Hainan Island Accommodation & Holidays Guide

China, East Asia

hainan island holiday and accomodation guide

Hainan used to be where clapped-out officials were sent to live out their days. Happily, it's now been reinvented as a place where Chinese tourists, as well as a growing number of foreigners, go for good times, and promoted as 'China's Hawaii'. As the moniker implies, there are some great beaches here where you can enjoy soaking up the sunshine. Hainan has traditionally been very popular with backpackers, but the luxury resorts that have mushroomed there in recent years means it's also a suitable destination for anyone who doesn't want to leave their creature comforts at home.

Hainan Island – Regions or Cities to Visit

Hainan Island Holidays Planner

The busiest tourist area of the island is Sanya. From here, you can enjoy many seaside pursuits, including swimming, snorkelling, cruises and glass-bottomed boat rides. Nanwan Monkey Island is a popular excursion, and home to hundreds of Macaque monkeys, which are an endangered species. Another site of interest is the Betel Nut Ethnic Minorities Park – a rather oddly named attraction where you can find out more about the peoples living on the island, and a rainforest tour centre that tells tourists more about the plants and animals found here. There are plenty of places to stay in nearby Yalong Bay, which has some amazing five-star resorts run by internationally renowned companies.

Highlights and Icons

Haiko is the capital of the island, a laid back city with a temple and the impressive Tomb of Hairu, who was a noted civil servant in the Ming Dynasty period. Haiko is a good place to come to find authentic Chinese food – cuisine is available from many Chinese regions. A nearby park has a spectacular volcanic crater, as well as other notable geographical features. Wuzhishan has fewer tourists than most other towns in Hainan, and has a good local market – it's also the best place jumping-off point for the Wuhzi Mountain, which is a popular site on religious holidays – bear in mind that you'll need to be reasonably fit in order to climb it

Travel Tips

Hainan Island Holiday Tips