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July 2022
Sanya is also known as the “Hawaii of China” and with international travel (still) nearly impossible, this is the most tropical vacation you can take domestically. Sanya is located at the bottom of Hainan Island, which is right off the southern coast of mainland China. It’s situated even further south than Hong Kong, so the weather averaged a beautiful 87°F / 31°C in July!
Getting There
As of July 16, 2022, there were a couple of things we had to prepare before boarding our flight.
48-hour negative COVID test. Tests are still free in Shanghai and kiosks can be found within your compound, at hospitals, and along every major road in the city. In my experience, results come straight to your phone within 6-8 hours.
Green health code for Shanghai and Sanya. This might sound like common sense, but make sure to show your real-time health code from your APP because security guards have a wand to check they tap on your phone to make sure it’s not a screenshot/edited picture.
Green travel code to be shown in both airports. Add this to “My MiniPrograms” so it’s readily available in 2 clicks.
Where to Stay
Picking where to stay in Sanya will depend on what kind of holiday you want! Maybe you want to relax on the beach at your hotel, or perhaps you want to try different restaurants and do some shopping, or maybe exploring nearby islands and doing water sports is most important to you. Here are the four main areas of Sanya and what they have to offer:
1. Sanya Bay – Close to downtown Sanya and the airport. Hotels are much cheaper in this area. It’ll be easier to access shopping and restaurants here.
2. Yalong Bay – Many of the 5-star hotels are located here. They have beautiful, private beaches with lots of water activities, however this area comes with a higher price tag.
3. Dadonghai – This is a good middle ground between Sanya Bay and Yalong Bay. Hotels here are moderately priced and isn’t too far from the airport, shopping, food, and sightseeing locations.
4. Haitang Bay – Haitang bay is a newer part of Sanya. It’s even further north on the coast than Yalong Bay, but is closer to the famous Wuzhizhou Island. There’s also a large duty-free shopping center and the Atlantis resort is in this bay.
Yalong Bay
We decided to split our holiday into 2 parts, with the first half in Yalong Bay. There are more resorts on this strip, many with their own private beach access. After a lot of research, we decided on the Hilton as it was the best value for money. I don’t know about you, but the most important things to us when booking a hotel for a tropical vacation are:
The breakfast buffet spread
How big the pool is and how many sun loungers there are (you don’t want an incredible pool with nowhere to sit/put your bags down!)
Other amenities around the outside of property (proximity of restaurants and activities on our agenda)
The Hilton checked all the boxes for us. Every morning, we were able to fill our plates with fresh fruit, eggs, and waffles with maple syrup! Afterwards, we went down to the pool and had no issue finding an empty sun lounger or cabana to relax in. One of the days, we ventured off the property to Yalong Bay No.1 Outlets (an 8-minute Didi drive from the hotel) to shop and have lunch. We walked down the road to the nearest COVID testing site. I will say, this site was wildly mismanaged and took 45-minutes just to get through the line and swabbed. Avoid the Yalong Bay National Tourism Center COVID testing kiosk at all costs! Instead, drive a little further to the Hainan Shengbali Hospital to avoid the chaos.
Dadonghai
For the second half of the trip, my husband and I stayed at the Luhuitou Resort (previously called the Anantara Resort & Spa) in Dadonghai. We mainly relaxed at the private beach and the hotel’s gorgeous pool as we wanted our first holiday of the summer to be a relaxing one. Here are the top 4 things we did that I would consider adding to your itinerary:
Chase sunsets at Luhuitou Scenic Area. Only a 7-minute drive (or 20-minute bike ride) from the resort, Luhuitou Scenic Area is perfect for an afternoon activity for stunning views and photo opportunities. It costs ¥35 ($5) for an adult entrance ticket or ¥60 ($9) for the ticket including a round trip bus ride up and down the mountain if you're short on time. You can grab a seat once you get to the top at any one of the picturesque cafes to admire the sunset.
Afternoon tea at Mandarin Oriental. An experience worth splurging for! Pro tip: you can browse Dianping for deals as we were able to get our experience discounted 30% off the ¥888 (¥135) original bill. It was a peaceful & quiet environment as there are no other resorts on the part of the island where the MO is located. It is the definition of luxury service and offered views for days.
Book a night in the one-bedroom pool villa or spa suite. Highly recommend this! Of all the private villas and suites in Sanya, a night at Luhuitou Resort will hands down be the best value for money. As soon as you step foot on the property, it immediately reminds you of Thailand or Bali. As of mid-July 2022, a night in the Spa Suite costed ¥1,391 ($212). When we first visited during Chinese New Year (one of the most popular times of the year to travel in China), a night in the Pool Villa costed ¥1,400 ($213). We’ve stayed in both types of rooms, and you truly can’t beat the service, quality, or experience!
Dine at Cusina Italian restaurant. We went to Cusina three times over the course of our two trips to Sanya. I think that sentence speaks volumes! Excellent Italian food, lots of options…. just make sure you call ahead to get a dinner reservation.
Getting Back to Shanghai
Getting back to Shanghai was much easier than anticipated. There was no COVID test upon arrival, and the only thing we needed to show at Hongqiao Shanghai airport was our 48-hour green health code that we already showed at the Sanya Phoenix Airport to board the plane. After our temperature was taken, it was onto baggage claim and back to our apartment we went.
For more updated information, you can call your departure/arrival airports, 12345, and/or the hotel(s) you've booked with. They can direct you to the city public health department in charge of health and safety rules that seem to be ever-changing.
Until next time, Sanya!
Happy traveling,
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