The Sanya Travel Guide - 3 fun things you can't miss!

White-sand beaches, azure blue water and green hills? Maybe not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about China? Well one of things I love about traveling is that it debunks myths. Welcome to Sanya in Hainan, often referred to as the Hawaii of China.

I traveled here for the weekend and even If you are not a beach bum there are many fun things to do. Here is my Sanya travel guide with 3 things you can’t miss.

Rosewood Sanya

Sunsets by a double infinity pool overlooking the ocean. Oh yes I totally love rooftop bars. Sipping a cocktail on the 13th floor of Rosewood Sanya while enjoy the mesmerizing views is something for the bucket list 🙂

And if you wonder what the view was like when I turned 180 degrees, not bad either:

By the way hotel prices in Sanya are quite cheap! I checked the rates per night and it’s about 140 usd which is at least half of what you would pay in for example Singapore for so much luxury.

Location: Rosewood Sanya on google maps

Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park

Vertigo is your best friend in the next attraction. Walk over a swinging rope bridge or look down while shuffling over glass platforms, it’s all possible in this tropical park.

I actually had to queue to be able to go on the rope bridge and it was actually quite adventures just because the amount of people who were on the bridge at the same time.

That tiny thing down there is the same bridge. This gives you an idea of how massive this park is 😉

You also have to be aware that some parts of the park are pure wedding madness. Couples, brides wearing their long white dress (how did they get up here like that, there must be changing rooms) are lining up to take pictures. A slightly unexpected site in tropical forest.

Another interesting topic is transport. Don’t worry about walking! There are like a hundred yellow hop on hop off buses that bring you around in the giant park to all the main attractions. It’s all included in your entrance fee. Tourism here is very organized and at a different scale (read massive amounts of people).

Entrance fee: RMB 170 per adult (peak season); RMB 150 per adult (off season)
– Free entry for children under 1.2 meters in height and below 6 years old
– RMB 115 for children from 1.2 to 1.4 meters in height and seniors aged 60 to 69
– RMB 50 for the handicapped and seniors aged 70 or above
Note: Peak season: from October 1st to April 30th
Off season: From May 1st to September 30th

Location: Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park on google maps

White-sand beaches and blue water at Wuzhizhou Island

Time to mingle with many other Chinese tourists and explore a small island. Hop on a 15 minute boat ride to Wuzhizhou island.

This island is interesting. It’s some kind of tropical island theme park where one of the activities is wave surfing – on a fake wave.

If you are more of a thrill seeker you can also take a helicopter ride! For the foodies there is also Matcha ice cream made by a robot 🙂

If you are looking for an empty island to have a peaceful moment then this is not the right attraction for you. I thought it was very interesting nevertheless to mingle with all the Chinese tourists and see what it is all about.

Location: Wuzhizhou island on google maps take the ferry from this location

Luhuitou Park

For some nice city views during sunset, hike to the top of Luhuitou Park. You will see a massive statue with an interesting story behind it. It goes something like this. A guy was hunting a deer for 9 days and 9 nights. Eventually the deer reached the coast and there was no way out. Ready to shoot his arrow, the deer suddenly transformed into a smoking hot girl and the guy fell in love and they lived happily ever after. That also explains the name of the park “Luhuitou”, deer turning its head back.