M y husband and I spent most of our honeymoon trip travelling around Japan visiting the iconic destinations such as Tokyo and Kyoto. After 10 days of hustling to explore everything these cities have to offer, we were so ready for a change of pace in Okinawa.

We decided to splurge on a resort where we could spend most of our time relaxing and enjoying the property. We really wanted to enjoy the natural beauty of Okinawa and have a modern style resort, so we chose to stay at Halekulani.

Halekulani had everything we could have wanted for our honeymoon from stellar hospitality to luxurious rooms, from quiet beaches to a breathtaking infinity pool. To top it all off the property has an outstanding restaurant and spa. Check out our experience below.

Getting Around

Halekulani is about an hour north of the Naha airport. On the way there, we took a taxi which was well over $100. On the way back, we realized you can book an airport limousine bus or Okinawa airport shuttle which is much cheaper but takes closer to two hours.

We also took taxis around the island to dinner and the spa. We used the hotel concierge to call us a taxi and that worked great.

Rooms and Suites

All the rooms are absolutely stunning, so you can’t really go wrong. We chose a room with a ocean view balcony. We told the reception we were on our honeymoon, and they upgraded us to a high floor so our view was absolutely spectacular.

Amenities

Between the private beach and the infinity pool, we always had a relaxing spot to enjoy. The big iconic pool with the flower in it is the family pool, so we spent most of our time in the adults only infinity pool and hot tub.

We also used the gym a couple times and it was very nice. We didn’t use the spa here since it was quite expensive, but keep reading for our alternative option.

Activities

The resort offers a bunch of activities for you to enjoy. This was great because we wanted to do excursions and they ensured quality and convenience.

We loved the snorkeling tour we did with the resort. The plan was to be on the group tour but we were the only ones, so it was private! We took the boat out a little ways to the main coral reef close to the resort. I want to say this was about $50pp. Next time I would love to go out to Miyako Island for snorkeling!

We also did FREE sunset beach yoga. It was in Japanese, but we figured it out!

Resort Dining

Breakfast: There are three options for breakfast: Main buffet (“House Without a Key”), french restaurant (“SHIROUX”), japanese restaurant (“AOMI”). You have to scan a QR code to put yourself on a waitlist, and the waitlist gets long quickly.

This was my ONLY complaint with Halekulani, because it was challenging to plan if you had a morning commitment. We ended up waiting 60-90 minutes most days, but luckily we could wait in bed or on the beach or anywhere.

With that being said, the food was amazing!! We liked the breakfast buffet the most because there were so many high quality options.

Spectra Bar: This was our favorite spot on the property! The Spectra bar has an incredible view and was a great spot for a sunset drink. We also booked an afternoon tea here and it was definitely a highlight. We booked a couple weeks in advance and they were able to accommodate gluten free for an amazing high tea experience.

SHIROUX: This is an innovative french restaurant at the hotel. We splurged to try this place and it was definitely innovative fine dining. They were also able to accommodate gluten free which was huge! It was such a unique experience but very expensive and elevated. It was fun to try but we probably wouldn’t go back.

Other Places to Eat

Mamma Lella: This fully gluten-free set course Italian restaurant was such a highlight! Do get a reservation since it is small and fills up easily. We got a set course menu that was the chef’s special and it was phenomenal. The chef/owner is also such a lovely person and we had a great time chatting with him.

Hale’aina HOA Okinawa: Walking distance from Halekulani, this was another great dinner option! This was a quick and easy, but delicious dinner the first night we arrived in Okinawa. They have hibachi grilled chicken plates, garlic shrimp, and more.

Lawson: We honestly walked to this Lawson right by Halekulani once a day for lunch. We’d usually fill up on breakfast and did not want to pay the Halekulani prices for a snack, so we’d walk over for an onigiri or some other snack to hold us over.

Spa

Since it was our honeymoon, we wanted to have a little luxurious spa day. We looked at Halekulani but the prices were just insanely expensive. I did some research and ended up deciding on Spa Hanari at the Hyatt.

I booked a 60 mins couples massage and 30 min facial in the couples room, so it included a 30 minute jacuzzi bath with the most spectacular view. It definitely was expensive (probably $400 total), but much cheaper than Halekulani and it was two hours of pure bliss and relaxation.