Visit Hainan - Australia's Leading Hainan Holiday and Tour website.

Well-known travel writer Robert La Bua, recently travelled to Hainan to experience all that China's Tropical Paradise had to offer.

A bit more about the Author
Robert has worked in the travel industry for more than 20 years and spent a number of years as the head of writer of China's largest travel magazine, making him China's most widely published foreign travel writer. Currently, Robert is the incarnation of Mr. eTraveler, his Internet page reviewing luxury hotels of the world is published on travel mega-site e-travel blackboard, where he is one of the most widely read and well respected names in international travel writing.

Day 1 – 10/10/10

No Visa Needed For A Taste Of Tropical China

As we gathered at the airport, there really was a level of excitement in the air, the reality of the situation is that Hainan Island is so far off the radar for most Australian travellers that they don't even notice the blip is now registering an ever-stronger signal. After a quick hop over to Hong Kong, on the national carrier Cathay Pacific, it was then less than 90 minutes' flying time to a China few Westerners know anything about, let alone visit. Sanya, on the south coast of Hainan, is China's southernmost point, bathed by the blues of the same South China Sea that laps at the tropical shores of Vietnam and the Philippines. Sanya is the place where the Chinese and many others come to play in the clean air and sunshine; I heard passengers moan with relief and pleasure upon descending the steps from the plane into the sunshine on arrival at Sanya International Airport, one of China's most amiable. Two enormous pineapples—a traditional symbol of welcome worldwide, and an especially apt one here greeted us as we reached the terminal and it was clear on arrival that visitors are encouraged to relax and enjoy themselves from the moment they step off the plane.

So I guess the first question that I needed to address was, why go to China just to go to the beach? Well I soon discovered, it's not 'just' the beach; Sanya offers a lot more than sun, sea, and sand, though they alone seem to satisfy most visitors. Aside from the novelty factor—less than 500 non-Chinese Australians visited Hainan in 2009, making it something of an uncommon feather in the hat of adventurous travellers. But essentially visitors come to Hainan for the same reasons places like Bali, Hawai'i, and New Caledonia are popular: for a change of scenery, for the shopping and for excellent cuisine, especially seafood.

Those who have been to China already know that food is a major aspect of Chinese life. In Sanya, seafood is fresh from the water and to your plate within minutes. That may be expected on a tropical island, but the surprise in Sanya is that you can have it prepared Chinese style, à la nouvelle cuisine, or even Russian style, the latter thanks to the popularity of Sanya's many plush resorts as places to escape harsh winters.

Our first port of call was the charming Resort Intime, which offers an array of room categories in a convenient location; there are also many other resorts that line the beaches of Sanya, with the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Sanya a standout, featuring a private beach that stretches out for more than a kilometre. Dinner at Fresh saw exquisitely prepared dishes served only metres from the surf and makes a fine follow-up to pre-dinner cocktails on the deck to watch the sunset.

Day 2 – 11/10/10

Beauty Takes Many Forms On Hainan Island
Today saw us start with a journey out towards one of the most famous and sacred Buddhist sights in China, and something that I knew would be a moving experience. So when I first glanced the Buddha statue rising 108 metres above the sea it was an absolutely stirring vision. Built of titanium to withstand the strongest of winds and seas, the statue is one of the most majestic representations of the Buddha in all China; that it sits on a breathtakingly beautiful site on Little Moon Bay only adds to the spiritual effect.

The official name of the area we were visiting is the Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone, but don't let this bureaucratic term turn you off. Nanshan Mountain is one of the most revered in China; it's name means "South Mountain" as it is the southernmost mountain in the country and was already a place associated with Guanyin, the Goddess Of Mercy, which is the form given to this particular representation of the Buddha. As is the case with many sights in China, the statue of Guanyin and the surrounding area are imbued with multiple symbols and cultural references; no aspect of the Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone has gone without attention to detail. The park was opened to the public in 1998, but the three-sided statue of the trinity (representing Peace, Wisdom, and Mercy) was only consecrated in 2005.

The Tourism Zone is an area of 50 square kilometres set aside as a national park; thanks to the importance of the site, it is kept in immaculate condition. There is also much more to the park than just one statue, scattered throughout the zone are a temple and several monuments, a picturesque bell garden and an observation deck to see the statue from the most advantageous point along the coast. The vegetarian restaurant we enjoyed a lovely lunch at is also well known for its quality and variety of cuisines catering to visitors from all over the country. There are also two hotels located within the national park; both of which have wonderful views of the statue and the gorgeous scenery.

With a good life in the after world assured by prayer and offerings, attention can be paid to beauty in the present. In town this week happened to be the contestants for the 60th edition of Miss World, who will be crowned in Sanya on 30 October. It is the fifth time Sanya has hosted the Miss World pageant, which was to take place in the Crown Theatre specially built for the event. No matter how beautiful the participants may seem on television, they were even more radiant in person and a lot more relaxed as well. After all, you would be nervous too if you had television cameras beaming every facial pore to a worldwide audience of more than one billion people. With a day of beauty in every respect behind us, it was time to turn in and get ready for what ever else this Island wonder had to throw at us.

Day 4 – 13/10/10

Falling For Local Culture On Hainan Island
Among China's vast population are more than fifty minority cultures, which have seen a recent resurgence in interest and curiosity from their fellow Chinese, as well as foreign visitors surprised by the fact that China is such a multicultural society.

Day 4 saw us embark on a journey that would take us closer to the traditional home of the Li and the Miao peoples, the indigenous residents of Hainan who reside in the mountainous region of the island. As such we journeyed to Bing Lang Gu, a traditional town, located in Baoting Ganza Ridge Natural Protection area about 28km north of Sanya, where the culture and traditions of these people have been preserved. As Chinese travellers become more sophisticated, the carnival-like atmosphere that stereotyped such cultural attractions in the past has been greatly toned down in recent years; in fact, people actually live in Bing Lang Gu, so it is by no means an amusement park.

As we arrived we were shown through a variety of displays that showcased traditional arts and crafts such as weaving and tattooing, which are still vividly visible on the female elders of the Li. On the grounds of Bing Lang Gu's immense property, is a 1.2-kilometre series of stairs and walkways, which follows the waterfalls flowing through the dense greenery and dramatic landscape. As if hiking up a mountain is not strenuous enough, or maybe because it IS so strenuous—adventurous climbers replace a stream of perspiration with a stream of mountain-clean water and hoist themselves up a section of the mountainside in the waterfall itself, enjoying a refreshing splash in the rapids while on the ascent.

After a hard day of activities, it was time for some respite at the serene Narada Resort and Spa Qixian Mount near the town of Baoting. Narada is a five-star property set in a beautiful area of virgin native rainforest, which gives a sense of physical and spiritual isolation from the worries of the world. The big attraction here are the curative powers of the natural hot springs, which may be enjoyed in private spas on the decks of villas looking over the dramatic ravines and mountains that create a classic Chinese landscape straight off a scroll painting. In keeping with the respect for the local cultures, Narada offer an authentic rainforest dinner featuring Li cuisine, which also includes a fine rice wine. Fittingly, Narada's website is www.hainanparadise.com.

Day 5 – 14/10/10

Hainan Island For Active Travellers
Who goes to China for an active holiday? Certainly not many Australians—yet. With air pollution and traffic congestion the preferred topics for Western media, when discussing China, it is not surprising that the pleasures of athletic pursuit on Hainan are buried under the smog of media coverage.

Our 5th day on this gorgeous Island, saw us discover a more energetic and downright athletic side to this majestic paradise. Hainan enjoys a clean, pristine environment; as such it is well suited to outdoor activities. Hainan offers a surprisingly vast array of leisure pursuits to please hardened adventurer and the casual exerciser alike. The island is currently seeing the 2010 edition of the Tour Of Hainan cycling championship, which has featured some of the world's being ridden around its perimeter and set to finish with a flourish in Sanya on October 19.

Mountain hikes are also very popular, which is not surprising given the beauty of the rainforests and range of difficulty to satisfy all levels of expertise.
One of the island's best-kept secrets is its scuba diving. Coral reefs in China? Yes, they are here in all their colourful glory, along with tropical fish and a variety of other sea life—except sharks, which makes novice divers less worried about possible undersea encounters. A favourite dive spot is Wuzhizhou Island, just off the coast of Hainan, where there is an established dive centre and an abundance of underwater sights to be seen. Wuzhizhou is also a fine place for hiking.

Today's adventure saw us off to the very fine Mangrove Tree Resort. It has its own six-metre-deep diving pool for scuba instruction before newly certified divers head out into the big blue sea. Diving is only one of the many activities offered at this resort on Yalong Bay, Sanya's most exclusive beach area where only a few privileged hotels are located right on the sand; Mangrove Tree is of course one of them. Other activities include jetskiing, beach volleyball, pool volleyball, and of course just an old-fashioned workout in the fitness centre. With its fresh sea breezes and absence of heavy traffic, Yalong Bay makes a great for a jog or a stroll. It is also only a short distance to Yalong Bay Golf Club, a Robert Trent Jones-designed course set between mountains and sea.

After a hard day of physical activity, there is nothing like embracing some of the Island's less active pleasures such as the Tian Ying massage centre, Sanya's most famous. Open every night until 2am to accommodate late-socialising locals, Tian Ying is staffed by an army of massage therapists who administer treatments with the utmost conviction. As with a visit to Hainan itself, you'll feel better for it.

Day 6 – 15/10/10

Cable Cars and Scenic Lookouts Will Change Your View Of Hainan Island
With all the publicity and news about China's booming cities, not many people think of China as a place to get in touch with Nature. Today we were off to reconnect with the natural environment, on what is possibly the last bastion of unspoilt natural splendour in China.

Monkey Island (official name: Nanwan Monkey Islet Ecotourism Park) is one of several nature reserves on Hainan, though this one is just off the coast. It is actually connected to the Island by a cablecar line that gives superb views over the coast and the traditional fishing village below. As in places such as Thailand, Brunei, and Vietnam, this fishing village is built completely over water, with residents living, breathing, and eating the sea. This last factor, of course, means that the seafood here is as fresh as anywhere in the world and the catch of the day is a simple fingerpoint away. A local delicacy is the tasty coconut-stuffed calamari, but don't miss out on trying any of the other fine seafood dishes on offer.
It was then time for us to encounter the residents themselves, several tribes of rhesus monkeys, who enjoy their natural habitat unmolested and unafraid of humans. This lack of fear guarantees close encounters between local primates and visitors and provides for some genuinely inspiring moments. There is also entertaining monkey show in which the clever animals perform roles in a play with aplomb that would be the envy of many a drama student.

As the evening started to descend, we were off for a visit to the Luhuitou Scenic Area, one of Hainan's most beloved scenic areas, and one of the genuine highlights of the trip. At the summit of Luhuitou Peak, there is a beguiling statue portraying the legend of Luhuitou, which apparently involves a handsome hunter, a curious deer, and a beautiful woman. With some of the most gorgeous views of Sanya on offer from the peak, Luhuitou is a must for any travellers and is the perfect example of the natural beauty expounds on this gorgeous Island province.