2. EASY TO FLY TO SANYA
Don't you hate it when you take a long haul international fight to go overseas, and then connect to some ultra expensive regional airline, followed by a ferry and an uncomfortable car or tuk tuk transfer, only to find that after hours (or days) of travelling, that beach paradise is no secret, every man and his dog has made the journey, and the paradise part is questionable.
Well getting to Sanya could not be easier. There are direct flights from throughout mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia and easy connections to Europe, the USA and Australia. Not only is it easy to fly to, but due as Sanya isn't as fashionble as Koh Samiu and Boracay, you will find the flights are much much cheaper.
Once you land in Sanya, it is only 10 minutes by taxi to beautiful Sanya Bay beach. No hassles, no overnight trains, no overcrowded ferries. Quick and simple. For those seeking to be a bit further from the city and airport, you can find yourself in Yalong Bay in about 45 minutes.
3. SANYA HAS GREAT FOOD
OK, so just to be honest, I did spend the first few days in Sanya complaining that there is nothing to eat. I may be biased because I am use to the great food on our Tours in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Like any beach resort, there are lots of restaurants catering for tourists, and those are the last place I want to eat. Overpriced and disgusting. Hence the first few days.
After a bit of effort and research we were however able to find some excellent local restaurants away from the tourist areas (so you will need a car or motorbike to explore). Three of our favourites were:
Beef Noodles in HuiHui Village
We found this great beef noodle shop in the heart of HuiHui village, just across from the wet market. If you make your way there you cannot miss it. Any restaurant that is packed at 2:30pm must be good. They serve a variety of cuts of beef, as well as beef dumplings with a chooice of wheat or rice noodles. MSG free, fresh and delicious. Highly recommended (Sorry no photo!)
Xinjiang Lamb Kababs and Naan
So this isn't local Hainaese cuisine, but a bunch of people sitting on plastic chairs on the side of the road eating fresh lamb kebabs and drinking beer sounds like a good meal to me. The guys run the barbeque and neighbouring bakery are from Kashgar in Xinjiang. A delicious and authentic experience.
6. SANYA HAS GREAT HOTELS
Sanya isn't cheap like Thailand, but I still think the hotels represent fantastic value for money. Every beach has an abundance of options , with all the major hotel chains like Hilton, Pullman, Sofitel, Sheraton and Intercontinental having at least one and often 2 or 3 locations. With so many hotels, competition is fierce, and you can get a room in a 5 star hotel for less than $100 per night. A refreshing change compared to the hotels in Boracay that I always found to be underwhelming. We stayed in the Ocean Sonic, which was a mixed experience that you can read about in a future blog post.
5. SANYA WEATHER - PERFECT
Sanya gets an amazing 300 sunny days a year. The average annual temperature is 25 celcius. While we were in Sanya the weather was perfect every day with clear blue skies and pleasantly warm. Whilst most of China is still walking around in winter clothing, people in Hainan are enjoying beaches in bikinis. It is so close to Guangzhou and Hong Kong, but the weather was surprisingly different.
The best time to visit Sanya is between November and April. May to September see more rainfall, with the heaviest months being August, September and October.
4. TROPICAL FRUIT
Seeing Jackfuit hanging from a tree at the airport car rental pickup point is always a good sign. While were were in Sanya it was Mango Season, and we saw more varieties of mangoes than I knew existed. Prices ranged from RMB6 - RMB13 per 500g depending on the variety at the lcoal wet market. Prices are 2 - 3 times that if you go to one of the tourist fruit shops.
We didn't land up trying any of the local jackfruit, but the mangoes were delicious. We also sampled the cashew apples that Hainan is famous for, as well as great local pinneapples and coconuts.
Hainan also has a local variety of durian that we look forward to trying on a future trip.
7. SANYA IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY DESTINATION
Sanya is a great option for anyone looking for a family friendly beach holiday destination in asia. For starters, the ease of getting there makes a family holiday much less stressful for whoever is carrying the bags. There are no 'massage' shops like in Thailand, nor drunk 18 year olds running around, and due to it being a popular destination with middle class chinese families, there is plenty of great accomodation options for families. Lots of the hotels have apartment style accomodation, childrens rooms and other entertainment.
拾味馆 shi wei guan
This was without a doubt the highlight of our eating adventures in Sanya. The food was excellent with a good range of Hainanese specialities. They are famous for pork bone soup 拾味骨汤, but we really enjoyed their beef with pineapple and preserved duck 酱鸭 . The price here was also very reasonable, and cheaper than going to one of the tourist restaurants. A local favourite, and for good reason.
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List of Food Tours around the World
Wherever you are travelling to, food tours are one of the best ways to have fun and experience the local culture. Here is our ultimate list of food tours around the world. We have compiled an amazing directory of more than 250 TOURS! Take your pick and go and explore the world through food. Know a good food tour that we missed? Send us an Email. Happy Eating!!
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Guangzhou Layover Guide | Things to do on a Guangzhou Layover
When it comes to choosing a layover city, Guangzhou is not at the top of many peoples list. But that is part of the appeal of why Guangzhou is a fantastic city for a stopover. Less famous than Shanghai and Beijing, Guangzhou is a living museum of authentic Cantonese culture, with fantastic food, picturesque alleyways, interesting local markets and great layover tours. Here is the Eating Adventures guide for the best way to spend a Guangzhou LayoverDo you have enough time to leave Guangzhou airport?The first thing to consider is if you even have enough time to leave the airport. You really need at least 7 hours to make it worthwhile leaving the airport. Whilst the downtown area is only 40 minutes by taxi from the airport in normal traffic, the biggest problem is actually getting out of the airport which sometimes can take a while. You should allow 2 hours from landing to getting to your hotel, and then depart your hotel around 3 hours prior to your onward flight. The traffic in Guangzhou is not too heavy, but it can be during peak hours in the evening, so beware.If you have flexibility, choose your flights so that you can spend a night or two in Guangzhou, you won’t regret it!Do you need a visa for a Guangzhou Layover?Citizens of 53 countries are allowed visa free entry for a 72 hour layover. This includes Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada and Singapore. To be eligible for this, you must be in possession of an onward international flight ticket as well as having a valid visa for your next destination. Visa free entry is only available if you are both entering and exiting via Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. Please check the exact rules with your local Chinese embassy prior to booking, as visa rules for China change frequently.How to get from Guangzhou airport to the city?Depending on where you are staying, either the Metro or a taxi will be the easiest way into the city. The Metro is clean and efficient, with a station directly under the airport. It is definitely the cheapest way into the city.If you are not staying on the Metro line, local taxis cost around RMB130 – RMB200 into the city. You are expected to pay for tolls separately, and there is an official taxi queue outside arrivals. Never take illegal taxis and remember that by law taxi drivers must switch on the meter.If you are travelling to the city by taxi, make sure you have the address for where you are going written in Chinese, and a contact telephone number for the hotel will be helpful. Guangzhou is a massive city with hundreds of hotels, so you cannot expect taxi drivers to know all of them.English speaking chauffer transfers are also available, but unless you have money to burn, this is not really necessary.You can find a more detailed post on how to get from Guangzhou airport to the city here.Things to do during a Guangzhou Layover?Eat the best food in China!!Guangzhou is famous for having the best food in China. This is where world famous Cantonese cuisine originates from, and the quality and diversity of local Cantonese cuisine is amazing and far exceeds neighbouring Hong Kong. As well as the best Cantonese cuisine in the world, you will find restaurants specialising in food from most provinces in China.Eating Adventures offers English speaking walking food tours in Guangzhou. This is definitely the easiest way to try some local delicacies and explore the backstreets of Guangzhou during a Guangzhou layover. Tours normally run for around 4 hours and will give you an insight into authentic local Cantonese culture and cuisine, whilst taking you off the beaten path. All tours are led by fully licensed guides. Tour timing may be able to be flexible to allow for your layover.If you don’t have the time for a food tour, Dim Sum is the one eating experience that you must do in Guangzhou. You are spoilt for choice when it comes to Dim Sum in Guangzhou, two of our favourites for the best dim sum in Guangzhou are Dim Do Dak and Guangzhou Restaurant.
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Things to do in Guangzhou | The best sightseeing, food and cultural experiences in Guangzhou
A locals guide to the best things to do in Guangzhou. See why we love this city so much. The best food in china, Canton Tower, authentic culture, Guangzhou Opera House, temples and more.
7 reasons you must visit sanya
1. SANYA'S BEAUTIFUL BEACHES
Yes, Sanya really does have beautiful beaches, and I don't mean that in a "beautiful for China" kind of way. Hainan is known as the Hawaii of China, but I don't think that does Hainan or Sanya justice. Sanya is not a second class Hawaii, it is a beautiful beach destination in its own right.
Being a beach holiday traveller myself, I have been to most of the famous beach destinations around the world. Everything from Brazil to Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Greek Island and even Tunisia. Sanya is not my favourite beach destination, that would have to go to some of the beaches in Australia. But it does compare favourably to many more famous beach resorts around the world, and in particular many spots in Thailand.
We have a friend that said, Sanya is for poorer Chinese, and rich Chinese will go to Koh Samui. That may be true, but I would take the clean waters and sand of Sanya over Koh Samui's polluted beaches any day.
Sanya isn't a surfing destination (although depending on the time of year it could be great for windsurfing and kitesurfing), but if you are looking for some time in the sun, a swim in the ocean, or collecting some sea shells, it might be just the right beach holiday destination for you.