Sanya - Mini TR
Nov 14, 2014 | 11:59 pm
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PEK
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Posts: 377
Sanya - Mini TR
Since moving to China, I’ve found that Sanya has become one of those mythical places that everyone has a comment to make about without ever having been there. These comments usually revolve around it being too expensive and full of Russians. There is also the obligatory reports of packed beaches and inflated prices every Spring Festival.
Compared to other resorts around the globe, there is also a dearth of in-depth information for people visiting. The Wiki Travel page is pretty mediocre and there isn’t too much else that goes beyond describing it as the ‘Hawaii of China’ but ‘don't got during Spring Festival as it’s too busy, and full of Russians’….
Anyway, on the back of CONSTANTNAGGINGNOISES (CNN) securing a big contract for her company, her boss decided to organise an all expenses paid Team Building trip for Staff and their families. Nice!
CNN’s colleagues are mostly bespectacled engineers and whilst technically very smart, their life skills leave a lot to be desired. So after managing to convince them that paying an agent 10krmb per person for return flights and four nights in a local independent 4* was not the best use of budget, I got busy on C-trip and set about looking for a better deal.
The general consensus was to find somewhere outside of Sanya Bay, which left a choice between Yalong and Haitang to choose from. As Haitang is a lot less developed than Yalong there were a lot better offers on the hotels there, and after a bit of indecision we went with the Kempinski over the Sheraton and Renaissance. CNN’s company is based in Liangmaqiao so everyone knows and regards the Beijing Kempinski well. The price was about 1,200rmb a night after taxes for bed and breakfast in an ocean view room. (Due to the layout of the complex, the rooms are not strictly facing the water).
Due to APEC the flights around this time were obviously pretty well booked up and on the pricey side. Flights leaving on the fri/sat and returning the <13th Nov were clocking in around 12k rmb for 2 adults and a child. We took the Sunday evening out and Friday red eye back with Air China which cost around 5.5k rmb for the three of us.
We were not booked into the Kempinski until Monday, so Sunday night accommodation would be on our own dollar. Due to our 10.30pm arrival, we weren’t willing to head straight to the Kempinski and paying that much just for a few hours sleep.
Contrary to popular myth that Sanya is all expensive 5* resorts, a quick search of Ctrip reveals there is a whole host of hotels in the downtown area in the sub 200rmb a night category – There is a Green Tree Inn (recently pimped by moondog) just 5 mins drive from the airport.
In the end I plumped for the Lavende Hotel which cost a wallet pleasing 190rmb for the night, which was paid for using Ctrip money. It ticked all the boxes for my requirements in a budget hotel – close to the airport and recently opened.
http://www.lavandehotels.cc/
The taxi driver had a little difficulty finding it, and it was in a lively area downtown but it was an excellent hotel for the price. Clean and nicely decorated with friendly staff. Excellent range of free toiletries, free wifi and bottled water provided. Breakfast was not included in the price but was a meager 18rmb per person extra. I did not eat but the buffet looked more than reasonable for that price and alongside the usual Chinese fayre there were eggs and some cooked ham and some nice breads, pastries and jams available. Good stuff!
Anyway, our first morning was not promising as the heavens opened and we had some sustained heavy rain. The heat was lovely though in comparison to the winter making itself known in Beijing. We found a taxi very quickly and he was familiar with the Kempinski, and off we went.
The Kempinski is around 35km from downtown and would usually take around 45 mins, however after passing Yalong bay, traffic ground to a halt on the highway, and I mean really ground. As in people getting out of their cars to see what is happening ground.
So turns out there are tunnel repairs on the route and the journey ended up take 2.5 hours. Not sure how long the works are going on for but it meant for the duration we were stuck in the the Haitang area unless we wanted to endure delays in both directions.
Haitang bay is undergoing major development along the coast with a number of large resorts under construction and a lot more plots boundaried off for future development. The Kempinski is the southernmost of the resorts though there is construction work going on either side. Apart from engaging my daughters obsession with cranes, there wasn’t any noticeable issues with noise or pollution coming from these sites.
First impressions of the Kempsinski were good but it soon became clear it was suffering from China misguided intentions syndrome which I’m sure most on this board will be familiar with. The resort is huge but is obviously operating well under capacity which has led to large areas being abandoned or put under ‘renovation’ which doesn't lend well to the overall atmosphere. Half of the private villa complex seems to be either still under construction (no work going on) or in a state of disrepair. The ground floor rooms in the main blocks that lead directly onto semi private pools didn't seem to be operating and looked dirty and abandoned.
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Reception Area
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Room with Balcony Bath
Pool area was great and a lovely beach but the sort of resort break I was looking for was obviously not going to materialise – little in the way of a pool or beach food and beverage service and no music to liven things up a bit. Maybe we visited at a quiet time and it turns into Ibiza at other times, who knows!
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Pool area and view 'Ocean View' Wuzhizhou island in background
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Private pool in the villa complex, hmmmmm
The weather was very changeable, generally nice in the morning but would get windy and rainy in the early afternoon. Sea was quite rough and not suitable for swimming – Beaches were generally clean however and apart from the odd washed up bottle were kept in good nick. Food and beverage options in the hotel were fairly limited with one bar and two restaurants. Western options are par for the course across this sort of brand both in price and quality. There were signs for a Paulener but there didn't appear to be one.
The resorts in Haitaing are really isolated and unless you stay at the Intercontinental which is next door to the duty free mall and the local village, you are limited to what your hotel has to offer. This is an expensive area though, and even the local fish restaurants have obviously clubbed together to make sure they get their piece of the action with a meal for three adults coming in at around 700rmb in any one of them. There is a food court, KFC and Pizza Hut in the mall which provides a welcome break from getting fleeced every meal time!
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Shellfish was good value but this fish set us back 350 rmb...
Despite my protestations I was dragged to Wuzhizhzhou Island which wasn’t actually as bad as the reports made it out to be. The ferry is expensive but food and drink options are reasonably priced, especially when you compare them to the hotels and restaurants on the main island. It was quite quiet when we went though, I would imagine it would be quite a different experience during peak travel periods. It seemed that this was the main location in Haitang for all activities such as scuba diving and para gliding.
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Beach at Wuzhizhou
I somehow managed to accumulate enough brownie points to fit in a couple of rounds of golf during the stay. Through the Kempinski concierge we played a couple of rounds at Mystic Springs which was around a 20 minute drive away (40rmb with a metred taxi there, 100rmb to return with a golf club car). Beautiful looking course with some mind boggling holes, but was quite difficult to play in the wet due to sodden fairways. We were advised the best time to play was December to March.
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Mystic Springs Golf Club
Given the reputation of everything being expensive on Sanya, the golf was excellently priced and we paid 680rmb per person. Membership here costs a measly 3,500rmb a year – enough for 100 years when comparing it to Beijing membership prices. The caddies were lovely and very knowledgeable compared to their northern counterparts we usually encounter.
Service in Sanya in general is a cut above the rest of China. The locals are very friendly but there are also a large amount of migrant workers who are obviously lucky and happy to land jobs on the island, and this shows in their attitude toward customer care.
Sanya Phoenix Airport is just about the right size for the passenger numbers, it was busy but not hectic. Large range of shops of restaurants given its size and Burger King was a very welcome find. Check in queues were quite small though we were able to use CNN’s Silver status to use first class check in.
They have a fantastic outdoor waiting area too which is a nice touch. Plebe class waiting area is pretty uncomfortable with lots of perforated metal so best to leave going through security (10 minute wait) to the last minute. If you have kids there is a play room with some comfortable sofas.
No problem with finding a taxi on arrival. Plenty available and no issues with drivers trying to go off meter or other shenanigans.
Our return flight was delayed around an hour due to mechanical problems, though a lot of other flights were delayed due to flight traffic. Not sure if this is par for the course.
Air China economy was as it always is, not terrible by any means and gets you from A-B. We had a 330 on the way out with three of us in the four middle seats, full meal service (chicken or beef rice – edible!) for 6pm departure and IFE more than enough for 3.5 hours. 45 mins on the apron at PEK but a smooth flight after that.
Return was on a 757 and an 8.30pm departure delayed one hour, with a zapped cheese and ham roll served and IFE only available via the small communal screens and to those lucky enough to find an old set of earphones in their seat pocket. Hit some very bad weather over Henan which was quite unpleasant at times and lasted for around an hour. Flight Crew almost fell down a few times but no announcements by them or the flight deck as to what was going on, or to add reassurance. Speaking to my assistant at work who used to be Air China Cabin Crew, she advised me to fly Hainan in the future!
All in all a nice trip, and would probably appreciate it more a second time, trying out a different hotel and having a better grasp of the local knowledge. May return to Hainan in January but to check out the rest of the Island via Haikou.
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Air China Cheese and Ham Toastie
Compared to other resorts around the globe, there is also a dearth of in-depth information for people visiting. The Wiki Travel page is pretty mediocre and there isn’t too much else that goes beyond describing it as the ‘Hawaii of China’ but ‘don't got during Spring Festival as it’s too busy, and full of Russians’….
Anyway, on the back of CONSTANTNAGGINGNOISES (CNN) securing a big contract for her company, her boss decided to organise an all expenses paid Team Building trip for Staff and their families. Nice!
CNN’s colleagues are mostly bespectacled engineers and whilst technically very smart, their life skills leave a lot to be desired. So after managing to convince them that paying an agent 10krmb per person for return flights and four nights in a local independent 4* was not the best use of budget, I got busy on C-trip and set about looking for a better deal.
The general consensus was to find somewhere outside of Sanya Bay, which left a choice between Yalong and Haitang to choose from. As Haitang is a lot less developed than Yalong there were a lot better offers on the hotels there, and after a bit of indecision we went with the Kempinski over the Sheraton and Renaissance. CNN’s company is based in Liangmaqiao so everyone knows and regards the Beijing Kempinski well. The price was about 1,200rmb a night after taxes for bed and breakfast in an ocean view room. (Due to the layout of the complex, the rooms are not strictly facing the water).
Due to APEC the flights around this time were obviously pretty well booked up and on the pricey side. Flights leaving on the fri/sat and returning the <13th Nov were clocking in around 12k rmb for 2 adults and a child. We took the Sunday evening out and Friday red eye back with Air China which cost around 5.5k rmb for the three of us.
We were not booked into the Kempinski until Monday, so Sunday night accommodation would be on our own dollar. Due to our 10.30pm arrival, we weren’t willing to head straight to the Kempinski and paying that much just for a few hours sleep.
Contrary to popular myth that Sanya is all expensive 5* resorts, a quick search of Ctrip reveals there is a whole host of hotels in the downtown area in the sub 200rmb a night category – There is a Green Tree Inn (recently pimped by moondog) just 5 mins drive from the airport.
In the end I plumped for the Lavende Hotel which cost a wallet pleasing 190rmb for the night, which was paid for using Ctrip money. It ticked all the boxes for my requirements in a budget hotel – close to the airport and recently opened.
http://www.lavandehotels.cc/
The taxi driver had a little difficulty finding it, and it was in a lively area downtown but it was an excellent hotel for the price. Clean and nicely decorated with friendly staff. Excellent range of free toiletries, free wifi and bottled water provided. Breakfast was not included in the price but was a meager 18rmb per person extra. I did not eat but the buffet looked more than reasonable for that price and alongside the usual Chinese fayre there were eggs and some cooked ham and some nice breads, pastries and jams available. Good stuff!
Anyway, our first morning was not promising as the heavens opened and we had some sustained heavy rain. The heat was lovely though in comparison to the winter making itself known in Beijing. We found a taxi very quickly and he was familiar with the Kempinski, and off we went.
The Kempinski is around 35km from downtown and would usually take around 45 mins, however after passing Yalong bay, traffic ground to a halt on the highway, and I mean really ground. As in people getting out of their cars to see what is happening ground.
So turns out there are tunnel repairs on the route and the journey ended up take 2.5 hours. Not sure how long the works are going on for but it meant for the duration we were stuck in the the Haitang area unless we wanted to endure delays in both directions.
Haitang bay is undergoing major development along the coast with a number of large resorts under construction and a lot more plots boundaried off for future development. The Kempinski is the southernmost of the resorts though there is construction work going on either side. Apart from engaging my daughters obsession with cranes, there wasn’t any noticeable issues with noise or pollution coming from these sites.
First impressions of the Kempsinski were good but it soon became clear it was suffering from China misguided intentions syndrome which I’m sure most on this board will be familiar with. The resort is huge but is obviously operating well under capacity which has led to large areas being abandoned or put under ‘renovation’ which doesn't lend well to the overall atmosphere. Half of the private villa complex seems to be either still under construction (no work going on) or in a state of disrepair. The ground floor rooms in the main blocks that lead directly onto semi private pools didn't seem to be operating and looked dirty and abandoned.
photos upload
Reception Area
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online photo sharing
upload pictures online
Room with Balcony Bath
Pool area was great and a lovely beach but the sort of resort break I was looking for was obviously not going to materialise – little in the way of a pool or beach food and beverage service and no music to liven things up a bit. Maybe we visited at a quiet time and it turns into Ibiza at other times, who knows!
imgurl
post a picture
Pool area and view 'Ocean View' Wuzhizhou island in background
jpg images
Private pool in the villa complex, hmmmmm
The weather was very changeable, generally nice in the morning but would get windy and rainy in the early afternoon. Sea was quite rough and not suitable for swimming – Beaches were generally clean however and apart from the odd washed up bottle were kept in good nick. Food and beverage options in the hotel were fairly limited with one bar and two restaurants. Western options are par for the course across this sort of brand both in price and quality. There were signs for a Paulener but there didn't appear to be one.
The resorts in Haitaing are really isolated and unless you stay at the Intercontinental which is next door to the duty free mall and the local village, you are limited to what your hotel has to offer. This is an expensive area though, and even the local fish restaurants have obviously clubbed together to make sure they get their piece of the action with a meal for three adults coming in at around 700rmb in any one of them. There is a food court, KFC and Pizza Hut in the mall which provides a welcome break from getting fleeced every meal time!
image url upload
Shellfish was good value but this fish set us back 350 rmb...
Despite my protestations I was dragged to Wuzhizhzhou Island which wasn’t actually as bad as the reports made it out to be. The ferry is expensive but food and drink options are reasonably priced, especially when you compare them to the hotels and restaurants on the main island. It was quite quiet when we went though, I would imagine it would be quite a different experience during peak travel periods. It seemed that this was the main location in Haitang for all activities such as scuba diving and para gliding.
screenshot software
Beach at Wuzhizhou
I somehow managed to accumulate enough brownie points to fit in a couple of rounds of golf during the stay. Through the Kempinski concierge we played a couple of rounds at Mystic Springs which was around a 20 minute drive away (40rmb with a metred taxi there, 100rmb to return with a golf club car). Beautiful looking course with some mind boggling holes, but was quite difficult to play in the wet due to sodden fairways. We were advised the best time to play was December to March.
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Mystic Springs Golf Club
Given the reputation of everything being expensive on Sanya, the golf was excellently priced and we paid 680rmb per person. Membership here costs a measly 3,500rmb a year – enough for 100 years when comparing it to Beijing membership prices. The caddies were lovely and very knowledgeable compared to their northern counterparts we usually encounter.
Service in Sanya in general is a cut above the rest of China. The locals are very friendly but there are also a large amount of migrant workers who are obviously lucky and happy to land jobs on the island, and this shows in their attitude toward customer care.
Sanya Phoenix Airport is just about the right size for the passenger numbers, it was busy but not hectic. Large range of shops of restaurants given its size and Burger King was a very welcome find. Check in queues were quite small though we were able to use CNN’s Silver status to use first class check in.
They have a fantastic outdoor waiting area too which is a nice touch. Plebe class waiting area is pretty uncomfortable with lots of perforated metal so best to leave going through security (10 minute wait) to the last minute. If you have kids there is a play room with some comfortable sofas.
No problem with finding a taxi on arrival. Plenty available and no issues with drivers trying to go off meter or other shenanigans.
Our return flight was delayed around an hour due to mechanical problems, though a lot of other flights were delayed due to flight traffic. Not sure if this is par for the course.
Air China economy was as it always is, not terrible by any means and gets you from A-B. We had a 330 on the way out with three of us in the four middle seats, full meal service (chicken or beef rice – edible!) for 6pm departure and IFE more than enough for 3.5 hours. 45 mins on the apron at PEK but a smooth flight after that.
Return was on a 757 and an 8.30pm departure delayed one hour, with a zapped cheese and ham roll served and IFE only available via the small communal screens and to those lucky enough to find an old set of earphones in their seat pocket. Hit some very bad weather over Henan which was quite unpleasant at times and lasted for around an hour. Flight Crew almost fell down a few times but no announcements by them or the flight deck as to what was going on, or to add reassurance. Speaking to my assistant at work who used to be Air China Cabin Crew, she advised me to fly Hainan in the future!
All in all a nice trip, and would probably appreciate it more a second time, trying out a different hotel and having a better grasp of the local knowledge. May return to Hainan in January but to check out the rest of the Island via Haikou.
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Air China Cheese and Ham Toastie
Nov 15, 2014 | 9:29 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
Posts: 1,894
Thanks for the detailed report.
I did not find the place to be busy when I was there (Yalong bay) but it was expensive (compared to the rest of China). There are many Russians but it depends on where you hang out. It was pretty dead actually but I guess that it depends on when you go.
I certainly have no plans to return.
Have they renovated the Kempiski in Beijing? Stayed there a few years ago and found it to be very poor value (old and tired).
I did not find the place to be busy when I was there (Yalong bay) but it was expensive (compared to the rest of China). There are many Russians but it depends on where you hang out. It was pretty dead actually but I guess that it depends on when you go.
I certainly have no plans to return.
Have they renovated the Kempiski in Beijing? Stayed there a few years ago and found it to be very poor value (old and tired).
Nov 15, 2014 | 10:17 am
#3
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
Interesting report. Sanya has become expensive/overpriced and yes, full of Russians especially the central area. And yes, I've been there. I stayed west of Sanya, south of the airport, at a friend's beach condo for free.....which if you can swing it is absolutely the best way to stay in the area. 
But like JPDM, once was enough and I see no reason to make another special trip there.
Being "marooned" out in expensive Yalong or Haitang wouldn't be my idea of a great time. For the prices charged, if you are a voluntary tourist without convention/meeting obligations, might as well go to better beaches and resorts in SE Asia.
But like JPDM, once was enough and I see no reason to make another special trip there. Being "marooned" out in expensive Yalong or Haitang wouldn't be my idea of a great time. For the prices charged, if you are a voluntary tourist without convention/meeting obligations, might as well go to better beaches and resorts in SE Asia.
Nov 15, 2014 | 11:15 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Bay Area
Programs: BA - Blue
Posts: 4,721
Thanks for the detailed report. I'm one of those who haven't been -- the prices are off-putting, and from your report, the value proposition just doesn't seem to be there.
We are going to Phuket tomorrow. We (especially our daughter) had a fantastic time last year, and although I'm not really a beach holiday sort of person, it was actually a lot of fun. A little nervous this time round since the beaches have been returned 'to their natural state' following the coup (i.e. less developed) -- which makes sense as a local, less so as a tourist, and also the weather looks more rainy this year. The prices, even in over-developed Phuket are much, much less than Sanya (just on the web) and the food from all accounts, more reasonable.
I, for one, am not bothered about Russians, and there are plenty also in Thailand (as well as mainlanders from PRC). But you are right, few detailed reports, so thanks again.
tb
We are going to Phuket tomorrow. We (especially our daughter) had a fantastic time last year, and although I'm not really a beach holiday sort of person, it was actually a lot of fun. A little nervous this time round since the beaches have been returned 'to their natural state' following the coup (i.e. less developed) -- which makes sense as a local, less so as a tourist, and also the weather looks more rainy this year. The prices, even in over-developed Phuket are much, much less than Sanya (just on the web) and the food from all accounts, more reasonable.
I, for one, am not bothered about Russians, and there are plenty also in Thailand (as well as mainlanders from PRC). But you are right, few detailed reports, so thanks again.
tb
Nov 16, 2014 | 9:25 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PEK & MKE
Programs: Amex-gold, Hainan-gold, Mrt-LT Titanium
Posts: 1,534
A great trip report and pics !
I have been to Sanya 6 times in the last 5 years and enjoyed most of the trips. December is nice as the weather is warm, clean air/water, & some beaches are not crowded. As the above posters have said Jan-Feb can be very pricey, but December & Xmas are a decent value season, and Xmas is not a Chinese holiday. Most hotel rates in Sanya go up on the calendar new years eve (dec 30/31), and some hotels triple the rates for the CNY season.
The city of Sanya is very China trashy and the main Sanya airport is old & dated. The new Sanya VIP airport has the modern efficient FBO's.
Yalong Bay has a mixture of chinese and modern western hotels. I have posted on the Marriott forum a couple of threads about Sanya hotels. But if your one of those frugal chinese that expect normal food prices for rice, vegetables and fish, it's not there, even the local Pizza hut prices are about double...
ready to go back in 2015/16 and check out the new JW's when they open.
I have been to Sanya 6 times in the last 5 years and enjoyed most of the trips. December is nice as the weather is warm, clean air/water, & some beaches are not crowded. As the above posters have said Jan-Feb can be very pricey, but December & Xmas are a decent value season, and Xmas is not a Chinese holiday. Most hotel rates in Sanya go up on the calendar new years eve (dec 30/31), and some hotels triple the rates for the CNY season.
The city of Sanya is very China trashy and the main Sanya airport is old & dated. The new Sanya VIP airport has the modern efficient FBO's.
Yalong Bay has a mixture of chinese and modern western hotels. I have posted on the Marriott forum a couple of threads about Sanya hotels. But if your one of those frugal chinese that expect normal food prices for rice, vegetables and fish, it's not there, even the local Pizza hut prices are about double...
ready to go back in 2015/16 and check out the new JW's when they open.
Last edited by Jiatong; Nov 16, 2014 at 9:31 am Reason: spll
Nov 16, 2014 | 7:35 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PEK
Programs: CA Gold, EY Silver HHons Diamond
Posts: 377
Thanks for the replies, interesting to see all the different views on the place!
'Dead' is definitely one of the comments that stick out. I think it's a cultural difference that the Chinese tend to use their holiday time sightseeing rather than sitting by the pool drinking cocktails, which is my modus operandi - I'm a complete tourist philistine
So you have to wonder given the habit of potential guests and the lack of diversions in Yalong and Haitaing, whether all these new developments popping up are going to be financially sustainable.
I don't think we will be hurrying back there anytime soon, but would like to check out some of the smaller towns on Hainan like Boao. Will be checking out Beihai in the new year which seems to be a less Disneyfied version of Sanya.
'Dead' is definitely one of the comments that stick out. I think it's a cultural difference that the Chinese tend to use their holiday time sightseeing rather than sitting by the pool drinking cocktails, which is my modus operandi - I'm a complete tourist philistine
So you have to wonder given the habit of potential guests and the lack of diversions in Yalong and Haitaing, whether all these new developments popping up are going to be financially sustainable.
I don't think we will be hurrying back there anytime soon, but would like to check out some of the smaller towns on Hainan like Boao. Will be checking out Beihai in the new year which seems to be a less Disneyfied version of Sanya.
Nov 19, 2014 | 1:12 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: YYZ, PVG
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Ex-UA-1K
Posts: 430
These were wonderful reports and mostly reinforced why I both want to and not want to go to Hainan. Almost went thrice but each time thought better of it and headed to SE Asia. Will do it one of these days.
Nov 19, 2014 | 7:47 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Shenzhen China
Posts: 82
Thanks for the info. I stayed there in 2008.In a lovely families home and literally paid 60rmb a night. 5 minutes walk to the beach.
The scam at that time was the Fish restaurants. No prices, depending on how you looked they charged you from 350-1500. Some very angry customers when the bill was handed to them. As for Russians. They were interesting. They would put on a naked strip show on the beach while oiling their bodies down. Lets not forget they gay section of the beach where it looked like a bunch of Chocolate bunnies nude sunbathing. My experience there was fun. I've always wanted to go back but in the off season. Worst nightmare for me is any Chinese holiday there..
The scam at that time was the Fish restaurants. No prices, depending on how you looked they charged you from 350-1500. Some very angry customers when the bill was handed to them. As for Russians. They were interesting. They would put on a naked strip show on the beach while oiling their bodies down. Lets not forget they gay section of the beach where it looked like a bunch of Chocolate bunnies nude sunbathing. My experience there was fun. I've always wanted to go back but in the off season. Worst nightmare for me is any Chinese holiday there..