CONTRIBUTED LEEANN STEVENS
Mahaina Exterior
My husband and I wanted to take a break from work and home. We decided to take a 4 days trip up north to Nago. We booked 3 nights at the Hotel Mahaina Wellness Resort. I found this resort through www.agoda.com. They have some pretty cheap hotels. But we decided to spend a little more and treat ourselves.
Mahaina Room
Do not let the exterior fool you! Our room was really nice! We had a pretty large room on the ninth floor. The room had a kitchenette. It even had a little stove! Every room has a balcony and our view from the balcony was spectacular! We could see the ISLAND. It was gorgeous- the water was so pretty…
Mahaina Kitchenette
The resort staff was really nice and helpful. Check in time is at 3pm. We arrived an hour early- they let us use the pool. The pool is not too deep. Plus they have a kiddie pool. Along with the outdoor pool, they also have an indoor pool.
Mahaina View
Our breakfast was included in the price. It wasn’t too bad. It was typically Okinawan. But they had some American foods as well. I am not too adventurous with eating rice and soup for breakfast so I decided to stick with the eggs, croissants and fruit!
They also have an indoor spa. Please note: you have to be completely naked in the spa! They wouldn’t even let me wear a bikini in there; so I left. Men and women are separate.
The resort is very close to the aquarium. If you do not want to purchase tickets at the aquarium you can simply go hangout in the park! It is also close to the Butterfly garden.
Directions: Head north on 58. Or use the expressway all the way up north and it will take you on the 58 as well. Once on route 58, turn left on 449 and then turn left on route 114. The resort will be on your right before the Aquarium.
We stayed here last night. Booked it through IACE on Kadena for $144/night (we had 2 adults and 2 children ages 2 & 5.) The hotel property is nice. Amazing view from all rooms, pretty much. We were on the 6th floor. Our room did not have a kitchenette as pictured in the article. It was actually part of the bathroom area. It only had a hot plate, but there was a mini fridge. If you plan to cook in your room, be prepared to bring pot, pan, dishes, utensils, etc. Our room did not have any of this provided. Only 4 glasses, 4 cups for Japanese style tea, and a tea pot to heat water on hot plate. The room was nice, but keep in mind you are in Japan. Do not expect American luxury hotel quality. Our beds were hard, actually very similar to staying at the Westpac Lodge! We were only there for one night, so no big deal. Amazingly close to the aquarium. We went up one day to have fun at the park and the awesome Tropical Dream Center (highly recommend) and then got up the next morning to go to the aquarium. Warning: if you want to eat at the hotel restaurant (I think it was called Olio Olio or something like that), the staff did not speak English (or at least for that night.) They had to have someone come over to translate the menu for us. No English translation and not full of pictures like we are used to when going out to eat closer to the bases. It’s still a nice place to stay and a great location if you plan to visit Ocean Expo Park, just be forewarned that the hotel staff has limited English.