It’s been eight months since I’ve been on a plane. For me, that’s a new record. While living in Hong Kong it seemed that we were jetting out as often as possible. But since moving to Okinawa, we’ve just sort of stayed put and nested. I guess that is a good sign, that we don’t feel the constant need to fly OUT of the place where we live.

Nonetheless, I still get ‘hot foot’ and want to venture out. So this weekend past, I tried out the concept of a ‘staycation’. You know – taking a vacation in the place you actually live. And Okinawa being such a big island has a lot to offer in terms of places to explore and stay for a night or two.

So I booked us into a ‘pension’. That’s the Japanese word for guest house. Nothing fancy, but nice enough. Tatami room and kitchen. No meals, not on the beach front but close to restaurants and beaches. Seemed like a fine place to spend one night while exploring the coastline around Onna.

By sheer coincidence, a friend told me her and the family were staying in that area too for the weekend. But not at a pension. Oh no, quite the opposite. They were staying in the incredible and huge Renaissance Hotel. Private beach. Dolphin shows. Banana boat. Multiple restaurants. Room service. Gift shop. Macaws perched at various locations in the lobby (really!). Indoor and outdoor pool. A big, proper resort.

So, we snuck in for the day, essentially, to meet up with these friends. Enjoyed a great lunch. Went down the waterslides in the pool. Took advantage of all the amenities. As we left, a giant white stretch limo pulled up to deliver some guests. Sigh!

Checking into the pension – after seeing the lap of luxury at Renaissance – was like letting all the air out of our balloon. Don’t get me wrong, it was perfectly fine, and clean, and comfortable, but it’s like comparing champagne to box wine. By evening we were so tired anyway, we pretty much just crashed for the night, and checked out the following morning.

Deciding to stay on the theme of pretending to be rich and famous, the next morning we paid $10 to spend the day at the beautiful Intercontinental Hotel, because Manza Beach is within the hotel grounds. As we walked onto the beach, my daughter looked around and said quietly, ‘Wow, I feel like this is my home’. Even at the age of three, she has figured out how to enjoy the finer things in life! And good for her. I pointed at the big hotel and promised her that next time we come back, we’ll be staying there instead. She nodded wisely.

Anyway, if you don’t have the coin, but want to feel like you are staying at a big fancy hotel, then staying in a guest house and just paying to enter for the day is a good way to do to. But next time I stay at a hotel, it won’t be on a pension budget.