Accommodation choices abound. Sheraton Sanya Resort, the official “home of Miss World,” where the contestants stay each December, is among Sanya’s most spoiling five-star resorts. Opened in 2003, the Sheraton has beautiful landscaping, an open-air teak lobby with sliding wall-to-ceiling windows, and three pristine pools set along the shoreline. This is a great place to bring the family to try out an arsenal of daytime sports activities for kids and adults.Wireless broadband Internet connection allows business travellers to stay connected, even poolside. The newer Sheraton Haikou Resort occupies a prime beachfront along the west of Haikou City. Spacious rooms feature balconies, oversize bathtubs, WiFi in public areas (and around the pool) and High Speed Internet in all rooms. In-room the pampering continues with the latest sink-in "Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Beds", rainforest showers and a wide range of satellite channels. The hotel offers versatile venues for meeting planners. The largest meeting room seats 600 while the smallest weighs in at a more intimate 12 pax.
The Sanya Marriott Resort & Spa boasts 455 rooms with balconies offering sweeping views of Yalong Bay. There is a kids' club to keep tikes occupied, high-speed Internet for those who refuse to unplug and a raft of activities including power-boating, tennis, scuba-diving, snorkelling and wind surfing. Golf is nearby and a well equipped health and fitness centre with sauna and massage will deal admirably with end-of-day aches. There are extensive meeting facilities and an 830sq m Grand Ballroom. The Quan Spa, in its own private garden setting, has 16 luxurious treatment rooms. Herbs and unguents are sourced in Australia and China and offer an "east meets west" programme.
The swank Resort Horizon is a modern Sanya getaway with landscaped gardens, large free-form pools and extensive on-the-beach offerings from romantic dining to adrenaline-pumping watersports. Try jet skis, windsurfing, speedboat rides, kayaking or diving or opt for land-based distractions like tennis, archery and golf.
Gloria Resort, Yalong Bay’s first five-star resort lacks the impact of its ritzy new neighbours. Still, its rooms are clean and spacious, with great views and its private white sand beach is still among China's best. The Holiday Inn Resort is a well-kept place and makes the most of its location in the middle of idyllic Yalong Bay. Discounts of 40 percent are often available.
Set well back from the beach, and occupied mostly by tour groups, the Cactus Resort is among Yalong Bay’s cheapest. An Aztec theme keeps things surreal, from cactus motifs to a huge pyramid (the stage for occasional evening shows). Staff struggle with English, but do try hard. Another group favourite, this time with Russians, is the Resort Intime, while Palm Beach Resorts and Spa is a clean and competitively priced Sanya Bay option.
Hilton Sanya Resort and Spa
Range: Five-star
This hotel, positioned on Yalong Bay, Hainan's southernmost tip, overlooks a 750 meter stretch of powdery white sand.Its six restaurants and bars, all based on traditional Chinese elements, offer indoor dining in air-conditioned comfort and al fresco dining in the island's balmy breeze.Big Kitchen All-Day Dining is an all-day dining restaurant with a trendy open-kitchen setting as its main draw. Diners will find all kinds of world cuisines served here. After the Hilton Resort Breakfast, the restaurant turns into an open lunchtime kitchen serving noodles and pastas, sandwich boards, baked goods and sushi, sashimi and salads ?even barbecues, grills and stews. A whole new atmosphere wafts in at dusk for a fancy dinner tour of the world - Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian, Sri Lankan, Indian, Australian, Pacific Island, Middle Eastern, Continental European and American are mixed up for creative dishes.
Address: Yalong Bay National Resort District, Sanya
Get there: 40km from Phoenix Airport in Sanya and 230km from the Meilan Airport in Haikou, 25km to the railway station, and 20km from Sanya's dontown.
Tel: +86-898-8858 8888
