Where to Stay in Ishigaki (Okinawa): 3 Hotels I Stayed At

Ishigaki (Okinawa) is the gateway to the Yaeyama Islands, the far south-west of Japan, and where you stay shapes your trip: by the ferry terminal for island hopping, or on a quiet stretch of coast for the sea. This guide covers 3 places the site owner has stayed at: THIRD Ishigaki, an all-inclusive hotel 1 minute's walk from the ferries; THE UBUFURU ISHIGAKI (formerly Ishigaki Resort Hotel), large suites by the mangroves; and ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort, a beach resort with big pools. Facts come from each hotel's official pages; the "My visit" notes are the site owner's own.

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Where the hotels are

Ishigaki's town center and the ferry terminal for the other islands are on the south-west coast. The airport, Painushima Ishigaki Airport, is on the east side of the island. The 3 hotels sit at different points between them, so think about whether you will be catching ferries, driving, or staying put by the sea.

THIRD Ishigaki

THIRD Ishigaki opened in July 2020 at 4-7 Misaki-cho, right across the street from the ferry terminal: the access page gives 1 minute on foot from the terminal and about 30 minutes by car or bus from the airport. The idea behind it is a "third place", somewhere that feels like coming home. Its 28 rooms are simple and white, and the stay is all-inclusive: meals and drinks, alcohol included, are part of the room rate.

• Food and drink: a breakfast built around smørrebrød (Danish open sandwiches) made with Okinawan ingredients (7:00, last order 9:30), lunch (12:00, last order 13:30), and a cafe and bar serving food until a last order of 21:00 and drinks until 22:30. Hours can change with the season.
• Rooftop terrace: looks out over the sea and sky; breakfast up here in the morning, and at night a lit pool of water and the stars.
• Book lounge: about 700 books on art, travel, culture and business.
• Parking: the hotel has no parking of its own, except for wheelchair users who contact it in advance; it points guests to the paid car parks around the terminal.

Who it suits: travelers without a car who want to hop to the islands every day and come back to a relaxed evening.

My visit

I stayed here. The hotel is right by the ferry terminal, so the boats to the islands are just across the street.

My stay was all-inclusive, which here means the food and drinks at the hotel, alcohol included, are part of the room rate, so you don't pay for each meal or drink. That covered breakfast too, like the one in my photo.

THE UBUFURU ISHIGAKI (formerly Ishigaki Resort Hotel)

Ishigaki Resort Hotel was renamed THE UBUFURU ISHIGAKI on May 16, 2025. Run by the Plan・Do・See group, it stands in Miyara, where the Miyara River meets the sea, with a wide mangrove forest and the open sea in front. Its name comes from Yaeyama words: "ubu" for a beginning or being born, and "furu" for a river. According to the hotel:

• Rooms: 33 suites, all over 130 square meters, with a living room, a dining area, a kitchen with a 3-burner stove, a terrace and a washer-dryer. Each room has its own covered parking space below it.
• Pool and sauna: an open-air pool among the garden's greenery, a jacuzzi pool and an outdoor sauna beside the pool.
• Garden and restaurant: a path through subtropical plants leads to a view of the sea, and the restaurant looks out over Miyara Bay. The hotel says that if you're lucky, you may meet a coconut crab out for a walk.
• Sports: a gym and table tennis, free for guests, and a tennis court across Route 390.

Getting there: about 10 minutes by car from the airport. By bus, it is about 15 minutes from the airport to the Miyara-bashi stop, then about 5 minutes on foot. From the ferry terminal, the access page gives about 20 minutes by taxi or about 25 minutes by bus.

Who it suits: families and longer stays, with a rental car.

My visit

I stayed here when it was still called Ishigaki Resort Hotel, and spent the last day of my trip taking it easy here. In my words at the time, it was a day to just relax ("mattari", a Japanese word for slow and unhurried).

ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort

ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort is a large beach resort at 354-1 Maesato, about 20 minutes by car from the airport (see its location page). It also suggests the local bus, and it can arrange a paid shuttle taxi between the airport and the hotel if you book by 15:00 the day before. From its official pages:

• Pools: the Sunrise Pool, with a waterslide and a children's pool, for guests in the Ocean Wing and Coral Wing; an indoor pool open all year; and separate pools for Club InterContinental guests. Outdoor pool hours are longer from July 1 to September 30.
• Beach: Maesato Beach is right in front, with lifeguards and marked swimming areas, and a beach house for rentals and sea activities such as snorkeling and stand-up paddleboarding.
• Restaurants: several, including a Japanese restaurant named Yaeyama and a teppanyaki grill.

Who it suits: families and couples who want a beach and pools without leaving the hotel.

My visit

I stayed here in May 2021. In my photo from that stay, tall palm trees stand around a long, bright blue pool under a clear sky, with white parasols and sun loungers along the edge.

Okinawa's accommodation tax from February 1, 2027

Okinawa Prefecture will start an accommodation tax on stays from February 1, 2027. It is 2% of the room-only rate per person per night (rounded down to the nearest 1,000 yen), up to 2,000 yen. In Ishigaki and 5 other cities and towns, the prefecture and the local government share the tax, and the total stays 2%. The prefecture's questions and answers for guests say that even if you booked before then, the tax applies to nights from February 1, 2027. THIRD Ishigaki, for example, says that guests, children included, will pay it at the hotel, even if they paid for the room online in advance.

A day trip to Taketomi

From any of these hotels, Taketomi Island is an easy day trip: the ferry from the terminal takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Read our guide to the ferry and Taketomi's village rules before you go.

Quick checklist

• Island hopping without a car? Stay near the ferry terminal.
• Renting a car? Read our guide to driving in Okinawa.
• Staying on or after February 1, 2027? Budget for the accommodation tax.
• Swimming at the beach? Read our guide to Okinawa's sea.

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026. Hotel names, facilities and access can change. Please check the official pages below before you book.

References

• THIRD Ishigaki: official site (Japanese)
• THIRD Ishigaki: access (Japanese)
• THIRD Ishigaki: all-inclusive stay (Japanese)
• THIRD Ishigaki: Okinawa accommodation tax notice (Japanese)
• THE UBUFURU ISHIGAKI: official site
• THE UBUFURU ISHIGAKI: access (Japanese)
• THE UBUFURU ISHIGAKI: facilities (Japanese)
• Plan・Do・See: name change of Ishigaki Resort Hotel, press release (Japanese)
• ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort: location
• ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort: pools
• ANA InterContinental Ishigaki Resort: Maesato Beach
• Okinawa Prefecture: accommodation tax (Japanese)
• Okinawa Prefecture: accommodation tax, questions and answers for guests (Japanese)