Hyakuna Garan
C · 6.2 / 10situational
Hyakuna Garan is an 18-room property in Nanjo on Okinawa's main island, and its standalone Garan Annex is immense at 130 square meters, with a rooftop hot tub and a panoramic ocean view; like most Okinawa properties it has no onsen. KI-NRT's four nights there in December 2020 were enjoyable, with warm service and the Goya Champuru and desserts among the highlights, but the furnishings were dated, the local beef fell flat, and it isn't a beach destination, so his hunt for a true Okinawa luxury ryokan continues.
Scores
Food 3 / 5
The food is unique and varied, built on local Okinawan produce, seafood and seaweed, and staff explain each ingredient. Some of it hit and some missed: the Goya Champuru (bitter melon with Agu pork, egg and tofu) was fantastic, as was the Okinawan soba, and each dessert brought at least five little bites. But the local beef was tough, chewy and bland with no marbling, and KI-NRT would have preferred one taste and then wagyu from elsewhere.
Bath 2.5 / 5
There is no onsen at Hyakuna Garan, as at the vast majority of Okinawa properties. The Garan Annex has a hot tub on its rooftop terrace with a commanding view of the ocean, but it is heated water and no hot spring.
Service 4 / 5
Service was of generally high quality, and everyone was warm, gracious and attentive. The manner is easier than at a typical luxury Japanese hotel, though never overly familiar, which KI-NRT found right for an island resort as opposed to a buttoned-up city hotel.
Room 3 / 5
The Garan Annex Bekkan is a stand-alone 130m² unit plus two terraces (the rooftop one with hot tub and ocean view), and the only room that takes children. It has a bedroom with two large Western beds, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room with a table for eight, almost too large for its own good. But the whole resort is in so-so shape, with furnishings straight out of the 80s and cheap-looking, and KI-NRT thinks a refurbishment is overdue.
Place 4 / 5
Hyakuna Garan is in Nanjo, quite a distance from Naha, which is a plus or a minus depending on your plans; for KI-NRT it was a hideaway from the city and from the cold that grips Honshu in winter. The main restaurant and the Annex rooftop look out over the ocean. With a rental car it made a good base for Okinawa World, Sefa Utaki and Gangala Valley, but it is not really a beach destination, so look elsewhere if that is what you want.
Getting there
- Naha — ~0h35, 0 transfers (estimated). ~30-35 min by car from central Naha to the inn.
- Naha Airport — ~0h35, 0 transfers (estimated). ~35 min by car from Naha Airport to the inn.