To get away from the hustle of Kokusai-dori street I took the bus to the Shikina-en Royal Gardens. Here you’ll find quiet, tranquil gardens surrounding the old royal palace and lake. It’s all very orderly, no eating or drinking outside of the designated spaces and a signposted route to follow.

The gardens were created in 1799 under the Ryukyu Kingdom and used for the reception of an envoy from China. Totally destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa, restoration took 20 years starting in 1975. If you take your shoes off you can go inside – the rooms are open and bare but it’s interesting to see the use of each space. For example a “place to warm tea, liquor and foods”, and the room where tea was served to Chinese delegates in 1800.

Although the numerous warnings about the local poisonous snake made it slightly less relaxing as I only had the cartoon like drawing to go by with no idea how big or small or aggressive it was. Aside from seeing no snakes, I only saw a couple of other people and had the inside of the palace to myself. There is a sweet little bakery right outside, if you can find a place to eat.

Ready for a change of scenery I wanted to visit one of the smaller islands. I was advised by the tourist information that given the weather (boats can be cancelled and not everything is open) it was best to choose the closest one, Tokashiki. This gave me the option of a shorter more reliable car ferry across. It’s 100% worth the trip. In winter the options are more limited with both the faster more expensive speed boat and the ferry each running once per day (there and back). The risk is that if they are cancelled you’d have to stay the night, which wouldn’t be all that bad!

I got off the ferry after about a hour and a half and jumped straight on the local bus to Aharen beach on the other side of the island. It’s helpfully timed with the ferry schedule. Aharen is a bit of a one horse town with a main road running down to the beach – it literally opens up onto the shore. There are a handful of cafes and snack bars dotted around but most were closed.

I found myself on the most stunning natural beach with crystal clear water and could imagine how amazing it would be to swim here in summer. The contrast with the thick forest is even more beautiful. The advantage of going in winter is that I again counted just 5 or 6 other people. I spent a few hours just chilling on the beach, climbing up to a viewpoint and enjoying sweet potato fritters and Okinawan lemonade.

For my last few nights I paid £19 per night for a cabin room at the Grand Cabin Hotel. This is the best hotel I have ever stayed in. I could live there. You enter into a huge lobby and cafe area where the complimentary Okinawan breakfast and free lemonade or shot of local spirit are served. You can also pick up something from the Manga collection to read or buy souvenirs at the shop.

Going through to the women only floor, you get a decent sized bed in a lockable room with ample space for your luggage. But that’s not all – in your basket you’ll find two fresh towels, changed daily, and around the corner you go to the pillow bar and select from at least 10 different types of pillows and pickup a comfy pair of pyjamas and slippers.

And that’s still not all – enter the powder room of all powder rooms. Several individual stations with hair dryers and straighteners, all the toiletries you could ever need and a SHAMPOO BAR. At least 10 different luxury shampoos and conditioners to choose from. In the UK people would be stuffing their pockets and stealing everything that’s not nailed down.

It may have only cost £19 but the sheer joy of returning to this hotel in the evening, after picking up some freshly made cucumber sushi from across the road, was priceless.