Aqua Belle

Stay in enough resort hotel rooms in Okinawa, you will notice that they all start to look alike. Standard room size, amenities, good view, and a spectacular beach, blah blah blah. So, what gives one an edge over the other? Why, it’s the restaurants of course! Aqua Belle is the flagship restaurant for the ANA InterContinental Manza beach resort and it certainly holds its place proudly. Overlooking the beach, the interior keeps the hotel theme of modern chic. Reminds me of modern Architectural miniature models turned in to center pieces and tables. But enough about the interior, let’s dive in to what its really about – the food.

Aqua Belle is all day dining but seems to split into lunch and dinner service. The dinner service, as you would expect, is the rather pricy ala carte style or dinner luxury buffet dining. Their lunch service is a Sunday brunch style buffet. Menu consists of a Western-Asian fusion with a specialty carving/serving station dish item that changes daily. In my case, it was a demi-glazed silver dollar sized mini hamburgers which I got to say was absolutely demi-licious! The little mashed potato that comes with it is just the perfect icing on the cake. Spectacular stuff. I think I had 5 before the carving chef started to give me the “You again?!” look. Other menu items include salads, pastas, curry, and some interesting plated sushi. But let’s not forget to mention the BBQ ribs; saucy with a hint of spicy just as it should be. They have a decent cake selection as well which is just delightful. For the price, don’t hate me but – it’s as you would expect from a hotel buffet. Per person, expect to dish out about 2-3,000 yen depending on if you order any additional drinks.

Perfect individual burgers and mashed potato

Overall, although this rate is on the pricier side, the menu more than makes up for it. Recommend the lunch service for special occasions, friend gatherings, or brunching with the family. I do not recommend for office lunches as it will dent your wallets hard. Dinner is without a doubt for fancy dates or that one night away from the kids. For the location, head north bound on route 58 towards Cape Manzano and start looking for signs to the ANA InterContinental Hotel Manza beach resort. Aqua Belle is on the ground floor.