Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Pacific shoreline on northern Okinawa.
15
KANUCHA BAY RESORT
From the end point of Route 70 where it meets Route 331 we'll go south on 331 another 12
miles (20 kilometers) to the Kanucha Resort, otherwise known as the Kanucha Bay Hotel &
Villas on the north shore of Oura Bay (
大浦湾
; Ōura-wan) and we'll stop here for a breather.
By the way, without any stops or side trips along the way, from the check-in desk in the lobby
of the Kanucha Bay Hotel back to the monument stone at Cape Hedo, it's a little over 48 miles
(77 kilometers).
We said earlier while visiting the deluxe resorts on Okinawa's Onna coast on the central
western side of the island that there were very few top properties on the island's east coast,
and that's true. And we also said that most people would agree that the Busena Terrace Beach
Resort was the top resort hotel on the island, but that's only half true. Because, in fact, most
perople would rank the Kanucha Bay Hotel & Villas equally high, if not higher, than the
Busena Terrace. Without getting into an argument over which is the best, it's a fair statement
that there are at least two “top of the top” properties on Okinawa Island: the Busena Terrace
and the Kanucha Bay.
However, we can't discuss the Kanuch Resort without mentioning its location. First, it's
on the island's east coast, where there are almost no fine resorts. There's a reason for this.
There are few resorts on Okinawa's Pacific shore due to the generally higher surf and dan-
gerous waves. The bottom line is that the ocean is usually rougher on this side of the island.
But, here, there's an exception and this is not a problem. The resort is not sited directly on the
Pacific but, rather, on Oura Bay, a great natural inlet from the ocean and thus the waters are
as safe as anywhere on Okinawa. Naturally, the hotel, on the water as it is, runs all the usual
water sports activities from its long and private beach.
The splendid white beach at Ada village.
