CONTRIBUTED BY STACI HAWLEY
You know your weekend is going to go well when you find two stones on the beach- both in the shape of lovely hearts.
Eventhough my "heart" is with Okuma- I decided to venture out to those "awesome cabins". I've continually heard raving reviews about the cottages at Ourawan- but after almost two years of trying to get a reservation, I was frustrated. The cabins are a bit hard to get- there are only eight cabins on the site. I had sent several emails and made a few phone calls. Finally, I went directly into the westpac (go past reservations, to your first door on the right) where I was able to directly make a reservation. Click here to see the OuraWan site.
Below is a photo of our cabin and the beautiful patio:
The cottage is decorated with leather furniture, pretty tiling and lots of room to just hang out. They have game boy stuff attached to the tv- (not sure of actual name of that techno-game-attachment-stuff, but you get the picture).
We stayed in the Shisa cabin, which had two bedrooms/bathrooms a large kitchen and a dining room. Swanky stuff.
Here is a picture of the balcony- plenty of patio furniture to hang out and enjoy your perfect BBQ:
The "cul-de-sac" of cabins:
This is the beach at Ourawan. There are steps close to the cabins- so you can make your way seaside. There are also two small playgrounds (at the end of the court) to let the kids play.
This is the amazing view from the balcony of the Shisa cabin:
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Here's a pic of the well stocked kitchen. No sporks reside here:
It's not everyday that you have a glass paned door- with an ocean view:
I was touched to find a leather guestbook laden with interesting memories of previous travelers. We too left our mark, and a big thanks to MCCS for such a wonderful place to get away.
Overall, it was a relaxing and fun weekend. I'd recommend bringing food from the comissary and some seriously marinated protein to throw on that grill. I have to mention that it's just about the cleanest place I've ever been to (running a close second to my parent's home). So take the time to go over to the Westpac and get your reservations- it's well worth it!
Helpful information for booking a reservation:
Cottage office 625-5005
Check in: 1600-Midnight
Check out: 1200
Westpac lodge 645-2455 (I went in here to get reservations in person. Much easier)
Camp Schwab also has the following amenities on site:
Beach Head Club restaurant (where you pick up your keys) 625-2053
Boat rental/ Beach House 625-3683 (Open Friday to Monday 8:30 to 17:00)
There is also a shoppette, small food court, community bank, theatre, bowling and a 50 meter pool.
Wow this sounds great! Out of curiousity, how much did the cabin cost to rent? Do they have different rates for high or low season? Thanks for the post and the pics!!
HI Sarah,
You can go to the MCCS website and the rates are listed. Look under “view rates.” http://www.mccsokinawa.com/lodging/index.asp?lodge=10
So worth it for the price! You cannot beat w/ the amenities that these cottages offer. We stayed in the 2 bedroom but I imagine the 1 bedroom is just as nice too.
Should you choose to bring food-there is a gas grill and “fully” equipped kitchen. Best way to go!
My family has stayed at teh cabins three times since we arrived on Okinawa and we have never had too much trouble securing a date. The trick is to call at 8:00 a.m. the day your dates are released!!
“The trick is to call at 8:00 a.m. the day your dates are released!!”
What does this mean? How do you know when your “dates are released”? Please explain…I am really interested in doing this and could use some advice. Thanks!
We like oura wan as well. It’s also about the halfway point to all the attractions (aquarium, pineapple, park, etc). It’s easy to spend the day there- and come back to schwab. I recommend bringing lots of food (the mini shoppette is pretty limited).
When you have more kitchen counter space than your own apt. you know it’s gotta be good
)
It’s generally only difficult to book on weekends, but if you’re able to stay during the week days it’s pretty easy to get a cottage. At least that’s been our experience…..
What is it like in the off season? My college age children will be coming at Christmas and would like to take them somewhere.
Susan,
I’m not sure what it’s like in the off season- but if your college age kids like to hang out- they’d probably really like the cabins. Okuma has more “stuff” to do- you could actually do both places as Oura wan is halfway to Okuma. Have fun!
Great info Staci. . .I looked at this right before we headed to Oura wan for the weekend. . .and the cottage was immaculate, absolutely beautiful. Dinner at the Beach Head Club was wonderful, Sat night Mongolian BBQ with a great price tag. The only advice I have is to bring some kind of shade for the beach, the boat house doesn’t have beach umbrellas, but they will let you borrow chairs. Also, the 50-m pool is NOT geared toward small kids, the lifeguard kinda looked nervous when we arrived w/ 3 kids under the age of 5! Otherwise a wonderful weekend, we’ll be going back!
I stayed there over spring break and by the third day my kids were totally bored. I have three boys 11, 8 and 8. There is a tiny park for the smaller kids and the beach was not cleaned up and the ocean was rough the entire time we were there so we were not able to rent jet skis or anything. One of the days we were there, we drove to Okuma to be able to get to do some water sports. There is really no where to eat, so bring ALOT of food to cook.
We will be staying here Sunday and I just thought of something. Do I need to bring bedding and towels? Thanks guys!
Amanda,
No, you do not need to bring anything except food to eat/grill if you don’t want to be out finding somewhere to eat. There was nice beds to sleep in and towels. If you are in need of more, I’m sure they could get you more, or if you just want to bring your own beach towels.
I don’t see an answer, unless I missed it, to the question about “the day the dates are released” (Sarah, June 14) and I have the same question. Any info?
I just called and made reservations for December. It was super easy.
Are all 8 cabins the same? With 2 bath/2 bedrooms? Also, is the couch a sleeper? I think the family would love to hang out here for a weekend!
No, some are one bed/one bath — but ours had a couch with a sleeper, so I’m guessing all are sleepers. It’s fantastic up there!
I think the furthest in advance that you can make a reservation is 3 months out. Just give them a call and check for the dates that you want – it will either be booked, available, or not released yet. You can go the WestPac to pay, or give them credit card info over the phone. It was all very simple.
I stayed in the 2 bed, 2 bath version for a couple of nights just after New Year’s. Apparently, the 2 bed units (I believe there are only 2, maybe 3 of them) are for all ranks, whereas I get the distinct impression from talking to the guy on the reservations line that the 1 bed,1 bath places are divided up for certain ranks which limits what will be available when you call.
Schwab is only about 15-20 minutes from Nago and all the things to do over there, and not much longer to the general northern part of the island. It is a great “jumping-off’ point for your northern adventures.
This might be a stupid question, but I’m pregnant, so I gotta know, are these cottages air conditioned?
Yes they are. My husband made sure to test them out fully and I kept turning them down, as always : )
Ahh…this post just brought me back. Oki friends- enjoy all those lovely places like Schwab and Okuma…such lovely and affordable get-a-ways!
Wow! I am really happy to have your link. Thanks for sharing such a nice tips.
Thank you, thank you
Sounds like a fantastic trip…Now I’ve got some great inspiration for my next trip!
Hi there, we are planning a trip to Okinawa and I’m having trouble getting a rental car. The rental agencies are closed when our plane lands. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Does anybody have directions to the cottages from Camp Foster?? Thank you!
Take the expressway north to exit 9. When you connect with 329 turn and head north towards Nago. Keep going norht for a little while – maybe 5-10 minutes. Go through the gate onto Schwab (it’ll be on your right) and follow that road down the hill until you see the Beachead club building, or whatever it is called. There’s not much on Schwab to chose from. You’ll have to go in there to check in and get your key and they will give you a little map of the base that shows just where the cottages are.
Both the cottages and Camp Schwab are on the Oki Hai map.
Is there wi-fi in the rooms for internet? Also how does it work for housekeeping (i.e. new towels, bed sheets)?
I don’t know about the wi-fi but the housekeeping comes every day despite the fact that in the binder in the room it says every 3 days. We’ve stayed there 3 times and they always come every day to replace bath and beach towels and tidy up the cabin. Not sure if the sheets are changed every day but I don’t expect them to be since at my own house I don’t change them every day. The cabins are beautiful and a steal of a deal!
Thanks for the info Megan. We actually took a trip up there to check them out. It was 100 times nicer than the resort hotel room I booked us last year. Also a quarter of the price. My family is looking forward to spending a week there this Summer.
By the way no Wi Fi but they do have internet connection in the cabins.
Does anyone know if the one bedroom cabins have an oven/stove as well? Thank you!
They have a stove top, no oven.
Thanks for all the wonderful descriptions and info! We are heading there this weekend for a little getaway and i wasnt sure if there was a kitchen or not. Now I know! Thanks!