Staying in Haitang Bay
The road into 海棠湾 is wide and new and lined with the walls of enormous resorts, and the further in you go the more it looks less like a beach and more like a statement. This is the newest, the grandest, and the emptiest of Sanya’s big bays — the one that was developed last, and the one that was built to a different standard entirely.
If 亚龙湾 is the classic beach holiday and 大东海 is the convenient city beach, 海棠湾 is the high-end answer: a stretch of coastline devoted to the largest, newest resorts, with the island’s most famous one — 亚特兰蒂斯 — at its heart.
The Bay That Was Built for Luxury
Haitang Bay sits on the north-east coast of Sanya, about an hour’s drive from the city centre and around half an hour from the airport. It is the last of Sanya’s bays to be developed, and it shows in every sense: where the older bays grew up organically around small hotels and guesthouses, Haitang Bay was planned, and it was planned big.
The result is a strip of enormous, modern, luxury resorts set along a long stretch of coastline. The architecture is newer and bolder than anywhere else on the island — the sort of resorts that look like they were designed by an international hotel group, because they were. It is also, by design, quieter and less dense than the other bays, with more space around each property.
The bay is also home to the 三亚国际免税城 (Sanya International Duty Free City), the huge duty-free shopping complex that is one of the main reasons people travel to Sanya at all. And it is the bay that serves 蜈支洲岛, the famous island just off its coast, whose ferry pier is at the far end of the resort strip.
The Resorts
The accommodation here is overwhelmingly large, modern, and upmarket. There is the 亚特兰蒂斯, the giant ocean-themed resort-park that is the biggest thing on the island. Around it are a clutch of international five-star names, most of them big beachfront properties with large pool complexes, spas, and private beaches.
A few things distinguish staying here from the other bays:
- Newer and grander. On the whole, the hotels here are more recent and more spectacular than the older properties in 亚龙湾. This is where the big international groups most recently built.
- More space. Because the bay was developed with a lot of land available, the resorts here tend to have bigger grounds, bigger pools and more room between buildings than the tightly packed older strips.
- Quieter and more exclusive. Fewer day-trippers reach Haitang Bay, because it is further out, so the beach here is generally less crowded than Yalong Bay.
- The duty-free factor. Being next to the Duty Free City is a genuine advantage if you plan to shop; you can pop out to the mall without a long trip.
The Catch
The honest downside of Haitang Bay is geography. It is the farthest of the big bays from central Sanya city, so you are not popping out for a street-food dinner or a walk through a night market. You are at a self-contained luxury resort, and dinner means the hotel.
The other thing worth knowing is the swimming. Haitang Bay is exposed to bigger swells in parts, and the water is not always the calm, shallow swimming of a sheltered cove. Some stretches of the bay are better for wading and for photographing the dramatic surf than for a long comfortable swim. Check the conditions, and know that the resort pools are often the more reliable place for a dip.
If you are here primarily for 蜈支洲岛, though, Haitang Bay is the right base: the island’s ferry pier is fifteen minutes or so along the road, and you can be on the first boat of the morning with almost no travel at all.
Who It Is For
Haitang Bay is for people who want the newest, most polished, most comfortable resort experience, and who are not bothered about being close to the city. It is for honeymooners, for families who want a big modern pool complex and a day at a water park, and for anyone who has come to shop at the Duty Free City and wants to stay somewhere that matches.
It is also increasingly where the “statement” stays are. Atlantis, with its water park and aquarium, is here. And if you want a holiday that feels like nowhere else in China, this is the bay that delivers it most completely.
What the Locals Know
- You are here for the resort, not the city. Accept that you will eat in and stay in.
- Pick the bay for 蜈支洲岛. If the island is your main goal, Haitang Bay is the closest base and the sensible choice.
- The pools may be a better bet than the sea. The surf here can be strong; wade rather than swim, and use the resort pools for a proper swim.
- Shop at the Duty Free City. It is right there, and it is one of the best reasons to base yourself in this bay.
- Book for the new, not the old. This bay’s strength is the newest, grandest resorts — choose a recent build for the best pools and rooms.
flowcloud would say that a bay built entirely for luxury is the most honest kind of resort — it does not pretend to be anything else — and that if you are going to spend the money, the newest big bay with the biggest water park is the place the island wanted you to spend it.
Where to stay: 海棠湾 (Haitang Bay), 海棠区, Sanya — about an hour from central Sanya, half an hour from the airport. The newest and most luxurious of Sanya’s bays, home to 亚特兰蒂斯 (Atlantis Sanya) and a strip of large, modern international five-star resorts, plus the 三亚国际免税城 (Sanya Duty Free City) and the 蜈支洲岛 (Wuzhizhou Island) ferry. Best for a self-contained, high-end resort holiday; base here if 蜈支洲岛 is your main goal. The furthest bay from the city, and parts of the beach are exposed to surf — swim in the resort pools. Book ahead for holidays and Spring Festival.
