Top 10 to do in Hainan and places to stay
The famous tourist resort of Sanya received a record number of tourists during the seven days of the Spring Festival, after a campaign by local authorities to regulate prices and services. Or in other words, the Chinese government is pushing Hainan as a travel destination.
Around 564,000 tourists visited the southern city in Hainan province during the period, an increase of 16.5 percent over the previous year. With its tropical climate and sun-drenched beaches, the coastal city has long been a popular winter destination, especially for visitors from the cold climates of the north.
However, as the tourism industry grew rapidly, so did complaints about service and prices. The last movement of the city government to address the problem came into effect at the beginning of the year.
Some of the measures were temporary during the Spring Festival period, while others are intended to be implemented in the long term. The initiatives were published through the media across the country and told potential tourists that they could now expect a better vacation in Sanya during the Spring Festival and beyond.
So what is Hainan?
People go to Hainan for this type of beaches, basically.
Hainan Island, known as the “Hawaii of China“, is a very popular holiday destination for Chinese citizens. With its tropical climate and beautiful beaches, Hainan attracted 70 million tourists last year, according to the Hainan Tourism Development Commission. However, it is still not well known among people from other countries. According to the Xinhua news agency, only 1.1 million visitors to Hainan were international tourists.
The Chinese government has facilitated the visit of American citizens (and European and other usual countries), to visit Hainan, visa-free for up to 30 days. The only province in China to have an initiative like this.
Is it worth the trip? I would say for Chinese nationals, yes. Some Chinese might not want the hassle of traveling to Thailand. So visiting Hainan and keep it local makes sense.
For foreign nationals? Depends. There are sine good beach traveling alternatives not that far away. I think the key is choice and convenience, that’s why this island is packed with Russian tourists.?
Top 10 to do & see in Hainan
Sunset in Hainan.
Hainan is (surprisingly) much more than a few tropical beaches, I was gladly surprised of the variety of things to do and see that this island packs. It certainly added a lot to my trip.
- Nanshan Temple in Sanya, built to commemorate two thousand years of Buddhism in China.
- Volcanic Crater Park in Haikou.
- Luhuitou Park at the top of Luhuitou Mountain offers visitors stunning panoramic views across Sanya.
- Tianya Haijiao, or ‘the edge of heaven’, is a scenic beach spot west of Sanya City.
- Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone. Try a spot of ziplining, or for relaxation visit the luxury spa.
- Wenbi Peak in the middle of Ding’an County.
- Qilou Old Street, a historic part of Haikou famous for its fusion of European and Asian architecture.
- Sample the delicious local cuisine. Well, delicious is a subjective thing when it comes to Chinese food. But for me it was godly.
- Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Park.
- Binlang Valley Cultural Tourism Zone.
Nanshan temple Hainan
Old Street in Haikou City, Hainan Island, China
A huge park in the west of Sanya. A very beautiful place with a very nice beach, but also a perfect place for marriage photographers!
Luhuitou Park
Best hotels to stay in Hainan
Barry Boutique Seaview Hotel
The amount of hotels in offer at Hainan is truly staggering, this also results in over-supply as most of them are really cheap with great value. I can recommend this 5 picks =
- Barry Boutique Seaview Hotel Sanya. 5* 40$
- Mangrove Tree Resort World Sanya Bay Coconut Tree Hotel. 5* 50$
- Le Parker International Hotel. 5* 35$
- Phoenix Island Resort Sanya Ocean Dream. 4* 50$ (The famous 5-towers in Hainan)
- Gold Boutique Holiday Hotel. 3* 25$
Or check the whole list of Hainan hotels here. Or Sanya here.
place looks awesome