I will be moving to GuangZhou, China in the summer, and need to find my weekend beach place… please let there be one. The best I could come up with was Sanya, Hainan Island. Looks like a nice place, if a little overdeveloped. I think from GuangZhou the trip should be quick and cheap.
Does anyone know anything about this place, or have better suggestions of where i could go!!
Cheers 
Sanya is not exactly close to Guangzhou. You would need to fly there if you were just going for a weekend. Hong Kong would be a better choice.
I will also suggest a very nice but little known beach in China. It is on Dongshan Island. The island is about halfway between Shantou and Zhangzhou. The island is joined to the mainland by a bridge so it is easily accessible. It would be about an eight hour trip by car from Guangzhou though. From Xiamen or Shantou it is only about two hours away.
wix is right that Sanya is so far away that you’d have to fly, though flights probably aren’t that expensive. What’s nice about the south coast of Hainan is that the beach is LONG, so you can find a secluded place relatively easily, and it’s really beautiful. But there isn’t a main, happening drag with night markets and cool restaurants like Kending. Lots of street-walkers soliciting, though (even some Russians ones as well.)
This is all based on when I went there 3 years ago. Maybe it has completely changed.
There’s a Sheraton there now. Hugely expensive. Must be going for the Taiwanese or Japanese market. Suspect the Russian girls will have some competition.
I was there about 19 years ago and there was nothing. We stayed at some snake research place/hostel along the beach. A great two weeks.
Not been, but I got a mate that owns a pub in Haikou. Hainan Island is China’s very own Bali - loads of tourist hotels and fun and games . . so I’m told. Hotels run from the usual China very cheap to outrageous, However, you can always pick up a good deal in the off season. Sounds like a great place to visit. Apparently there’s a train/ferry from Guangzhou. Still, I’d be keen to check that place Wix suggested.
By the way, I saw a travel agent in HK offering a three day flight and hotel package ex-HK to Sanya for HK$850.
HG
The missus has been scuba diving there and says it’s rather good.
I did realise that i would have to fly there, its fine as long as i go for a long weekend. That other place sounds good but an 8 hour car trip… err, i’d rather not, really. Thanks for your comments, though.
You can also take a trawler out of Guangzhou. Saw the biggest fucking shark in the whole world cruising next to the ship…made the boat seem pretty small. 
is there a boat that goes from HK to Sanya - i heard it was cancelled, is that true??
Thanks again - bye the way, the flights from Taipei to Sanya (via HK) are so expensive, apparently 15,000 NT, thats crazy for such a short trip!! Why oh why!! My better half will need to be seriously subsidised!!
I think so. Not heard of boats from here (HK), however, I did see an amzing package ex-HL for HK$850 per head for three days including airfare. Oh, I said that already.
DB, where was that shark? Surely not just out of Guangzhou. I occasionally swim here in HK cos I figured there’d be no sharks with fins intact . . . so even if they wanted to eat ya, they’d have trouble swimming in a straight line!
HG
