Sanya, Hainan
 

Has anyone been there before? I will probably be going there this winter for a weekend trip. Any specific places to see or things to do?

Thanks :)

No one? I thought surely you HK guys would of gone to Hainan for a mini vacation.

I've been there .. weekend trip?? hmm i don't think it is suitable for a weekend trip. I went a week. Just join a tour .. it'll take care of hotel, food, and sightseeing.
You can't really get around without a car. Everything is pretty spread out.

I have heard from many friends who have been to Sanya that the local tours are a rip off. We will probably just taxi around, it's not that expensive. I hear there are two beaches there, one that is cheaper to stay at than the other. Is the more expensive one really that much better?

man, i have to ask my dad. he had some reunion with friends there a couple years ago. isnt it a total resort island now? like the hawaii of the asian sea?

you don't happen to be hainanese do you, cause my dad went there for a reunion too a few years back hah, it'd be funny small world thing.

I went to "China's Hawaii" this past summer.
Stayed at the Hilton Resort at YA LONG WAN. Basically Sanya consists of 3 main beaches, YA LONG WAN(Newest/Most Luxury/Best Beach), SANYA WAN(Not bad,2nd best beach) and something else(the oldest resorts, not recommended as the beach is very nasty).
Basically Ya Long beach is the most popular and the newest development of hotels, such as the brand new Ritz, Hilton, Crown Plaza, Marriott. Hilton, Ritz and Crown Plaza are the top rated hotels, Prices are basically Crown Plaza < Hilton < Ritz.

A little information i learned about San Ya while i was there.
Stay near or around the hotel district as much as possible, don't ever go to local bars and drink. Sanya's downtown is not considered safe. Their drug rehabs are always full and the waiting list is huge.
My scuba instructor asked me while training me if i wanted to go to the universe, i did not understand him at first, then he asked me if i wanna do K, he can hook me up with a line or couple lines if i go to the local pub with him. Crimes are very normal in the city district.

So to sum it up, it was one of the best vacations i've had, the pool was awsome, water was clear, and the hotel was amazing (breakfast is a must have). Hotels rip you off more there but better safe than sorry.

Have fun! Be Safe!

nope, but long story short, a bit of my dad's youth was spent there with army buddies. he talks how he spent his time fishing, and cooking more than anything there.

according to my dad, my chinese heritage is "seun duk".

I went there for new years. It was ok. Ill edit my post later when I have time. Basically it was sunny but super windy and the water was cold :(

Eat Hainan chicken with rice :thumbsup:

That's really the only thing I know about where my family came from. :p

thats from singapore ..

^
It's of Chinese Origin. Hence Hainan(海南)chicken.

Both are BEAUTIFUL places. You'll definitely enjoy it.

Sorry for the old bump...

I'll be heading to Sanya sometime in april..
I read the above post about drinking at local bars being unsafe.. so with that in mind, does anyone know if most hotels around the resort area have a bar/lounge inside? or would I be better off just drinking my beer on the beach? lol

My GF was raised in this little city. I've been there twice. The clubs inside the city was nothing to brag about. In fact, their drink sucked.

For pure tourist, I'd suggest you staying at hotel area.

I've been to Ritz and Hilton, Ritz bar is awesome although a bit expensive.

dont bother with the tours... just a rip off that takes to you buy local shit half the time. Go scuba'ing and eat at the local seafood street.

good vacationing spot been there many times, best place is to stay at your hotel :thumbsup: i've be to Mangrove tree resort and Hilton, would go there again.

is it boring there? what did you guys do there? ever go in to the city?shop around or club??

are the resorts all inclusive like cancun style or do you actually pay for your meals at the hotel?

I never had any all-inclusive package at Sanya's hotels, I'm guessing such option doesn't exist.

The good hotels are located in Yaloon Bay, about 30~40min drive away from the city center. For pure shopping, I'd say you'd be better off doing them in HK. Even though Sanya now is a duty-free zone, things aren't exactly cheaper. I'd visit the city center for the sake of it, there's a pedestrian zone where McDonald is located, some cool stuff there but prices are inflated for tourists. I'd not go shop there unless you speak fluent Chinese to bargain.