Crowne Plaza Sanya Yazhou Bay by IHG

Everything else at the hotel was very good, but the language barrier is a major problem for international guests in China.

This is a beautiful hotel, and I’ve stayed at many IHG properties around Sanya as a DIAMOND Elite, including the beach, Dadonghai, and Haitang locations. Those hotels are older and crowded, and cost twice as much. Some of the chain’s top-tier properties have rocky beaches where swimming is difficult. The only place I’d say is more beautiful is probably the InterContinental Sanya Haitang Bay Resort, but swimming in the ocean is prohibited there, so it loses out overall. Crowne Plaza Sanya Yazhou Bay, an IHG Hotel is brand new, with large, luxurious rooms. There aren’t many people in the city, and the bay has a long stretch of soft-sand beach, about 4-5 km. It feels private and really helps you unwind. The sunsets are incredible. There are two gorgeous pools with clean water and hardly anyone around. The area by the second pool is completely private, like a villa in the Maldives or Thailand. There are two restaurants and a bar. One restaurant is on the ground floor and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, buffet or à la carte. The other is on the 23rd floor and is Michelin-starred. Dinner there costs about 80 yuan per person without wine. The ground-floor à la carte food and the Michelin-starred restaurant were excellent. I had a few reservations about the buffet, but those were more my own preferences than real problems. The rooms are cleaned very thoroughly twice a day. It’s quiet, with lovely rooms, a beautiful beach and pools, and excellent food. Prices are lower than in Sanya and other parts of Hainan. As is common in Hainan, there are no sun loungers on the beach, and staff don’t speak English. You’ll need to ask for English-speaking managers. I recommend it to everyone. It’s a great spot that isn’t well known yet, and my compatriots haven’t discovered it.

This hotel is fantastic, everything is just the best!