Weekend in Sanya

July 23, 2012

Weekend in Sanya

We snuck away last weekend to Sanya, China. I had never even heard of Sanya until I moved to Hong Kong. Some like to claim that this is the Hawaii of China (consequentially Sanya is located about as far north of the Equator as Hawaii). I am not sure I am ready to give it that title, but it is definitely a China I haven't experienced. And the best part? Only an hour plane ride away.

Sanya is in south China in the Hainan Province.It has emerged as a popular tourist destination, particularly the Russian population as we learned, but we still managed to meet a few expats along the way. Most of the signs and menus were in English, Chinese and Russian.

Chilling out at the resort upon arrival

Not exactly a beach fare lunch but a damn good croque monsieur

Sun starting to set before dinner

Drinks at sunset bar where we made friends with the bartender Sam

I think I see a squid boat in the distance

Day 2 in Sanya

Our hotel was at the end of Dadong Hai Bay. We decided to venture into town (a mere $8 RMB or about $1 cab ride away). Not much in the way of shopping but always fun to check out the sights and the sounds

Fruit stands were everywhere

They had these shops everywhere too. Pick out you dinner (I guess). I personally think the fish would be fresher being on ice instead of slowly dying in these small tanks

Loved this guy's broom

Hmm we have run out of room to store the eggs. Oh stick them next to the tourist items. Rrrrright....

This was an ad for a pirate bar. We later discovered it and it was all pirate, as advertised

We strolled down to the Dadong Hai beach area. Cute bars and restaurants lined the beach. Young coconut waters were all the rage.

Up and down the strip, there were groups of men playing cards

Favorite outfit of the weekend by far

We stumbled upon Wo's Bar and bellied up here for the afternoon. Great little spot with cheap drinks and awesome food. Bit of an expat crowd too. We liked it so much, we went again on Sunday.

Later that night, we hit up Casa Mia, an Italian place that was recommended to us. Two thumbs up

Next, on to Dolphin Bar, also recommended to us as it is supposedly an expat bar.

Matt and I made friends with the manager. Can't remember what his name was, but super friendly guy

Of course this place would have a Mets jersey

Local China band. They were awesome and played their entire second set with our requests

Our new friend Joey, fellow Southerner. Turns out he went to LSU so we exchanged SEC football stories

Day 3: On Sunday, we tried to explore another part of town. Matt was determined to find a local T-shirt. He already got a koozie at Dolphins. But again, this is just not a shopping town. Oh and it was like 800 degrees out so we didn't last long before heading back to the beach