The Hyatt Regency Seragaki has been one of my original favorite hotels even before it was upgraded to a category 5 property. It’s situated on the northern side of Okinawa’s main island and sits on top of its own cozy little island. 

I came here for the first time during Covid with low expectations but the place has been fabulous throughout the years. 

I had one last weekend before the end of summer break so I decided to go for a weekend getaway and learned they just celebrated their 5 yr anniversary. Until now, the lack of crowds was something I took for granted.

Being a Globalist member, I’ve been able to stay in numerous suites and rooms, which I’m sure you can find online from other well-established travel or influencer blogs.

It’s safe to say that, just like any other Hyatt property, all the amenities you have come to expect are there, plus the Japanese standard of Hyatt, which includes impeccable service, unbelievable attention to detail, and super super clean everything. Once again, it’s amazing that everybody can do this without getting tipped.

The main attraction here is the variety of pools, it’s cute little beach and the view ( if you get the good side of the building facing the ocean.)

One of the first things you see when crossing the bridge onto the property is the private beach on the left-hand side. To be honest, it’s quite small and on low tides, it looks like a kiddy pool. However, it’s not too bad when you actually go to it. They keep the buoys floating around to keep the jellyfish out. Unfortunately, it also keeps many of the larger size fish out as well. If you have some goggles, you can still look underwater and see some nice tropical fish. I was lucky enough to find a blue starfish once. It’s worth noting that snorkeling is not allowed. The sand is soft and you can also see hermit crabs, which make for great sand playing fun. (not for the hermit crabs themselves tho…) The water is extremely warm during the summer, but it was a bit chilly when we went in November. The hotel offers lounge chairs and umbrellas free of charge, but you have to go early to get your spot. We usually just drop by for an hour or so and head back up to the numerous pools or leave the property altogether to head up to some of the more beautiful northern beaches on the island.

It may be called Hyatt Regency, but this is definitely a tropical resort property! The pools are one of the main draws and attractions of this hotel and it doesn’t disappoint. There are two Infiniti style pools, one on top and one right by the ocean. The lower pool is designed as a sort of artificial beach and has a little side area where kids can enjoy rides in paddleboats. This is definitely the pool to be at during sunset and what a great experience! It is flanked by some VIP lounge chairs, which I never get to use …but they are there. The upper pools include three sections. One side houses the kiddy pool where they sometimes put in little colorful balls, and the opposite side has a jet-bath style area where you can lounge. This upper deck pool is also an infinity design so if you sit back just right, it looks like you are connected to the ocean. Despite having many lounge, chairs around, they fill up quite fast, so like with any other resort, be on the lookout for an open seat. They also have full drink and food service as well. There is also an indoor pool with a Jacuzzi for when it is chilly outside or if you were looking for a more controlled environment. Either way, the pictures speak for themselves, and this is where we were for most of our stay.

Food menus, especially breakfast, is where the Japanese Hyatt properties truly shine. There is an endless selection of fresh vegetables, salads, local foods, and cooked cuisine which you can choose from. This hotel also offers a choice between western breakfast and the Japanese breakfast. My favorites for the western breakfast are the eggs, Benedict and local foods. The steak is a nice touch, but they are a bit thin and tough. That’s more of a Japanese problem than the hotel itself. Unless it’s Wagyu beef, beef, and Japan is expensive so don’t expect it to be as great as the fish selections throughout the country.

When I went during Covid, I took for granted how empty the place was, but this past trip brought me to reality. There were lines everywhere with Japanese and tourists from Southeast Asia. It wouldn’t be so bad if the Asian tourists could be patient and wait in line but I guess that’s a whole different story.

The Regency lounge is stocked with great soft drinks and snacks. Cocktail hour  is always nice and they really upped to their game for food offerings. During Covid, it was just finger foods, but this time they had lasagna and other dishes so we didn’t even need to go out to eat for dinner.

One cool bit of trivia that the hotel told my kids was that there are three hidden hearts embedded in the stone pathway outside the hotel. Next time you are there, see if you can find them! It’s not as easy as it looks. lol

The property has great food, and great pools, but the real reason I keep coming back is for this view. If you can get the ocean, Sideview, you’ll notice that the hotel sits on a big chunk of volcanic rock looking land. On top, there is nice vegetation, and a small wedding chapel to the left. There is a small lagoon with substantial water level changes depending on the tide, but nothing beats opening up the sliding door to your room and looking outside at a beautiful sunset or a beautiful see-through ocean. It’s different from Hawaii, it’s different from the other islands and this is truly unique. You can see to thethe intercontinental hotel across the bay to the left and sneak a peek at their fireworks show sometimes. However, I really think this property is set on a very special piece of land and that’s what gives it its charm.

All in all, like I said, this is one of my favorite hotel properties, and I hope that you get to visit one day.

Have you been here and if so, how was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!

Chirihama Nagisa Beach Drive Way was one of the more surprising activities that we enjoyed during our stay in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture.

Little did we know that it is one of the most recommended tourist spots in Uozu City.

The exclusive and unique road is an approximately 8-kilometer-long sandy drive along Chirihama Beach.

Not only cars, but also buses, motorcycles, and bicycles can travel along the sandy beach.

The exhilarating feeling of driving by the water’s edge is quite addictive once you experience it! I only meant to drive it once but ended up driving it EVERY time we went from Kanazawa to Noto Peninsula and I enjoyed 3-4 beach days by parking along side the road. The summer water was super warm and it was one of the most memorable places on my trip.

The secret of this road lies in the size of the sand. It’s super fine, almost like a powder and features grains that are about 0.2 millimeters in size.

Sand of the same size solidifies firmly by absorbing seawater and makes it possible to drive over whether it’s a two-wheel drive or a four-wheel drive vehicle.

More than anything however, it just feels weird and fun driving on the sand and having the waves break so close to your car. Definitely a must try!

Take a look at the Naminoko gai, and Funabashi gai digging onto the sand. They are all over the beach and kept us entertained for hours. They are famous for “riding” the waves and then burrowing into the sand as the waves retreat.

Supposedly, they have a very great flavor and people have used it since the old days for miso soup and other broths.

Here is a live cam of the Chirihama Nagisa Drive cam.