Just like everyone else, even Shanghai City Girl needs to get away from the city now and then. Since my holiday started a bit earlier, I was determined to have my beach vacation as soon as possible. Although I had been planning to go to Indonesia with one of my friends (who is now viciously teasing me with pictures..) , my soon-to - be expired passport counterplotted that scenario. However, I was not going to give up on my long –awaited beach break. So the best solution that came to my mind was – Sanya on Hainan island. Hainan 海南 ( exact meaning – South of the Sea because 海- sea, 南 – south) is located in the South China Sea. It is the smallest and the southernmost province of China. Some people call it Chinese Hawaii. Well – I can agree with that – the sea does have beautiful color and the abundance of the tropical rainforests add warranty to this title. The nature IS really impressive and worth seeing. However you should be prepared that Hainan is ….the REAL developing China – and by this I mean : 1) It’s not an international place like shanghai AT ALL. 2) Transportation there could be sometimes confusing and messy. 3) You have to make an effort to find convenience stores like 7/11 or Lawson’s – or you might not find them at all… 4) If you don’t speak Chinese, then it might be a problem if you go there without a guide who will assist you non stop. But if you DO, your ego will be nicely flattered hearing all the shocked comments ‘ohhh, this foreigner can speak Chinese?!’ 5) Many places do NOT provide you with the essential facility called WIFI. However, you can really enjoy Chinese Hawaii and here are some tips from me, to know how to get the best out of your stay in Sanya. ACCOMMODATION My friend, Shanghai Hunter, recommended Yalong Bay as the ‘most dreamy’ and as he says himself – he was/is usually right. Yalong bay is the most relaxing and really ‘dreamy’. BUT you need to know that it is also quite remote and the last public bus back will get back there around 5 or 6 pm. There is a wide range of hotels in Yalong bay – and all of them spread along the coast , in a very close vicinity. I chose Huandao Beach Hotel because there was 70% discount on it on booking.com. Later turned out why…The hotel maybe used to be fancy about 20 years ago, and now..well.The rooms are clean and decent, BUT there is no wifi there ( So that’s why – when I probably made quite a shocked facial expression, to make up for that lack, I was sent to my room with a bellhop, who carried my luggage in one hand and……A SET OF BEACH TOYS in another….) The staff don’t really speak English, so again – good chance to practice your Mandarin! Breakfast is included in the price as well as one free entry to one of the hotel’s sea world attractions. All in all, I didn’t go there to spend my time in a hotel, and for as much as I spent there, it was really OK. But if you are more demanding, then probably better choice is Cactus Resort or Universal Resort – similar price range ( I spent 2,700RMB for 8 nights), but you need to book earlier in advance. Again, Cactus was recommended to me by Shanghai Hunter, but unfortunately was already fully booked while I was choosing my accommodation.
TRANSPORT As I have mentioned before, Hainan is still developing China. That said, you should be prepared that getting around might not be super easy. But it still can be fun and add up to the adventure! Of course there are buses that will get you out of Yalong bay, BUT! Bear in mind that they operate for quite a short time – the last bus back might be around 5 or 5 30pm .And even if you see the same number that you took out, it doesn’t mean it is coming back same way. You can of course resort to cabs, but these might be veeeeery expensive.To come back from downtown to Yalong bay will cost around 80 RMB.So what you can do is to: plan your excursions pretty early ; share the cab or sometimes you can just adopt happy – go – lucky attitude and just try hitchking the big coaches. This is what I was doing and it will just between 5 or 10 RMB to get back. Well, I was also lucky enough to meet some extremely nice Chinese tourists who offered to give me a ride in their cabs for free, because they were coming back same direction. One good thing – when you arrive in Sanya, there are shuttle buses waiting by the airport that will take you to Yalong bay for 25 RMB. However the way back may not be so easy and then it is possible to negotiate the 100 RMB taxi ride to the airport.
FOOD What shocked me the most , food in Sanya, especially fruit, is NOT cheap.As the biggest fan of coconuts and coconut oil, I had been hoping to find those extremely cheap. Unfortunately, they were not. If you are staying in Yalong Bay, the price of the coconuts from street and beach vendors is the same or even higher than in Shanghai. To find them cheaper, you can get out of the bay and the closer downtown, the cheaper – you will get them even for 8 or 6 RMB. Yalong bay also has FLORET entertainment center with a small supermarket,, where the coconuts prices range from 8 – 15 RMB . I have had this ‘rule’ since my childhood, that by the seaside eat the seafood of course. Again, in Yalong bay the cheapest BBQed fish will be around 40 RMB but in Dadonghai bay – which is the next one after Yalong bay – you will get it for 15 RMB already. All in all, food expenses in Sanya will consume most of your money. If you choose Yalong bay and are on the ‘budget’, then the most ‘economical’ way will be to get your fruit and coconuts closer to the center of Sanya. ATTRACTIONS Something that won’t disappoint you in Sanya is the variety of things to do. Even if you did some internet research before the trip, make sure to grab very ‘visual’ and clear map of Sanya at the airport. It will give you suggestions of places to visit. For sure, you should definitely check out all the different bays in Sanya – Yalong Bay, Dadonghai ( which has the most beach bars ), Sanya Bay, Nanshan area and Wuzhihou. Each and every one is very very different and worth seeing. The places I visited were: Sanya Yalong Bay tropical paradise – 175 RBM Wuzhizhou island – around 170 RMB. Yanoda rainforest – 248 RMB( including bus trip there and back, but that might depend on the offer you find. I accidentally joined an organized group – the original price was 148 and 100 extra if you choose to get to the top of the forest through the waterfall) Rose Valley – 88 RMB Nanshan Culture Tourism Zone - 150 RMB All these places all well worth visiting.My favorite ones were Yanoda and Nanshan Park – a symbol of Sanya with its giant white Buddha emerging from the sea. And there are still many, MANY more things to do there – scuba diving, with prices ranging between 400 and 800 RMB and other water sports. Tickets are not cheap, but especially the beautiful rainforests are worth it. Two things I regret didn’t do, were the Monkey Island and Tianya Haijiao scenic spot as I have read there are also definite highlights of the island. All in all – Sanya is a great experience. True – it is not as cheap as Indonesia, and pretty wild. But if you want to feel the REAL China, and see stunning Chinese nature , this is the place to visit. It will be unforgettable, for sure! My advice is to just avoid the national holidays periods.For obvious reasons