Shuangyue Bay Seaside Minsu
The electric bike coasts down the last hill and the bay opens in two clean crescents, one mirror-calm on the 大亚湾 Dàyàwān side and one rolling on the 红海湾 Hónghǎi Wān side, and you realise why they call it the Twin Moon Bay. At your minsu the host is already waiting on the terrace with a thermos of tea, and the room’s glass wall frames the whole arc of water so that the first thing you do is stop, set down your bag, and just look.
双月湾 Shuāngyuèwān sits on the coast of Huidong County, Huizhou, a three-hour drive from Guangzhou and a world away from it, where a string of sea-view guesthouses and apartment minsu have grown up along the Vanke Shuangyue Bay and Honghai Bay fronts. The appeal is simple and honest: you rent a room with a balcony over the water, ride a scooter to the seafood market, and watch the fishing boats come in at dusk. These are not hotels so much as somebody’s seaside living room, run by people who will lend you a beach mat and tell you which jetty has the best sunrise.
The Rooms
Most minsu here are apartment-style, ranging from a compact sea-view double to a three-bedroom suite with a kitchen, and the better ones sit in the Vanke or Honghai Bay towers right on the water. Expect pale tiled floors, a balcony with two chairs, and big windows; the premium is for an unobstructed “first-line” sea view where you lie in bed and watch the light move across the water. Family rooms come with bunk beds and a washing machine, and a few of the newer guesthouses add a projector and a tatami corner for slow evenings.
What Makes It Special
It is the bay itself. Climb to the Daxing Mountain viewing platform above the town and you see the two moons of water cleave in the middle, one flat as glass and one restless, a sight unique in Guangdong. Down at the beach the sand is soft and the water clear enough to snorkel near the rocks; the Sea Turtle Bay reserve nearby has a clifftop walk often called Huizhou’s “little Kenting.” At night the minsu hosts fire up barbecues on the terrace and the whole strip smells of grilled shrimp.
Practicalities
Price. Around ¥200 to ¥800 per night for a sea-view room, and ¥800 to ¥2,000 for a whole apartment or villa, lower midweek and in the cooler months, higher on summer weekends and holidays.
Address. Shuangyue Bay, Port Town (港口镇), Huidong County, Huizhou, Guangdong (惠州市惠东县港口镇双月湾).
Rooms. Sea-view apartment minsu from doubles to three-bedroom suites with kitchens; first-line sea-view, garden-view and family categories; some with projectors or tatami.
Getting there. No metro; best by car from Guangzhou or Shenzhen (about 2-3 hours), or high-speed rail to Huizhou South Station then a carpool of roughly 40 minutes. A weekend “Little Red Bus” also runs direct from Huizhou city. On the bay, rent an e-bike for about ¥30 a day to reach the viewpoints.
flowcloud would say that the sea does not keep a register of guests, and the best rooms are the ones you almost forget to leave.
Where to stay: Shuangyue Bay seaside minsu (惠州双月湾海边民宿 Huìzhōu Shuāngyuèwān Hǎibiān Minsù), Port Town, Huidong County, Huizhou (惠州市惠东县港口镇双月湾); sea-view rooms from around ¥200 per night and whole apartments from ¥800, the first-line Vanke or Honghai Bay sea-view room the one to book; drive from Guangzhou/Shenzhen (~2-3 h), take high-speed rail to Huizhou South then a ~40-min carpool, or ride the weekend bus from Huizhou and rent an e-bike on the bay.