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SANYA, CHINA - August 15: A beach restaurant awaits guests in the Mandarin Oriental hotel resort on the on the Dadonghai bay, coast of Sanya on August 15, 2010 in Hainan province, China. Sanya is the southernmost city of Hainan island, located in the Southern Chinese Sea. Sometimes referred to as the Hawaii of China because of its tropical climate, palm trees and white-sand beaches, Sanya is a booming tourism destination. (Photo by Lucas Schifres/Getty Images)

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Overview

China’s largest tropical island boasts all the balmy weather, coconut palms and gold-sand beaches you could ask for. Down at Sanya it’s see-and-be-seen on the boardwalks or escape altogether at some of Asia’s top luxury resorts. Thatched huts and banana pancakes haven’t popped up anywhere yet, but there’s a hint of hipness coming from the east-coast beachside towns, and the budding surf scene is helping to spread the gospel of chill out.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Seven Fairy Mountain

Hainan

Seven Fairy Mountain, named for its dramatic seven pinnacles, is found inside Mt Qixian Hot Springs National Forest Park. It’s a three-hour return trip to…

Cai Family Former Residence

Hainan

This sprawling, and pleasantly decaying, mansion was built in 1934 by several brothers who made their fortune in the Indonesian rubber industry. The…

Dongjiao Coconut Plantation

Hainan

This coconut farming community takes up a big chunk of Wenchang County on the northeast coast. Cool, palm-lined lanes wind through traditional villages…

Tonggu Ridge

Hainan

Tonggu Ridge is famous locally for its great views up and down the coast from the top, especially of the moon-shaped beach at Yue Liang Wan’s beach. It’s…

Houhai Beach

Sanya

A crescent-shaped sandy beach about 30km northeast of Dadonghai, Houhai Bay, which is in Tenghai village (滕海村, Ténghǎi Cūn), is the place for those…

Xinglong Tropical Garden

Hainan

What sounds like another of Hainan’s many tourist traps is actually a surprising retreat: a huge area of lightly tended tropical gardens with a network of…

Yalong Bay

Sanya

Yalong Bay is the most picture-perfect of Sanya’s beaches, though jet skis and banana boats do buzz through (there are roped-off swimming areas in the…