Beach, seafood, and diving are the three eternal themes of travel in Sanya. Located in the southernmost Hainan, every day there is like summer with all kinds of flowers blossoming. Therefore, it is regarded as "the Oriental Hawaii". On the coastline of Sanya, there are many bays including Yalong Bay, Dadong Hai and Sanya Bay, where coconut tree becomes forest. With the most intact eco-cay in China, Wuzhizhou Island enjoys the reputation of "the Best Diving Base of China".
Asian Dragon Bay (Yalong wan) is arguably Hainan's best beach and definitely the most pristine. 7 km of white sand stretches along beautifully clean blue water here, backed by palm trees and lush green hills.
The beach sits roughly on the same latitude as Hawaii and enjoys similar temperatures and weather conditions. The water here is wonderfully clear, reflecting the blue sky and white sand beneath the depths. Snorkeling and scuba diving are popular pursuits here given the clear water, bright-colored coral reefs and tropical fish that abound and this is arguably the nicest place to swim on the entire island. This is a new resort and development is underway in a very tasteful manner. This is a protected marine reserve and commercial fishing is forbidden here, keeping the water very clean and lovely for swimming.
Dadonghai Beach (Dadonghai) is one of Sanya's cleanest beaches, situated about 3 km from the centre of the city and just off the main road.
The beach's close proximity to the city means that it can get very busy here but this remains a pleasant and convenient spot to kick off your shoes, soak up the rays and swim in the sea. Like most of the beaches around Sanya, this is a truly tropical beach with 3 km of white sand curving round a crescent shaped bay, warm blue seas and palm trees.
Facilities here are good too. Water sports are popular and there are numerous small restaurants and bars serving up tasty snacks and drinks. It is particularly pleasant here in the evenings, when the sun sets and the crowds disperse.
Tianya Haijiao
Tianya Haijiao or the 'End of the Earth and the Corner of the Sea' is located at the foot of Xiama Hill in the town of Tianya, 24 km west of Sanya. This spot is hugely popular with Chinese tourists who flock here to be photographed in front of the huge rock which is featured on the back of the RMB 2 note.
In fact, there are numerous rocks here of different size and shape, distributed along the silvery beach. The Chinese characters for 'Tianya Haijiao' (end of the world) and 'Nantian Yizhu' (the huge rock that emerges from the sea, making a ‘corner’), are engraved on three of the biggest rocks that sit along the coast. This area is known as the 'End of the World' because this was the place where Song dynasty officials were exiled to for criticizing their government. For them, this untraversed wilderness must have made them really feel like the 'end of the world'.
Luhuitou Peninsula is located 5 km north of Sanya, perched on the edge of the South China Sea. The name for this popular spot translates as 'a deer turning its head’ due to the legend that accompanies the district.
The story goes that a young Li hunter, who had tramped across hill and dale in pursuit of a lame deer, arrived at the seaside cliffs in Wuzhishan (Mt. Five Fingers), whereupon the deer he had been in hot pursuit of turned into a beautiful young girl whom the hunter went on to marry and have a huge family.
So big in fact, that they made up an entire village on this peninsula which they named 'Luhuitou Village' or the 'deer that turned its head' village. A sculpture depicting this mythical tale stands on the top of the hill, from where, there are great views over the surrounding countryside.
At the foot of the hill, are numerous hotels, holiday resorts, palm plantations and pearl farms. There are some very pleasant walks around these parts, although the beach at Luhuitou is not so impressive.
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Nanshan Temple was the only Buddhist temple built from scratch after the birth of PRC. The architecture of the entire temple complex was tastefully adapted to pre-Tang style, surrounded by tropical botanic gardens.
Nanshan, the mountain on the south, is also believed to be the auspicious mountain of longevity in Chinese mythology.
Wuzhizhou Island is a tropical island with some excellent scuba diving available around the spectacular coral reefs.
This place is known locally as a microcosm for all that is gorgeous about Hainan Island: white beaches, palm trees, sunshine and wonderful sea life including sea urchin, starfish and sea horse.