The Busena Terrace

“A stunningly, beautiful older beachfront resort but do not have the buffet dinner. It’s terrible.”

We’re staying in the club section of the resort and it’s really gorgeous. The views are stunning. The staff in general is absolutely wonderful. We went to the La Tida restaurant for dinner last night. It was a buffet dinner, and I have to say it was the absolute worst buffet I’ve ever had. There … more

We’re staying in the club section of the resort and it’s really gorgeous. The views are stunning. The staff in general is absolutely wonderful. We went to the La Tida restaurant for dinner last night. It was a buffet dinner, and I have to say it was the absolute worst buffet I’ve ever had. There were several stations with the usual meat and salad and chicken, etc. The roast beef and the pork were extremely dry. The salad bar featured wilted lettuce, tiny displays of various vegetables. The chicken as well was very dry. It’s as if there was no chef responsible for this buffet. It was manned by very young servers, and although they were very polite, were extremely slow at clearing the table of used dishes. It’s as if no staff whatsoever went to the various warmed up stations to see if everything was still warm and I assure you it was not. The “french fries” were cold and tasted like cardboard. The cost of the meal for four of us was approximately $300 Canadian and was not worth 1/4 of that amount. I’ve had better buffet dinners at a Holiday Inn.

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“Not 5 star”

As has been said, this is not a 5 star hotel. It looks like a 5 star hotel, it has big rooms like an American resort hotel, it charges like a 5 star hotel but that is where it ends. There is no pool service or beach service. If you want a drink at the beach you will have to bring it yourself. Speak… more

As has been said, this is not a 5 star hotel. It looks like a 5 star hotel, it has big rooms like an American resort hotel, it charges like a 5 star hotel but that is where it ends. There is no pool service or beach service. If you want a drink at the beach you will have to bring it yourself. Speaking of the beach there is a meshed in swimming area, it turns out that they have box jellyfish (like Australia) and it was the season for them so best to swim in the meshed area. Why they didn't put the meshed area in front of the hotel is anyone's guess! A few of the restaurants were closed when we stayed, these were the ones in the hotel grounds like the BBQ place and the fish restaurant, The open ones are expensive, often with set menus. One of the Japanese restaurants had a a la cart menu but I don't think the French one did. Breakfast is a buffet, we had it included, I recommend La Tida as it is the best of the 3 choices unless you want pure Japanese. They charge 1400 a day parking but this is valet parking and it was very good. There are restaurants nearby, if you have a car so you are not trapped. The pool is big and has a small slide, there is also an indoor pool but we didn't use it. They miss a massive opportunity not serving drinks for food by the pool. It also shuts between 1pm and 2pm for "maintenance". It turned out the maintenance was the lifeguards having their lunch. You would think they could work out a shift system. The room was huge and nice, we had a small balcony overlooking the sea and pool. The shower was great as well. Despite the shortcomings we enjoyed our stay there and even knowing what we know now we would still go back.

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“This review is full of 'buts'”

Is this a nice hotel? Sure, but ... It is not a 5 star hotel. But, I am not sure what constitutes 5 stars in Okinawa, maybe this is it, but if you have been to the Caribbean or Europe, this just won't satisfy the same way. We opted for the free breakfast. No one came by to serve water or coffee. … more

Is this a nice hotel? Sure, but ... It is not a 5 star hotel. But, I am not sure what constitutes 5 stars in Okinawa, maybe this is it, but if you have been to the Caribbean or Europe, this just won't satisfy the same way. We opted for the free breakfast. No one came by to serve water or coffee. The same food was served day after day, and while it was good and there was variety, it felt a little repetitive. I ate dinner there one night. It was OK, but it was no way worth the $80 it cost me. I was never served water, there were no candles at the table for dinner, and there were no nice napkins. The bar prices are far too steep! Grab some drinks at the Lawsons and stash them in your tiny refrigerator. Trust me. It's clean and everyone is nice, but for the amount it costs me to stay there, can you put jugs of spa water in the lobby? Isn't this just standard? The beach is beautiful, but you can only swim in one small part of it. I will never, ever understand why most of the beach is closed to swimmers to allow jet skis to operate there instead. And then why create the swimming area so far from the resort and not right out front? Just a really dumb use of space to be honest. The beach is a huge selling feature, looks great but you can't use 95% of it! Everything closes early. Pool is always closed. The one small part of the beach where you are allowed to swim closes early. There is this amazing walkway extending over the ocean to an underwater lookout and they close that too!! Why? It's just dumb. Let people walk out there. The elevators and very slow, but the valet parking is quick. Lots of kids! Maybe create an adults-only section of the resort with an adults-only pool. My recommendations: Rent a car, eat and stay there, and then go to other beaches to snorkel and explore. The snorkeling is amazing in Okinawa. It is within a very central spot to explore other beaches, swim spots and restaurants. TIP: Turn left at the beach, walk to the end of over the rocks. There is a secret little private beach there, off the reort with an awesome tide pool.

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