it’s not much of a problem. However, the rooms and towels smell musty. I know that in humid, tropical climates it can be difficult to dry clothes and prevent mold, but as someone with a sensitive nose it was unpleasant. Also, my friend’s room was given two hand towels instead of one hand towel and a bath mat. The mattresses are extremely hard, so although I slept fine, I wouldn’t say I enjoyed my night’s sleep. The soundproofing near the doors is nonexistent, so just by standing in the corridor, I could hear people from multiple rooms coughing, using the bathroom, and so on. It was a little embarrassing to think someone outside my room could potentially hear everything I was doing inside. In addition, the breakfast was overwhelmingly lackluster. I understand since it’s included in the price and not prepared by the restaurant chef, there isn’t much incentive to make it good, but we were sadly disappointed. The western option is basically a bunch of pre-prepared stuff they arrange on a plate, and the Japanese option is about 6 side dishes plus reheated frozen fish. It probably wouldn’t have seemed so middling if we didn’t already have the precious night’s dinner to compare to. Finally, it was pouring rain the couple days we were there, but the hotel didn’t even offer umbrellas. I finally scavenged one from the umbrella stand but when I asked the staff for permission to use it, he didn’t even know it belonged to the hotel until I pointed out the sticker with the hotel’s name on it. A few more for guest use would not have gone amiss. Overall, it was a comfortable stay, if a liiittle expensive for what it is (understandable given the location), but thank you to all the staff who smiled at us, greeted us, or helped us!