蓝洋 Lányáng is the hot-spring country in the hills south-east of 儋州市 Dānzhōu shì, a wooded valley in the 蓝洋温泉国家森林公园 Lányáng wēnquán guójiā sēnlín gōngyuán, the Lanyang hot-spring national forest park, where warm water comes up through the rock and the rainforest runs down to the edge of the pools. A hotel here is built around the springs: a low building among the trees, a set of open-air pools at different temperatures, and rooms whose windows look into green. It is the stay for the second half of a west-coast trip, when the walking is done and the point is to sit in warm water under trees.
The springs are the real thing and not a heated pool with a name. Hainan sits on the southern edge of the same faulting that gives the island its volcanoes and its spas, and 蓝洋 is one of the island’s recognised hot-spring areas, with water coming out of the ground at temperatures well above body heat and carrying the mineral load that a genuine spring has. The park around it is forested hill country, wet and green, with the pools cut into the slope and the trees left standing between them. In the early morning the steam stands over the water and the whole valley is hazy, which is when the place is at its best.
The hotels range from a large spa complex with dozens of pools, a restaurant and a conference wing to small guesthouses with a single pool and a handful of rooms. Whichever you take, the pattern is the same: much of the day is spent moving between pools of different temperatures, with a cold plunge between them, and the evening meal is a Chinese kitchen’s version of mountain food, with the county’s own vegetables and chicken. The 儋州 specialities turn up on the menus, and a kitchen that lists 沙虫 or 红鱼干 is one that is buying from the coast an hour away, which is the sign to look for.
What makes it worth the detour is the combination. The springs are in the hills, so the day is not only water: the forest park has trails through the wet woodland, the 松涛水库 is within reach on the far side of the city, and 那大 is close enough for a market morning and a bowl of 米烂. Come in the cool months, from November to March, when the warm water is a pleasure rather than a novelty and the air in the hills is fresh; come on a weekday if you can, because at weekends the pools fill with families from 海口 and the springs are a different experience. Two nights is enough and three is better.
What the Rooms Are Like
Expect a room of twenty-five to thirty-five square metres, a firm bed, air conditioning or heating depending on the season, a clean en-suite bathroom with a shower, and a window or balcony facing the trees. The rooms nearest the pools cost more and are worth it; the ones in the annexe are cheaper and a longer walk. There is a restaurant, a lift in the larger buildings and reliable Wi-Fi, and the standard is comfortable rather than luxurious. Ask whether the room rate includes the pools, because some hotels charge day guests separately.
Practicalities
Price. A double at a 蓝洋 hot-spring hotel runs ¥300 to ¥700 a night in the shoulder season, and more over the October week and Chinese New Year. Rooms with a pool view carry a premium, and entry to the springs is usually included for residents but not always.
Address. The hotels are in the 蓝洋温泉国家森林公园 Lányáng wēnquán guójiā sēnlín gōngyuán, south-east of 那大 Nàdà in 儋州市. The nearest high-speed rail stop is 白马井站 Báimǎjǐng zhàn on the west ring line, from which a taxi across the city to the hills takes about an hour.
Rooms. Ask for a room near the pools rather than in the annexe, and confirm that the rate includes the springs and breakfast. Bring a swimming costume and a light robe; the walk between pools is open to the sky. If you want a private pool, ask, because several of the hotels have one.
Getting there. From 白马井站 the drive to 蓝洋 is roughly an hour; from 那大 it is about thirty minutes. There is no useful public transport to the springs, so come by car or arrange a taxi for the stay, and note that some hotels run a shuttle from the city.
Where to stay: the hot-spring hotels in the 蓝洋温泉国家森林公园, south-east of 那大 in 儋州市. Book a room near the pools, go in the cool months and on a weekday, and give it two nights; the springs are the point and everything else is a bonus.
flowcloud would say that a wet green valley where warm water comes up through the rock, and where the hotels have left the trees standing between the pools, has offered the simplest of bargains, which is that you sit in the ground’s own heat while the forest does the decorating.