DE S T INAT IONS
Mihama American Village is gaudy and gauche but it’s fun if you’re in the holiday spirit
Te tour is relatively short 36
and very interesting, and you’re free to wander Shurijo Castle Park aſterwards, which offers panoramic views across the city and out to sea. Okinawa has many more
cultural highlights, but if you simply need some relaxation between meetings, the Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort’s adult- only outdoor pool is a good place to while away a couple of hours. In a stroke of genius, the hotel created this and a shallow family pool just far enough apart (over a walking bridge) to keep everyone happy. Sipping a cocktail, I admired the long sweep of the property’s west-facing façade, designed like a wave and offering sea views from almost all 346 rooms. In summer last year Hilton opened another property
next door under its Doubletree brand, keen to benefit from Chatan district’s status as a major tourist destination on the island. As well as being close to Sunset Beach and Okinawa’s remaining US air base, Chatan is also home to Mihama American Village, four blocks of land devoted to a Japanese rendering of leisure-lifestyle Americana that’s rooted in Okinawa’s large US military population of decades ago, and now teems with tourists by day and night. It’s gaudy and gauche, but fun if you’re in the holiday
spirit. A ferris wheel stands over one “Carnival” mall; an American Depot store boasts pirate statues and convertible cars on the walls; and there’s a multiplex cinema, and colourful Tex-Mex style buildings filled with pizza and taco joints, fashion stores and ice-cream parlours – be sure to try Okinawa’s famed salted flavour.
MAR CH 2 0 19 Tere are plenty of other tourist districts
on the west coast. South of Chatan is Araha Beach and Ginowan, where the Okinawa Convention Centre and neighbouring
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Mihama American Village; Kokusai Dori; Hilton Okinawa Chatan Resort
Laguna Garden Hotel are situated in an expansive green space (with its own baseball park) next to a marina. North of Chatan in the central part of the island is
Onna Village, a laid-back enclave that has seen a number of resort openings in recent years, such as Hotel Monterey, Moon Beach, the ANA Intercontinental Manza Beach and properties from Renaissance, Sheraton, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton. Te new Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island was added to the mix in summer last year.
FISHY BUSINESS In all of these areas – Naha included – day trips around the island are available, with a particular focus on the many water activities possible in this pristine marine environment. With deep marine trenches nearby, and carefully managed reefs that flourish on warm currents and plentiful nutrients, Okinawa and the nearby collection of islands called the Keramas are blessed with wonderful snorkelling and diving potential. Dive thrills just off the central Okinawan shoreline
include feeding batfish off Maeda Point, swimming with sea life off Sunabe Seawall, marvelling at the rock → CONTINUED ON PAGE 84
bus ine s s tr a v el ler .c om
JEREMY TREDINNICK/ALAMY/ISTOCK
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