The Westin Sanya Haitang Bay Resort

Without Chloe, our family trip would have been a disaster. She’s the Duty Manager and an absolute asset to the resort. We arrived on June 26th after a long, exhausting transit flight from Malaysia, and she warmly welcomed us and arranged early check-in. She gave us a room on the 9th floor with a spectacular sea and pool view. Her hospitality, care, and excellent service carried on throughout our five-day stay and saved our holiday. The rest of the experience was only so-so, with several major service and operational problems. At breakfast the food was acceptable, and going early helped us avoid queues. But at the noodle kiosk, I asked what meat came with the noodles and the staff member just stared blankly and pointed at a prepared bowl. I assumed there was a language barrier and walked away. Right after that, a Western guest asked the same person something, and they smiled broadly, bowed, stepped out of the stall, and enthusiastically helped her. The contrast in treatment based on nationality or race was deeply disheartening. A large event was happening during our stay, and it seemed the hotel prioritized attendees over paying guests. The lobby was chaotic, and event guests took over the beach loungers and buggies. When we asked for a buggy, the concierge said to wait 10-20 minutes, while we saw buggies repeatedly passing with event materials, makeup kits, and luggage. We felt at their mercy. Pool and beach drink service was hard to get, since staff were nowhere to be found and waving often got ignored. Mosquitoes swarmed the poolside every evening, and my kids were heavily bitten. The room felt a little old, with an odd layout that put the toilet far from the shower room, and there was no bidet. Wi-Fi kept disconnecting for no reason and we had to reconnect repeatedly. Security staff at the drop-off zone also came across as hostile, constantly shouting at cars waiting for passengers. Even if that is just the local way of communicating, it felt aggressive to international travellers. The facilities are getting old, and outside Chloe the service lacked training and professionalism. If management doesn’t shift its priorities back to hotel guests, I can’t recommend the resort. Thanks again, Chloe, for rescuing our family vacation.

Chloé made our family and friends’ three-night stay this March fantastic. She contacted us before we even landed to arrange transportation, which was a huge relief. Seeing her friendly face at both check-in and checkout made us feel welcome, and she was always just a message away when we needed help. The whole stay felt personal and effortless. The hotel grounds are enormous, with lots of space for kids and amazing pools. The beach was clean and scenic, but we followed the warnings about strong waves and enjoyed the water from shore instead. We highly recommend it for a comfortable, high-end getaway in Sanya.

The hotel’s room service is spot on, and Marriott Bonvoy higher-tier members get up to 20% off meals and drinks across the property. It’s very close to the duty free mall, which has even more food options. For Marriott Bonvoy fans, it’s a good alternative to places like Tenerife, Dubai, and Cyprus. I’d guess over 90% of guests are local Chinese customers. The Mai Japanese restaurant was spot on, with decent value set menus. With the discount, the price is about the same as the Meituan groupbuy, and you earn points too.

It’s a nice place to relax and is well maintained. The gym is very well equipped, though some pools were closed and the pools are all quite shallow. The infinity pool isn’t free for hotel guests. The airport shuttle was a joke, basically nonexistent.