5-Star Hotels in Hainan, China

An absolutely wonderful stay! Open the window and you're greeted by rainforest and distant mountains, with a breathtaking view of the churning blue sea. Our wooden cabin nestled among the treetops, and the evening breeze carried the scent of grass and trees. We fell asleep to the sounds of the mountain wind, birdsong, and waves. Staying in this 'bird's nest' was truly an experience of wild luxury amidst the mountains and sea. The hotel staff were incredibly warm and attentive, and we even got a free room upgrade. All the little details were perfect. We also enjoyed a half-day tour of the forest park with a guide. Both the Western and Thai restaurants were good too. I'll definitely stay at the Bird's Nest again next time I'm in Sanya. #RainforestMountainRetreat

Pros: The hotel boasts an excellent location, very close to the beach and the main commercial street. The environment is pleasant, and the breakfast spread is generous. The public swimming pool is quite large, and there's a wide variety of room types to choose from. Cons: Some rooms are not in the main building, requiring a shuttle service to get around, which isn't very convenient. The ground floor rooms in the main building are actually basement level. While they do come with a pool, it's quite small. These rooms can be very damp, have very limited sunlight, and attract a lot of mosquitoes. The hotel also lacks a self-service laundry facility, so families with young children might want to reconsider these room types.

Sanya Haitang Bay Wanda Realm was an absolute gem! The location is incredible, right next to the duty-free shop. After a shopping spree, it was just a few steps back to the hotel, making getting around incredibly convenient. The hotel grounds are massive, with coconut groves and ocean views everywhere you look – every photo is Instagram-worthy. Ella provided such thoughtful service, always there for any little thing we needed, taking care of everything down to the last detail. All I had to do was eat, drink, play, and relax [heart emoji]. I didn't have to worry about a thing, the experience was top-notch. I'll definitely be staying here again next time I'm in Sanya! [rose emoji]

This hotel is a great choice if you're landing in Sanya, as it's very close to the airport. It's an older, established hotel here, so while the facilities are a bit dated, the service is still comprehensive. The pool isn't small, but there aren't many trees, so it can get quite sunny. They have daily activities for kids, like crafts and other things. The breakfast offers a good variety, and the operating hours are very long, so you can enjoy some activities before heading down to eat. I originally planned to stay one night but ended up extending my stay.

I've stayed at several InterContinental hotels in recent years, so let's start with what I liked about this one: the rooms are spacious, the balconies are large, and the facilities are well-maintained. All the staff I encountered, including the front desk, restaurant servers, bellhops, executive lounge personnel, and even the cleaning staff, were very warm and polite. The breakfast buffet was also quite good, with prompt plate clearing and food replenishment. I'll definitely stay here again and recommend it to friends. Now, for some areas I think could be improved: As an InterContinental hotel, I find it unacceptable to use melamine bowls in the buffet restaurant. If it were a Holiday Inn, one of your sister brands, I could understand, but you're an InterContinental. Secondly, there's a distinct odor at the entrance to the kids' club. This is something you should learn from a certain hotel in Haitang Bay (like Haitang Bay Shangri-La). Your management team can go and take a breath there to understand. Another issue, which isn't unique to InterContinental but applies to many hotels in Haitang Bay, is having too many interns. While it's normal to have interns, their proportion shouldn't be excessive. As I mentioned before, you're an InterContinental, not a Hilton or a Sheraton. One more thing I hope the hotel considers is encouraging guests to give honest feedback based on their true feelings, rather than implicitly or explicitly guiding them to review the hotel's service in a certain way. It's 2026, and we're in a digital age; mindsets need to change. This is for the hotel management. Don't you know that nowadays, overly high scores are often met with skepticism? People tend to trust ratings between 4.6 and 4.8. Please stop using these inflated scores to evaluate your staff. Finally, I hope the executive lounge's offerings can be further enriched. It should feel like a proper meal, not just an afterthought.

Yalong Bay Mangrove Tree Resort is probably one of the hotels with the best service in Sanya. This trip, it rained in Sanya, which initially made me a bit emotional. Luckily, we had our beautiful and kind butler, Coral, who provided thoughtful and attentive service throughout – a huge thank you to her! The sea in the Mangrove Tree area seems to have smaller waves, making it relatively safer. Even with a light drizzle, it didn't stop us from swimming in the ocean, which is exactly why we came to Sanya. We spent a whole afternoon playing yesterday and didn't get too sunburnt, it was excellent! The hotel breakfast had a great variety, and the fruits were plentiful and fresh, which I was very satisfied with! We've already moved to our second hotel now, and it's day one of missing Coral…

Overall, I had a really enjoyable stay at this hotel. It’s worth noting that the hotel caters primarily to Russian tourists, so much of the signage, tours and information are aimed at Russian guests. As an English speaker, this sometimes made things a little more difficult, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying my holiday. When I arrived, I had a couple of issues with my room. The hot tub took over an hour to fill, and the water wouldn’t stay warm while it was running, so I wasn’t really able to enjoy it. The charging ports in the room also weren’t working, although the hotel kindly provided me with an adapter, which solved that problem. Unfortunately, the hot tub issue was never resolved. The breakfast was very good, with a nice variety of food each morning. The swimming pool was also lovely—warm, clean and a great place to relax. My biggest concern was the fish spa. I initially thought seeing a dead fish was just a one-off, but I noticed dead fish in the spa every day during my stay. That made me question how well the spa was being maintained, and I hope the hotel looks into this. The staff were always kind, polite and helpful, and despite the few issues, I had a lovely stay overall. With a little more attention to maintenance, particularly in the fish spa and the hot tub, this hotel would be even better.

I chose this hotel specifically for its location in Haitang Bay, but it turns out the service in Haitang Bay is the worst among Sanya Bay, Yalong Bay, and Haitang Bay. 😓 1. We arrived at the hotel around 4 PM, and our room wasn't ready yet, so we couldn't check in. The hotel didn't even apologize. 2. They advertised a complimentary children's swim ring, but it was just something you could borrow from the pool area. If they ran out, you were out of luck. If it's not a guaranteed service, they shouldn't advertise it. 3. As soon as I entered the room, there was a strange smell. The room is too old, I wouldn't recommend it. 4. The butler service was decent; if it weren't for that, I wouldn't even give it 3 stars. 5. The beach is quite far from the hotel, at least an 800-meter walk. I won't choose Haitang Bay next time.

The Yalong Bay Seaview International Resort Hotel boasts an excellent location, right on the beach. The room amenities and pool environment are generally satisfactory, and it's convenient to get to various attractions by taxi. The biggest drawback is the restaurant. While the staff are friendly, there's a clear gap in overall management, operational procedures, and brand standards compared to chain hotels. The food quality is mediocre, and replenishment and table clearing are slow. The processes aren't standardized, and for the same price point, the dining experience falls significantly short of chain resorts. The rooms, beach, and public areas would get a good score. If you don't plan to dine at the hotel and are just looking for a place to stay overnight, it's a viable option. However, if hotel breakfast and restaurant dining experience are important to you, I'd recommend considering other choices carefully.

I chose the Banyan Tree for its private pool for this trip, and both the environment and service exceeded my expectations. We avoided the holiday crowds, and the hotel was tranquil. Apart from breakfast and afternoon tea, we barely saw other guests, so the privacy was excellent. The hotel staff were incredibly helpful and attentive to every request. They even offered us herbal jelly and a late check-out. The breakfast quality was also good, and being able to dine until noon was perfect for us late rispers. The complimentary photography session offered by the hotel was also great; the photographer was very professional and had a great attitude, and the photos turned out beautifully. I'll definitely come back if I have the chance.