China Travel FAQ

Sanya Travel FAQ & Tips

Weather:

When is the best time for traveling Sanya?

Sanya is subjected to the tropical area and the yearly average temperature is around 26ºC. Usually the best time for traveling Sanya is from September to April for the relative cooler weather in this period.

On the third day of lunar March (end of March or beginning of April), live shows of Li and Miao minority take place and all tourists can take part in their traditional festival activities like Medurat Hashevet and folk song party, etc.

In December, the Tianya-Haijiao International Wedding Festival is annually held for wedding or honeymoon guests from home and abroad.

Tips: Festival or holidays (like National Day Holiday, Spring Festival, etc.) is the busy travel time in Sanya. The hotels are easily fully booked up and more expensive than the usual time. It is better to make hotel reservation in advance or avoid traveling in this period.

Transportation:

How can we get to Sanya?

1. By Air

Sanya Phoenix International Airport, about 11 km away from Sanya downtown, issues the flights to many domestic cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Xian, Chongqing, Chengdu, Guiyang, Guilin, Harbin, Hong Kong, Macao, Urumchi, etc.

You can take the airport bus to the downtown at CNY 15 for the 45-minute bus journey. When back to the airport, you can take the No. 8 public bus (CNY 8) for there is no airport bus from downtown. Optional way is to take taxi that usually charges around CNY50 from downtown, CNY 70 from Dadong Hai, and CNY90 from Yalong Bay.

2. By Train

Trains from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Haikou can also reach Sanya after respectively 35 hours, 36.5 hours, 15 hours and 4 hours. Then you can take a taxi (CNY 10-15) or the No. 204 public bus (CNY 1) out of the train station to the Sanya downtown.

3. By Bus

Bus departs the Haikou South Bus Station every 30 minutes and arrives at Sanya Bus Station after 3.5 hours.

4. By Sea

The comfortable cruise ships from Hong Kong to Sanya Phoenix Cruise Island Port are available and yet their schedule is not fixed. Cruise terminal is near the downtown and can be reached by taxi or bus NO.9 from downtown.

Shopping:

Are there any souvenirs worth buying in Sanya and where should go for shopping?

Shell craft, sea pearl, crystal, fried sea food, dried fruit and island clothes are abundant here. Big supermarkets and department stores are advised to ensure the goods quality. Hongqi Street, pedestrian on Jiefang Street or Wanghao supermarket, Wanfulong Supermarket or big department stores like Bright Pearl Square Department Store, Xiari Department Store are recommended for shopping.

Tip: It would be wise to bring cash with you for usually only big hotels and large department stores accept the credit card and it is also hard to find ATM in Sanya.

Cuisine:

What are the delicacies in Sanya?

Thanks to the large beach and tropical weather, Sanya is a seafood and tropical fruit paradise. Sany Chunyuan Seafood Square is the local biggest seafood place. The Hainan local snacks are also available here. Or you can try the fresh caught buffet in the harbor dock like the Hongsha Yupai (southeast of Dadonghai, about half an hour driving away from the city). There are many yachts mooring alongside the dock for transferring the guests to the dining boat.

Wide varieties of fruits can be found here. Sanya First Market in the Xinjian Street is the place to hunt for fresh fruits. Besides the fruits, the special local costumes, snacks, etc can be found in the market too.

Accommodation:

Can you give me any suggestion about the accommodation in Sanya?

There are three beaches in Sanya: the Dadong Hai, Yalong Bay and Sanya Bay.

Dadong Hai is close to downtown of Sanya and it is convenient for shopping, restaurants, transportation and entertainment. Usually night firework performance is displayed on the beach. Its relative reasonable accommodation price is another luring factor for the tourists.

Yalong Bay is the most beautiful bay in Sanya with clearer sea water and whiter sand that nurtures more sea creatures like conchs and sand crab. But correspondently the accommodation price is higher than the other two beaches. Meanwhile, it is about 20 km far from the downtown and not so convenient for shopping, dining and transferring, etc.

Entertainment:

Are there any other activities to do besides swimming and sunbath in Sanya?

There are many choices for you to refer to like dive, water-skiing, paramotor, fishing, sailing, sailboard, motorboat, banana boat, tourist submarine, cycling, kite-flying, etc. or you can go to play golf or sample the thermal spring SPA in Nantian Hot Spring and Qixianling Hot Spring.

If you want some alternatives of water activities, Sanya downtown can readily suit your interest with some bars, music cafés and characteristic performances.