Sanya
A string of bays on the southern tip of Hainan, warm and dry from November to April, where most of the island’s private jets land in the weeks of the Spring Festival.
- Arrival
- Sanya Phoenix International · SYX
- To the city
- About 15 km north-west of the centre
- Private jets
- Deer Jet FBO at SYX
- Best time
- November to April
The city
Bay after bay on the South China Sea.
Sanya spreads along a coast of bays. East of the city lie Yalong Bay and the newer Sunny Bay beside it; further on comes Haitang Bay, where resorts stand in a long row facing the sea. Beyond the city limits, at Lingshui, Tufu Bay has Capella’s resort by Gathy and Bensley.
Winter is the season. From November to April the days run at 25 to 30 °C, the sea stays at 23 to 26 °C and rain is scarce: January and February see about 10 mm each. From May the wet season builds to a peak in September, at 275 mm.
Arriving
Phoenix, west of the bays.
Sanya Phoenix sits about 15 km north-west of the centre, on a single 3,400 m runway; Mandarin Oriental is about 25 minutes away by car.
- Hong Kong 1 h 10
- Taipei 2 h 10
- Kuala Lumpur 2 h 50
- Abu Dhabi 7 h 40 long-range jet
- Frankfurt 12 h 10 long-range jet
When to go
November to April.
Tropical, and warm in every month. November to April is dry and bright, at 25 to 30 °C, with a sea of 23 to 26 °C. May to October is hot and wet, highs near 31 °C, rain at its heaviest in September and October.
- 25° J 10 23°
- 26° F 10 23°
- 28° M 17 24°
- 30° A 46 26°
- 32° M 124 28°
- 31° J 188 29°
- 31° J 159 28°
- 31° A 219 29°
- 31° S 275 29°
- 30° O 246 28°
- 28° N 75 26°
- 26° D 19 24°
What to see and do
Days in and around Sanya.
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Landmark
Yalong Bay
The longest-established of the resort bays, with Sunny Bay opening just beside it.
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Landmark
Haitang Bay
A long arc of beach north-east of the city, lined with the newest resorts.
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Landmark
Tufu Bay
A bay further up the coast at Lingshui, outside Sanya itself.
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Culture
Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone
Built in 1988 to mark two thousand years of Buddhism in China, the temple zone west of Sanya has a Guanyin statue 108 metres high.
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Nature
Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone
Paved paths, a 1.5 km canopy walkway and a glass walkway above a valley lead through 45 square kilometres of tropical rainforest.
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On the water
Wuzhizhou Island
Divers and snorkellers cross to this 1.48 square kilometre island in Haitang Bay for water with visibility of 6 to 27 metres.
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Nature
Luhuitou Park
Panoramic views from a 275 metre summit and a 9 by 12 metre deer sculpture draw visitors to this park on a peninsula south of the centre.
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Golf
Sun Valley Sanya Golf Resort
JMP Design laid out these 27 holes in 2004 within the Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park, including China's first par 6 hole.
Where to stay
From Dadonghai Bay to Clearwater Bay.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort Most of its rooms look over the South China Sea, and the villas have their own pools; one MICHELIN Key.
- The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay Four hundred and forty-six rooms of more than 65 square metres, and 33 villas that each have a plunge pool.
- Banyan Tree Sanya Forty-nine pool villas set along a lagoon on a 13-hectare estate, about ten minutes by car from the city centre.
- Raffles Hainan Clear Water Bay Even the standard rooms measure about 80 square metres, and the Long Bar takes its cue from the Singapore Sling.
- JW Marriott Hotel Sanya Dadonghai Bay On the shore beside the Luhuitou headland, with 435 rooms and Man Ho for Cantonese cooking and dim sum.
- Fairmont Sanya Haitang Bay Rooms begin at 65 square metres; Yuen Court cooks Cantonese and Hainanese dishes and has fourteen private dining rooms.
- Sofitel Sanya Leeman Resort Its 475 rooms, suites and sky villas stand in 19 hectares of tropical gardens around a main pool of 2,300 square metres.
- Sanya Marriott Yalong Bay Resort & Spa A beach hotel of 452 rooms, renovated in 2020, whose Quan Spa occupies a villa complex in the gardens.
- Hilton Sanya Yalong Bay Resort & Spa Hilton's first resort in China, given five stars by the national rating committee in 2008, with eight outdoor pools.
- Pullman Sanya Yalong Bay Villas & Resort One hundred and fifteen standalone villas with their own pools, next to Yalong Bay Golf Club and a few minutes from the beach.
- Sheraton Sanya Resort Built for families on the Yalong Bay shore, with Cantonese, pan-Asian and local cooking among its restaurants.
- The Sanya EDITION Fifty acres of waterfront around a man-made lagoon, every room facing the sea; one MICHELIN Key and a Forbes Four-Star.
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Sunshine Yi Hotel, Haitang Bay The former 1 Hotel Haitang Bay, now under its new name, with raw natural materials, five pools and a turn towards wellness.
- Capella Tufu Bay Designed by Jean-Michel Gathy with Bill Bensley, with a circular lobby round an ornamental pool, and a MICHELIN Key in 2025.
- Mandarin Oriental Sanya Stone villas on the beach and the hillside in some thirty acres, and a spa village of wooden pavilions; Forbes Four-Star.
- Atlantis Sanya A sail-shaped tower over 130 acres, with suites set below the waterline of its aquarium; Forbes Four-Star.
Where to dine
The best tables by the bays.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Hainan. Two hold one diamond in China’s Black Pearl restaurant guide for 2026; Ossiano is in Trip.com’s 2026 fine-dining ranking for Sanya.
- Fresh Black Pearl, one diamond 2026 Seafood grill Mandarin Oriental, Yuhai Road
- Tea House Black Pearl, one diamond 2026 Cantonese Park Hyatt, Sunny Bay
- Ossiano Trip.com Trip.Best 2026 Seafood, underwater Atlantis Sanya, Haitang Bay, about 27 km north-east
Elsewhere in China
More reasons to come.
- Beijing The Forbidden City, and the hutong lanes around it.
- Xi'an The Terracotta Army, and the old city walls.
- Shanghai The Bund, facing the towers of Pudong across the river.
- Hangzhou West Lake, and the tea villages in the hills around it.
- Chengdu Giant pandas, tea houses and Sichuan cooking.
- Guilin Karst peaks along the Li river.
Flying to Sanya?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.