Want to get away from it all? Then why not fly 2,000 km toward the
Equator from Tokyo to Ishigaki, the main island of the southerly
Yaeyama group in Okinawa Prefecture. And once there, then treat
yourself to a stay at Club Med Kabira Beach, where you can do
almost anything you want — or nothing at all.
From the airport, a hotel car makes a leisurely 40-minute drive
along roads lined with palm trees and flowers to the resort in
Kabira, which is known for its bay that's classed as one of the 100
most beautiful scenic spots in Japan.
Upon arrival, hotel staff offer welcoming jasmine tea known
as sanpincha. Then, going through the lobby with
its Asian-modern styling leads to a spacious pool bordered by
loungers and white parasols. Beyond the pool, the eye is
immediately drawn to the turquoise and cobalt-blue ocean fringed
with gleaming white sandy beaches.
Due to the resort hotel's location on a cape, guests have exclusive
use of the beautiful, peaceful beach, while taking one of the boats
that goes a few hundred meters offshore opens up an undersea realm
where, with a snorkel and face mask, you can watch schools of
brightly colored fish swimming among gorgeous corals.
For scuba divers, too, Kabira's sea is "paradise" — according to
Club Med — and that includes the sight of 3-meter manta rays flying
through the crystal-clear ocean waters as a bonus for many.
Because Kabira has constant ocean breezes, the sea is also great
for windsurfing, while there are kayaks for those with more
easygoing inclinations.
Meanwhile, anyone interested in the ecology of Ishigakijima can
join one of the resort's programs touring the shore with a local
specialist between July 26 and Aug. 26 (at an extra charge of
¥9,800).
Indeed, Club Med — which is an international resort-hotel chain —
selected the Kabira location on Ishigakijima Island because of its
great natural environment, said Heidi Kunkel, Club Med's general
manager for Japan and Korea.
"We chose this site because of the beautiful beach and the
wonderful diving, because Club Med runs a large number of sports
activities," said Kunkel, an Australian originally hailing from
Sydney.
In addition to the marine activities, the resort offers facilities
for such terrestrial sports as archery, mountain biking, tennis and
even trapeze-flying, Kunkel said.
With instruction by Club Med's G.O. (Gentle Organizer) staff,
guests, including children, can enjoy any of these sports from
beginner level up — and it's all (except scuba diving) included in
the price of the package.
In fact, the price of a Club Med holiday package covers the return
flight from the mainland, transportation to and from the airport,
accommodation, dining, drinking and snacking at the bar, sports
activities, entertainment and childcare. It's all aimed at offering
guests a stress-free, fun-filled vacation at an affordable price,
according to the staff. Specifically, a three-night package from
Tokyo (departing July 18-20) costs ¥181,000 for an adult and
¥139,500 for children aged 3 to 11.
That all-inclusive pricing system is one of the unique
characteristics of Paris-based Club Med, whose first resort opened
in 1950 on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Majorca. Now, the
company founded by a Belgian named Gerard Blitz and a Frenchman,
Gilbert Trigano, boasts no fewer than 80 resorts in 25 countries,
Kunkel said.
"Club Med started in the 1950s with the idea of bringing people
together, especially single adults, to enjoy sports activities.
Then, by the end of the '60s, we had people who'd been as singles
but want to come back and bring their children," she said,
explaining that the hotel chain launched its daycare service for
children in 1967.
At the Kabira resort that opened in 1990, G.Os. take care of
children from the age of 4 to 17 in either a Mini Club or a Junior
Club — though for an extra ¥5,250 a day, children aged 2 to 3 can
also be looked after.
As well as all this, though, what makes Club Med Kabira Beach so
different from other resort hotels on Ishigakijima and in other
parts of Japan is its multicultural environment. The unique blend
of Okinawan, Japanese, other Asian and also Western cultures is
there to see wherever you look, whether in Okinawa's
traditional minsa fabric used for bed linens,
the cocktails incorporating Okinawa's
local awamori liquor and tropical fruit juices,
or the sumptuous arrays of Okinawan, Japanese, Chinese and Western
food — including fabulous desserts, freshly baked breads and
pastries.
At the restaurant, the bar and everywhere else in the resort, G.Os.
— who speak Japanese, English and often also French, Chinese or
Korean — help guests have fun during their stay and encourage them
to meet others to build a friendly atmosphere together.
Emphasizing how guests are able to enjoy an international
experience at the Ishigakijima resort, Kunkel said, "It's a very
attractive package for Japanese people, who can come and have a
domestic holiday as well as a safe, friendly and wonderful
experience . . . and we have Okinawan and international culture
here."
Every night, indeed, such attractions are in full flow at the
resort as G.Os. lead entertainments including singing, dancing,
acrobatics and juggling in its theater — and that's after their day
jobs as bartenders, receptionists, sports instructors or
whatever.
In fact, really rising to his role one evening, at the finale of a
show titled "Fiesta Latina," the lead G.O. invited the audience on
stage to join in the dancing to passionate music. That night, one
of the performers in the show was Singapore-born Chief of Village
Merlin Chelliah, who said, "I do the performance because it makes
it easier for the guests to join the entertainment when they see
me, the person representing Club Med, being part of it."
Whether it's to enjoy nature, sports, entertainment, gourmet meals
or sheer subtropical pampering, there are undoubtedly many reasons
to join Club Med's show on Ishigakijima Island.
