Sanya is one of the best cities for tourism in China. Here, visitors can enjoy beautiful beaches, take part in water activities by the seashore, or take a trip through the tropical rainforests. Sanya is home to the Guanyin of Nanshan statue, a place where tourists can go and pray for good luck and listen to the legend of Luhuitou, as well as Tianya Haiijao, a beach area mentioned in many classical Chinese poems. There’s plenty of fresh and cheap seafood, tropical fruits, and resort hotels in Sanya of all star ratings – there’s truly something for everyone.
Generally speaking, Sanya is usually divided into the old city and four major bays; Yalong Bay, Sanya Bay, Dadonghai, and Haitang Bay. The old city is not big, but in the eyes of tourists, it’s a suitable destination for food and shopping. Visitors can sample seafood and snacks, as well as buy tropical fruits and a variety of specialty items and souvenirs. There are many tourist attractions in Sanya. Within 4-5 days, visitors can not only visit sightseeing spots, but also spend some time relaxing by the seaside. If you’re coming to Sanya for the first time, you can go to one or two attractions, such as Tianya Haijiao, Daxiao Dongtian (Fairy Caves), or Nanshan Tourism Zone. If you’re heading to Yalong Bay, be sure not to miss the Tropical Paradise Forest Park. Haitang Bay’s international duty-free city is popular with fans of shopping as well. If you want to swim or spend time by the water, one option is to spend a day on Wuzhizhou Island, or spend half a day on the West Island. In the suburbs of Sanya and surrounding areas, there are also some high-profile spots that can be arranged for excursions such as the Ya’noda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Area, Bin Lang Gu, Zhujiang Nantian Hot Spring, etc.
Sanya enjoys suitable and comfortable temperatures all year round, and there is no obvious winter. Most of the year it is sunny. October to March is the peak season for tourism in Sanya, because most of the other areas of China have entered winter by this time. From April to September is a relatively low season in Sanya, but in July and August, the sunshine in Sanya is very hot and strong. There are often typhoons in and around September. Therefore, if you want to choose a cheap flight and a suitable climate without many tourists, you may consider traveling in April, May, or mid-October.
Because Sanya is a popular tourism city, the prices are close to that of first-tier cities in China such as Beijing and Shanghai. Sanya's overall travel costs are greatly affected by seasonality. The prices of Sanya hotels and chartered buses during peak season are usually double that of the low season. The cost within attractions is also more expensive. Sanya hotel prices during the peak season are usually twice as high as that during the off-season. During the Chinese Spring Festival and the National Day period, prices are about twice as high as the off-season prices. If you plan to travel during the off-season, book hotels in Sanya about two weeks in advance. For peak seasons, it’s best to book at least a month in advance. Book as far in advance in possible when traveling to Sanya during a holiday because availability is limited and hotels fill up quickly.