Travel consultation hotline for Sanya: (same as above)
Sanya has a tropical oceanic monsoon climate with an average annual precipitation of 1625 mm. The rainy season spans from June to October, and during typhoon season, rainfall often increases, accounting for 90.2% of the annual precipitation. It is fog-free all year round. The annual average temperature is 26°C, with the highest temperature in June, averaging 28.8°C, and the lowest in January, averaging 22°C. The extreme maximum temperature is 35.9°C, and the extreme minimum is 5.1°C.
From personal experience, besides the strong winds and heavy rains during typhoon season in summer and autumn, most seasons experience showers with basically no long-lasting continuous rainfall. Except for around January when you may need to wear a jacket, short sleeves, shorts, and slippers are fine for the rest of the year. Despite the intense sunlight, as long as you are in a shaded area, you won’t feel a hint of heat. It can be described as sunny but not hot. The air is fresh, and the cleanliness index ranks first nationwide. Many people come to Sanya not to tour the mountains and waters but just to breathe some fresh, unpolluted air.
Precautions
Sunscreen! Sunscreen! Sunscreen! Sanya has thin clouds and strong ultraviolet rays. If you do not take proper sun protection measures when outdoors, your skin can be sunburned and tanned within an hour. Sun protection is crucial when visiting Sanya. Bring your own sunscreen, bikini, sunglasses, sun-protective clothing, slippers, and umbrella. You can buy medications when you arrive; I won’t elaborate further.
II. Distribution of Attractions and Urban Area Map
The urban area of Sanya stretches east-west, with a length of 91.6 kilometers. From west to east, the main bays are Sanya Bay, Dadonghai, Yalong Bay, and Haitang Bay. The main attractions from west to east include Daxiaodongtian, Nanshan Temple, Tianya Haijiao, West Island, Sanya Bay Coconut Dream Corridor, Luhuitou Park, Duty-Free Shop, Dadonghai, Yalong Bay Tropical Rainforest Park, Yalong Bay, Wuzhizhou Island, and Haitang Bay. Nanshan Temple, West Island, and Yalong Bay Tropical Rainforest Park are highly recommended attractions, along with the top-notch beach at Yalong Bay, and the lively Coconut Dream Corridor for cultural and sports activities.
The urban area of Sanya is built along the coast and rivers, with mountains nearby, along Sanya Bay, Dadonghai, Sanya River, and Linchun River. Based on the terrain, there are five northeast-southwest main roads: Jinjiling Road, Youyi Road, Yingbin Road, Jixiang Road, and Xinfeng Street, as well as six northwest-southeast main roads: Sanya Bay Road, Jiefang Road, Sanyahe West Road, Sanyahe East Road, Linchunhe Road, and Fenghuang Road. In addition, there is also a Yuya Road leading to Dadonghai and Yalong Bay. These twelve (5+6+1) main roads and several alleys make up the road transportation network in Sanya.
III. Tickets for Attractions
Tip: Most attractions in Sanya are natural scenery and do not require a tour guide. In addition, the public transportation system is very convenient. Self-guided tours are highly recommended. There is no need for forced shopping or following a tour guide from one place to another. Follow your own feelings; this is what traveling is about. In addition, discounted tickets for all popular attractions can be purchased on Taobao.
IV. Transportation
Airport: Sanya Phoenix International Airport is located in Fenghuang Town, 10 kilometers from the urban area. The taxi waiting area is right outside the airport, and it takes about 15 minutes and costs around 30 yuan to get to the urban area; passing through the parking lot and climbing up the stairs, there is a bus stop, which takes about 30 minutes and costs about 4 yuan to get to the urban area (only 20 minutes if there is no traffic congestion in the morning or evening, please have change ready as no change is given).
Railway Station: It is only 4 kilometers from Nongken Hospital to the railway station, and it takes only 15 minutes by bus.
Bus: Buses operating within the urban area charge 1 yuan regardless of distance; 4 yuan to the airport, 7 yuan to the Nanshan direction, and 5 yuan to the Yalong Bay direction. Major routes include:
Route 2: Technical School-Yulin Market, passing through Jinjiling Road, Jiefang Road, and Yuya Road.
Route 4: Railway Station-East Railway Station, starting from the Railway Station, passing through Fenghuang Road, Jinjiling Road, Jiefang Road, Sanyahexi Road, Sanyahedong Road, and Yuya Road, to the East Railway Station.
Route 8: Airport-East Railway Station, starting from the airport, passing through Sanya Bay Road, Xinfeng Street, Jiefang Road, and Yuya Road, to the East Railway Station.
Route 12: Starting from the Armed Forces Department, passing through Jinjiling Road, Jiefang Road, Sanyahexi Road, and Sanyahedong Road, back to the Armed Forces Department.
Route 15: Youyi Police Substation-Yalong Bay, starting from Youyi Police Substation, passing through Jinjiling Road, Youyi Road, Sanya Bay Road, Xinfeng Street, Sanyahedong Road, and Yuya Road, to Yalong Bay.
Route 16: Honggang Market-Nanshan Temple, starting from Honggang Market, passing through Jiefang Road, Fenghuang Road, and G224 National Highway, to Nanshan Temple, with stops at major attractions along the West Route.
Route 25: Daxiaodongtian-Yalong Bay.
Route 27: Airport-Yalong Bay, starting from the airport, passing through Sanya Bay Road and Yingbin Road, to Yalong Bay.
Tourism Shuttle: Daxiaodongtian-Yalong Bay.
Precautions for Taking Taxis in Sanya
When taking a taxi in Sanya, remember two things: first, do not charter a taxi; second, do not go to any place recommended by the driver for sightseeing or shopping. Do not let the doorman of the hotel call a taxi for you, walk out of the hotel door and hail a passing taxi on the road.
Taxi Fare Reference:
From Sanya Airport to Sanya Bay, the fare is about 40 yuan and takes about 15 minutes;
From Sanya Airport to Dadonghai, the fare is about 50 yuan and takes 15 to 20 minutes;
From Sanya Airport to Yalong Bay, the fare is about 120 yuan and takes 30 to 40 minutes;
From Dadonghai in the downtown area to Sanya Bay, the fare is based on the meter and takes a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes;
From Dadonghai in the downtown area to Yalong Bay, the fare is about 60 yuan and takes 25 to 35 minutes;
Within Yalong Bay, the fare is 10 yuan and can be settled within 5 minutes;
Within the downtown area, the fare is around 10 yuan based on the meter. All taxis within the downtown area need to use the meter. The starting fare for a taxi in Sanya is 8 yuan for the first 2 kilometers, and 2 yuan per kilometer thereafter. For distances exceeding 20 kilometers outside the urban area, there is an additional empty return fee of 1 yuan per kilometer and a waiting fee of 2 yuan every 10 minutes.
To get from the downtown area, Dadonghai, or Sanya Bay to Yalong Bay, you need to negotiate the price before getting into the taxi.
V. Accommodation
Star-rated hotels are scattered everywhere, chain hotels are ubiquitous, and family apartments are countless, all of which can be booked on various travel websites. Here, I want to talk about the family inns in Sanya. The inns have different decorations, locations, and prices.
VI. Supplementary Information
1. Seasonal differences: (Suddenly realized that it’s impossible to describe the seasonal changes in Sanya using spring, summer, autumn, and winter) In January and February, the temperature in Sanya stabilizes around 22 degrees Celsius with gentle breezes, making it very cool. Coupled with the fact that the rest of the country is in the severe winter, these two months are the peak tourist season throughout the year, attracting numerous tourists and migrating birds returning in flocks. This leads to a significant increase in prices, with an increase of basically between 20% to 60%; the hotel and catering industries are extremely popular; congested streets are filled with cars from various regions; and the beach is packed with people like dumplings in boiling water. The weather in other months is basically the same, with temperatures stabilizing above 30 degrees Celsius. The migrating birds fly away, and there are fewer tourists, making it relatively the off-peak season.
2. As a tourist city with a large foreign population, Sanya demonstrates an inclusiveness as vast as the sea. Besides Hainanese, there are also many people from Northeast China, Sichuan and Chongqing, Hunan and Hubei, Henan, Guangdong, as well as Russians. Therefore, supermarkets have special sections for Northeast products, Sichuanese, Northeastese, Hunanese, Cantonese, and Hainanese cuisine coexist, and you will see Hui people wrapped in scarves, Li people wearing straw hats, and blond-haired, blue-eyed Russians wandering around. So, as a tourist, you won’t feel like you’re in a foreign land at all.
3. In recent years, there have been endless negative news about overcharging tourists in Sanya. However, as an outsider living in Sanya, I feel the need to clarify two points. First, it is true that there are issues such as overcharging tourists in Sanya, but these problems also exist in any tourist city in China, just not as concentrated during the Spring Festival. Second, Sanya people, like people in other parts of Hainan, are relatively kind and honest, content with what they have. Most of the restaurants, travel agencies, and shops that overcharge tourists are owned by outsiders. When you follow the crowd in blindly scolding the greediness of the Sanya people, perhaps the instigator is actually your fellow countryman.
Appendix: Overview of Sanya
Sanya City is located at the southernmost tip of Hainan Island, bordering Lingshui County to the east, Ledong County to the west, Baoting County to the north, and facing the South China Sea and Sansha City to the south. It has a total land area of 1,919.58 square kilometers and a total maritime area of 6,000 square kilometers, with a population of 685,000. It is an area inhabited by multiple ethnic groups including Li, Miao, Hui, and Han.
The planned urban area of Sanya covers 38 square kilometers. It is 91.6 kilometers long from east to west and 51 kilometers wide from north to south. The entire territory is bordered by mountains in the north and the sea in the south, with the terrain gradually sloping from north to south, forming an elongated polygon. The coastline within the territory is 209.1 kilometers long, with 19 harbors of various sizes. The main ports include Sanya Port, Yulin Port, Nanshan Port, Tielu Port, Liudao Port, Fenghuang Island, and Sailing Boat Port. The main bays include Sanya Bay, Haitang Bay, Yalong Bay, Yazhou Bay, Dadonghai Bay, and Moon Bay. There are 40 islands of various sizes, with 10 major islands. The larger ones include West Meizhou Island with an area of 2.12 square kilometers and Wuzhizhou Island with an area of 1.05 square kilometers.
The origin of the name Sanya is closely linked to the name of the Sanya River. It is called the Sanya River because it divides into the East River and the West River near the estuary, forming a ‘Y’ shape where it flows into the sea. This place is a natural harbor, and later some fishermen came ashore here, becoming the origin of the city. The people who settled here vividly called the river ‘Sanya’. In the local dialect, ‘ya’ and ‘ya’ (another pronunciation of ‘亚’ in Mandarin) are homophones, so it was gradually called the Sanya River. Therefore, over time, people began to call this place Sanya.
Travel consultation hotline for Sanya: (same as above)