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Did you know China has its own Hawaii? It does! At the southern tip of Hainan Island province you will find Sanya with beautiful white beaches scattered in the bays around it. My recent Christmas trip brought me with the family to Sanya to enjoy the beautiful weather for a week. Sanya Bay has a beautiful beach and is the closest to the tourist destinations. The Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay caught my attention when searching for hotels and I will share with you my experience at this sunny resort with you in this review.
The hotel
The Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay is a six-story building with two wings overlooking the pool and the sea. There is also a separate satellite building with rooms. I booked a sea view room to have more holiday feeling and see the sunset. Between the hotel pool and the beach there is the beach road going all the way along the bay area. A quiet road which doesn’t generate any noise. The airport is located just a 15 minute drive away, the train station 20 minutes and Sanya downtown maybe 25 minutes depending on traffic. When I arrived to the hotel I was warmly greeted by the staff. They quickly checked me in and walked me to my room. As a Spire IHG member I got club access which meant I could have coffee and tea during the day at the lobby bar and in the evening also a small snack with soft drinks. The lobby is bright with open doors to the terrace overlooking the pool. To access the pool itself one has to go one floor down where there is direct access to the garden and pool. The hotel is what a resort should be: integrated outdoor and indoor facilities!
The rooms at Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay
I travelled with the family so I booked two rooms which were connecting. The kids could sleep in the two beds and the king bed in the other room was for my wife and me. The rooms are bright with tiles on the floors in earth colors. Dark wooden colors make up the desk, minibar and the bed which is very comfortable. The bathroom has two large window doors that can open so you can have a view when taking a bath; wonderful! In the evening I opened up the sliding doors to the balcony to have a nice cool beer while just enjoying paradise! The idea from a resort is to not spend much time in your room of course, but the rooms at the Holiday Inn Sanya Bay are perfect to have some work done or just relax in the evening.
Facilities at Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay
The main facility of the Holiday Inn Sanya Resort Bay is its pool. This is of course the most important in a resort and I can guarantee that it’s a great pool. It’s large, well designed with a nice garden around it and above all in very good condition. There is a small shop where you can rent for a small fee some toys to play with in the water. Ideal for kids! The pool bar serves cold drinks and the usual pool snacks. We had some great afternoons at the pool. Just across the street is the semi-private beach of the Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay. There are sunbeds to use and a flag will tell you if it’s safe to swim or not. We are not so much beach people so we only had a short stroll there. The hotel offers also a small basic gym and a SPA. The SPA however was under construction when I visited. All together the resort offers what a resort must offer and the pool is a perfect place to sunbathe, swim and relax.
Dining & Drinking at Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay
The Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay offers cold drinks and pool snacks at the pool. In the evening there is a Chinese restaurant serving traditional Chinese dishes. We tried it the first day and it’s of very good quality for a reasonable price. The second day was Christmas eve and we joined the outdoor buffet with live music. It was of outstanding quality with lots of choices with emphasis on grilled seafood and meat. The price was very reasonable and just half of the budget we had planned to spent the evening. During regular days there is also an outdoor BBQ to enjoy. My wife tried one of the day’s room service when I was with my son to the live sea food market downtown Sanya. It was quick, good quality and delicious she told me. All together the resort offers lots of choices with good quality food.
Conclusion
Are you looking for sunshine at a location you would not directly think of? Look no further and go to Sanya, the most southern place of the Hainan province in China. One of the bays is Sanya Bay and the Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay is a perfect place to stay. A great pool, a beach and various dining facilities make it a complete resort. I had a great time with my family over Christmas and can highly recommend the place to anyone visiting Sanya.
More information please find at the website of Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay. Website: http://www.ihg.com/holidayinn
To see what the region has to offer see my pages on Sanya, Haikou and Hainan.
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Video of Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay
Gallery of Holiday Inn Resort Sanya Bay
** All opinions are based on a genuine stay, flight or experience. I’m not affiliated with the hotel, airline or tour operator but I might be (partially) sponsored – or paid. **
