Five tips for groups visiting Sanya

1 WHEN TO GO…
Sanya lies on the same latitude as Hawaii and shares a similar tropical, monsoonal climate.
Sanya is far more temperate than the rest of China. Even in winter, an average temperature of
25°C prevails. The yearly average is 25.4°C. From March through to November, the weather becomes hot and humid.

Typhoons usually descend on the island between May and October. Sanya is an unpolluted destination, with its air quality ranked second among 158 major tourist cities in the world.

2 GETTING THERE…
Sanya Phoenix International Airport is 20km from the city centre. It is served by 23 domestic inter-city routes and nine international routes including Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo. Together with Haikou Meilan International Airport, 300km away, there are 50 destinations served. Passengers may also access Sanya by sea or railways from the mainland. From Sanya harbour visitors can travel directly to Guangzhou, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.

3 WHERE TO STAY…
The six-floor, 463-room Crowne Plaza Sanya is the first resort on the Yalong Bay strip and offers its Havana Plaza, which is great for outdoor functions, and the 1,300 sqm Dragon ballroom for big parties.
At the Hilton Sanya, an all-inclusive MICE Pavilion offers more than 3,000 sqm of space
on two floors. There are 11 function rooms and a grand ballroom that can take up to
1,000 people. Audi recently held a car launch event here.

If you are a stickler for good service and getting your pina colada in good time, try the Marriott Sanya Resort and Spa. The staff here are about the best trained of any in the big Sanya resorts. The resort has six meeting rooms and a ballroom, which has its own separate entrance that can fit up to 700 delegates.

Home to the Miss World contest from 2003 to 2005, the 511-room Sheraton Sanya Resort put Sanya on the map for many people outside China. The event-planning team here specialises in off-site events.

The Kempinski Hotel Sanya boasts a secluded beach that is perfect for events for up to 400 delegates and its own brewery and Paulaner Brauhaus German beer bar.

4 GROUP INCENTIVES…
Some incentive ideas include the therapeutic massages at Nan Tian Hot Springs that provide
a relaxing outdoor treat for business groups. Five Finger Mountain, which provides a great venue for adventure-seeking groups with its river rafting. For lovers of the great outdoors Wu
Zhi Zhou Island offers spectacular diving into the beautiful coral-filled ocean and the End of
the Earth is known for the colossal rocks that stand by the coast. Nan Shan Temple offers
a cultural Buddhist experience.

5 VISAS…
A Chinese, ‘L’-class tourist visa usually allows between 14 and 90 days’ stay in Hainan.
However, visitors who are part of an organised group incentive in Hainan Island by certain certified travel agencies, and are from the specified 21 countries, are now permitted to stay in Hainan for 21 days without a China Visa. Follow the links at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
website, www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng, for details regarding travel agencies and specific countries.