The next stop on my journey through Okinawa was Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture.
I stayed at the Hotel Grantia Naha, being part of the group Route Inn Hotels, a modern hotel not far from Naha port. It is about a 12-minute walk to Asahibashi Monorail Station and a 30-minute walk to Kokusai-dori, the city’s main street. There you can find lots of stores, restaurants and bars and also the Heiwa-dori Shopping Arcade. Very interesting as well is Makishi Public Market where you can find all the ingredients of the Okinawa cuisine like subtropical seafood, local pork and island vegetables.
Other tourist attractions include the Tsushima-maru Memorial Museum and Naminoue shrine, a Shinto shrine located on top of a cliff overlooking Naminoue beach and the ocean. Unfortunately you are also looking at a horrible bridge with heavy traffic passing through. Another interesting spot in the surroundings of the hotel is the Fukushu En Park, a beautiful Chinese garden with a pond, an artificial hill, a waterfall and various sculptures.
Just in front of the hotel there is a large supermarket where you can find everything you need. Furthermore there are some restaurants, a couple of convenience stores and several izakayas nearby. I recommend the izakayas if you want to try the local cuisine.
The guestrooms, featuring modern and stylish furniture, are comfortable and cozy. Guests can enjoy free wired high-speed internet access in all rooms. Complimentary wireless internet access is also available in public areas; alternatively, an internet point is located in the lobby.
From 6:30 am to 9:30 am the hotel offers a buffet style breakfast in the restaurant, featuring a quite good selection of fresh food like rice, sausages, chips, salad, fruit, cereals, jams, juices, milk, coffee, dairy products, different breads, pastries…
The hotel staff was excellent, and they all were very polite and friendly.
For those of you traveling by car it is good to know that free parking is available on site. For those of you arriving by air, the hotel is not far from the airport either; it is just a 15-minute drive from Naha airport.
