三亚市

Why this place

Sanya is at the southern tip of Hainan and is the only place in China with a genuinely tropical beach holiday: warm water all year, coconut palms, and a coast of bays with different characters. It is also the base for diving and for the Li minority villages inland.

What to see

• Yalong Bay and Dadonghai — the two main beach areas, with very different atmospheres
• Wuzhizhou Island, for diving and clear water
• Nanshan, the Buddhist theme park with a 108-metre statue of Guanyin standing in the sea
• The Yanoda rainforest and the Li and Miao villages of the interior
• Luhuitou Park, with the view over the whole bay

What to eat

• Hainan seafood, cooked at the market and eaten outdoors
• Coconut chicken hotpot and Wenchang chicken rice
• Tropical fruit: mangoes, dragon fruit, passionfruit and the local 'lianwu'

How to plan

Four days minimum — one bay for swimming, one day for Wuzhizhou, one for Nanshan, one for the rainforest.

Best time

November–April; Sanya is hot and wet May–October and extremely busy during Chinese New Year

Practical tips

• Sanya's prices rise sharply in the Spring Festival holiday — book far ahead or avoid those weeks