The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay

The location is amazing, and most of the food is great, except at the pool restaurant. The hotel itself is wonderful, but the evening shows are a nightmare. Live music blasts every night until 10 PM, and it’s the same songs again and again. It’s so loud you hear it in the room, let alone on the balcony, where you can’t enjoy the nice weather, quiet, or sound of the sea. After 10 PM, relaxing still isn’t easy when breakfast ends at 10:30 AM. You have to get up early on vacation to make it. At the main restaurant, getting an omelette is awful: the wait feels endless, it’s unclear where to leave the paper slips, and the finished omelettes stay with the chef instead of being put out. The chef can’t even read the room numbers properly to hand each order to the right person. At the club breakfast there wasn’t a sign saying the chefs could make omelettes. It only appeared after we insisted on one, since we really didn’t want to return to the noisy main restaurant. The rooms need renovation too, everything feels old. Service is just poor. Staff don’t speak English, and they keep stopping us to speak Chinese, then pulling out a phone to repeat everything through a translator. This is the first hotel where I’ve tried to avoid staff because they keep bothering me with questions. It’s 8:30 pm right now, and I’m sitting in my club room waiting for the loud music to stop so I can enjoy my vacation, the peace, the sea, and nature.

The location is beautiful and looks very traditional. We spent a few days here as a family, after staying at the Atlantis hotel, and it felt magical. The service was so nice and helpful. I travel a lot with a child, and the check-in experience really impressed me. I’ve never seen such a thoughtful, happy little kids’ area where children can play while the adults check in and sort out their questions. I really appreciated it. They’re very family-friendly, and I can’t wait to come back. A big thank you for letting us have this experience.

My stays here have been satisfying, and the resort was worth what I paid, even if it sits a little below the real Ritz Carlton standard. It’s huge, with lots of buildings, and I could tell it takes considerable daily maintenance. The infinity pool was clean, and the gardens were fantastic. They recognized my Marriott Gold Membership at check-in and automatically upgraded me to a grand ocean view room once one became available the next day. I appreciated that. I’d strongly recommend an ocean view room over a mountain view room. The meal at Run Yuan restaurant exceeded my expectations, and I really enjoyed the Hainan dishes. The staff at reception, the front desk, housekeeping, pool, and beach were warm and dedicated, always positive and ready to help. Special thanks to Miss Dandan Chen, who made my days by answering my boring questions and making me laugh.

We booked everything ahead and told them we were celebrating a birthday, with a cake arranged. Even so, we had to call several times to get it brought to us. The room was big and nice, but the service didn’t feel very Ritz-like. We had to push to get things done, and the welcome felt lacking. There was construction on site starting at 9.00 am. We were far enough away to sleep, but the noise made it hard to walk around. If you’re expecting a luxury holiday, don’t count on that.