Sanya

Sanya’s port is a new, modern facility on Phoenix Island, a peninsula off the mainland. Town is walkable from the Pier in 10 minutes, although that depends on how much walking you wish to do.

Larger ships use tenders to bring you to the terminal.

Visa free shuttles are available at $25 pp., though they are not really necessary if you hold a multiple entry visa.

Visitors can instead purchase a 5 yuan each-way “electric car” ticket at the cruise terminal, which drops them downtown near a department store and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

At dusk, Phoenix island’s towers put on a free light show, displaying a world map, descending parachutes and parasails, and all manner of intriguing patterns. It is a nice fireworks display of lights..

Expansion plans are under way: completed in 2016, PIICT can berth five ships simultaneously. This belongs to a wider Phoenix Island development, costing over 18b RMB, that includes a man-made island, a seven-star hotel and an international conference center.

A printable map to take with you.

Known as "China's Hawaii", Sanya has 20km stretches of beach. The only tropical city across the coastline, it is undoubtedly booming, with many water sports including snorkeling and jet-skiing, rainforest hiking, and innumerable hotels from zero to five stars.

You may not travel all the way to China for beaches, but the shoreside city of Sanya has spectacular ones. On a peninsula at Hainan Island’s southernmost tip, it offers a dazzling white-sand shoreline, bright-blue surf and a colourful underwater world. The visibility of its South Sea waters and protected coral reef explains its growing popularity as a dive site.

Beyond its obvious natural beauty, Tianya Haijiao’s silvery beach is best known for the engraved rocks along its coast, including one shown on the back of the RMB 2 note. Legend says the rocks mark "the edge of the sky and the end of the sea", where Song dynasty officials were exiled in the late 13th century.

For a small city, Sanya has very convenient bus services, reaching almost every county and tourist attraction. The main route runs from Dadonghai to Civil Aviation Stop, with fares of CNY1-4 depending on your destination. No. 2 and No. 4 travel to Dadonghai through the Main Bus Station and First Market for CNY1. No. 104 serves Tianya Haijiao, Nanshan and Ancient Yazhou City; a complete circuit costs CNY6. Tourist mini buses depart Western Bus Station for Asian Dragon Bay, Tianya Haijiao and Nanshan, etc. Taihe Bus will take you to…

Double-decker sightseeing buses also serve some attractions. They leave Asian Dragon Bay every 10 minutes from about 07:15, travelling via Dadonghai, Sanya Bay and Hawksbill Island to Tianya Haijiao. The last return service to Asian Dragon Bay is about 19:00. The tourist special bus takes about 70 minutes for the full journey, and Asian Dragon Bay to Tianya Haijiao costs CNY8.

Taxis are another convenient, inexpensive way to travel. The starting fare is CNY8 for two kilometers, then CNY2 for every additional kilometer. When travelling to different places, it is a very good idea to agree the fare with the driver in advance.

Sanya’s best food naturally comes from the sea, although Hainan, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunan and Guizhou cuisines are also readily available. With seafood, the more exotic the better (sea cucumber, anyone?). Food stalls around Sanya harbor offer a range of fresh ingredients cooked to order.

Behind Sanya shoreline’s newfangled, touristy facade is a pleasant town filled with streets of small stores. Unlike Hong Kong, nobody is trying to sell you anything.

Pearls are produced abundantly in the area and sold everywhere. Prices are highly negotiable, and overcharging tourists is common. Tour guides receive a fat commission, often 50%!, for bringing tourists to pearl shops; try to go without one and drive the price down.

Every large tourist town has one or more shopping malls for westerners, often the only places to buy larger clothing sizes. They may be fun, but almost everything is fake and bargaining is difficult. Often the quickest approach is to show, with bills in hand, what you are willing to pay, then walk on. If they gesture you back, finalise the deal. Always remain courteous.

Restaurants often cluster in particular parts of the city, identifiable by their very colourful decorations intended to attract customers. Walk past and seek those patronized by chinese families themselves. Most menu's show pictures of the dishes, and seafood is generally kept alive in large tanks. Eating in China is a feast, with little etiquette and generally plenty of noise. Enjoy the fun! Drink only bottled water, even when brushing your teeth. Use common precautions when eating out.

China’s currency is the Yuan, or Renminbi RMB.

Occasionally, you may be given a counterfeit bill, usually in a small denomination. There is nothing you can do about it; simply keep it as a souvenir.

Internet is very well adapted in China: even more modest hotels almost all have WiFi in their rooms, while Internet stations are available in public areas, often free or for a very modest charge.

For emergencies, call 110 in China and 999 in Hong Kong and Macao.

There seem to be no set store opening hours; they appear to stay open while there are customers.

Transportation can be very hectic during Chinese New Year, a period of about two weeks when all the Chinese are traveling.