Heated Pool, Wooden Tub, and Excellent Food: What You Get When You Stay at Hotel Okura

Japan has always been a travel destination favorite, and while the country has started to open up once again to tourists, for many, the dream of visiting the land of sushi, cherry blossoms, and samurais remains just that—a dream. 

The next best thing to actually flying to Tokyo or Osaka is to immerse in an environment that reflects the best of what Japan has to offer. In Manila, there is perhaps no better place to do just that than to stay in Hotel Okura.

The room at Hotel Okura

Photo by Hotel Okura.

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Located in Newport Resorts World (yes, what used to be called Resorts World Manila), the luxury hotel sets itself apart from the other hotels in the area with its decidedly, unequivocally Japanese aesthetic. It starts in the atrium lobby, with its high ceilings and elements of marble, steel, and glass. The front desk is under a striking “hut” with a modern glass roof and stunning chandelier.

The hinoki or Japanese Cypress bathtub

Photo by PJ Cana.

Another view of the room

Photo by Hotel Okura.

There are regular rooms, but to fully indulge in the Japanese experience, try to book one with the hinoki, which is essentially a bathtub made of cypress wood by artisans from the town of Nagiso in Nagano Prefecture. It’s easier to imagine you’re in Japan while you’re soaking in an authentic Japanese tub.

The rooms at Hotel Okura offer seemingly little things that actually elevate the experience. The switches light up when you hover your hands near them (you don’t even need to touch them); the toilet seats are heated and there is, of course, a high-tech Japanese bidet (which will make you want one for your own house); and even the TV has Netflix signed into the hotel account so you can start browsing and watching whatever you feel like.

The room itself is done in wood, like an elevated version of a traditional ryokan or Japanese inn. Somehow it feels simultaneously homey and opulent. 

The swimming pool at Hotel Okura is heated

Photo by Hotel Okura.

You can choose to stay in your room but that would mean missing one of the best things about the hotel—the food. Yawaragi is the all-day dining outlet located in the lobby floor, just past the front desk. When your hotel is Japanese-themed, expectations are high that your food will match the country’s famed high-quality cuisine, and we’re happy to report that Hotel Okura delivers.

There is a Japanese-themed buffet at Yawaragi, although you can choose to sit at the robatayaki counter and order from the a la carte menu. There is grilled seafood, chicken, and premium Japanese beef; sushi and sashimi; yakitori; sukiyaki; and other Japanese favorites. Whatever you decide to put on your plate, all are top quality. Officials clearly spared no expense in making sure that Yawaragi is a frontrunner when conversation turns to where the best Japanese buffet is in the city.

Go there for Sunday lunch and there’s even a decadent premium seafood selection, including lobster, crab, scallops, and mussels all cooked a la minute.

Yawaragi restaurant is located in the stunning lobby

Photo by Hotel Okura.

Hotel Okura's Health Club plunge pool

Photo by Hotel Okura.

The hotel also offers a heated pool at the rooftop, spa facilities including jet baths, steam, and sauna, and a fitness center. Newport Mall is a short walk away via the connecting bridge (you don’t even have to go and cross the street outside), but if you’re staying there for the weekend or any other day, you’d do well to simply enjoy everything the hotel has to offer.

The main draw of Hotel Okura is its ties to Japan, and to book a stay here is to experience some of the best of what the country has to offer. And you don't even have to leave Manila.