BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki by Hoshino Resorts

Every room has a kitchen, and you take off your shoes to settle in as if at home

BEB5 Onna Seragaki is a 105-room hotel in Seragaki, Onna Village, on the west coast of Onna's main island. It belongs to BEB, the casual brand from Hoshino Resorts, known for a 24-hour lounge and a free-and-easy style.

Every room comes with a kitchen, a large refrigerator, a convection microwave oven, a front-loading washer-dryer and a balcony, and guests take off their shoes at the room entrance. Rice cookers are available to borrow in limited numbers and cannot be reserved. The most popular room, the Yuntaku Suite (68 sq m, sleeps 1-4), has a separate living room and bedroom and low beds, a layout that suits sleeping beside a small child who moves around at night. Other options include the Goya Room (45 sq m), of which there is only one and the Deluxe Suite (94 sq m, sleeps 1-5), which has an island kitchen and two bedrooms.

Co-sleeping is free for children up to age 6, up to the same number as the room's capacity per room (without a bed and without meals). Elementary school children pay the same rate as adults. Note that bed linens are changed and the kitchen and bathroom areas cleaned once every three days, which is worth keeping in mind on a longer stay.

The outdoor pool is open year-round, and babies can join in a swim diaper

The outdoor pool is for staying guests only and is open year-round, turning into a heated pool from November, with hours from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is no age limit, and bath towels, ring floats and an air pump are provided. After sunset it is lit up and can be enjoyed as a night pool.

For parents, the key point is that the pool information states that babies in diapers may use the pool as long as they wear a swim diaper. However, the hotel does not stock swim diapers, so you need to bring your own. There is no information about a kids' pool or a shallow area.

The adjoining barrel sauna, which has a cold plunge bath and is free of charge, is for ages 13 and over, so younger children cannot use it. There is no communal bath or onsen at the hotel, and there is no playroom.

Meals come from the 24-hour cafe lounge, and baby food has to be brought with you

There is no restaurant at the hotel. Meals are served at TAMARIBA, a lounge that spreads out into the open air, and at the 24-hour BEB Cafe. Alongside kiln-baked pizza (7 kinds), gelato (10 kinds) and a choose-your-own breakfast (7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., with a choice of panino, risotto or salad plates), food trucks serve burgers and garlic shrimp that change from day to day. Freshly baked panini can also be taken out to your room, the poolside or the beach.

There are two things for families to keep in mind. The first is that baby food is not provided and is expected to be brought from home. You are free to bring it, but staff do not warm baby food brought into the lounge or cafe. Since every room has a kitchen and a convection microwave oven, warming is meant to be done in the room. The second is allergy accommodation: BEB Cafe is outside the scope of individual allergen-removal requests, and only the use of the 8 specified allergenic ingredients (egg, milk, wheat, shrimp, crab, buckwheat, peanut and walnut) is labeled. Depending on the severity of the allergy, the hotel may decline to serve meals, and in that case guests are permitted to bring their own food.

What is provided for children, and what is not

A crib can be borrowed at the front desk after check-in, and a diaper bin is available to borrow as well. If you choose the Yuntaku Family Plan (a room-only plan in the Yuntaku Suite, offered in a limited number of rooms), a crib, diaper bin, toilet-training seat, baby soap, children's cutlery, step stool, baby-bottle detergent and disposable bibs are set up in the room in advance.

On the other hand, baby futons, bed guards and strollers are not available to borrow. There is also no information about baby-bottle sterilizers or formula-preparation kettles, so please bring your own if you need them.

How to spend your time, and what is nearby

Year-round free activities include making flower accessories with fresh dendrobium orchids, board game rentals and a fireplace, none of which have age limits. However, there are no children's programs or babysitting services. The bicycle rental and the NEO Awamori event are adult-oriented.

Nabee Beach at Onna Village Seaside Park, a 10-minute walk away, offers banana boat rides, sea kayaking and snorkeling. Manzamo is 5 minutes away by car, and Churaumi Aquarium about 60 minutes by car. Inside the hotel there is a free self-service laundry, a gym, a water server and an ice machine. Check-in is at 3 p.m. and checkout is at 11 a.m. Pets are not accepted.