In May, I visited Hainan, a touristy island located in southern part of China, where many locals typically descend to escape the winter cold from Nov to April. Let me share my 10-day itinerary covering a few counties/cities in Hainan, including Wanning, Lingshui, Sanya and Haikou.
You’ll want to visit Hainan if you like islands, blue water, nature, seafood, coconut and tropical climate. Let me keep this post short for easy digestion, but will sprinkle important tips within.
Without any further ado, check out Part 1 of my Hainan Travelogue where we stayed in the more laidback Wanning City and Lingshui County.
Day 1: Hello Hainan & Wanning City (Shimei Bay)
From Singapore, we took Hainan airline and landed at Haikou Meilan International Airport.
As the airport was connected to the train station, a comfy hour plus train ride brought us to Shenzhou Train Station (神州站). Another short taxi ride and we reached Wanning city – our first destination in Hainan.
TIP: To view location of place/attraction mentioned, you can click on the Chinese links in this article.
Train Ride in China: We always enjoy train rides in China. Seats are spacious, and generally clean and modern. Read more China Travel tips here.
We checked into Chenxi Xiaozhu Hotel, then walked out to have a quick lunch at a random outlet “Fang Jie Lingshui Sour Vermicelli” (芳姐陵水酸粉). The sour vermicelli was different from those we’ve tried in Shannxi & Shanxi – more bland and less spicy.
And the dessert “Qing Bu Liang” (清補涼) or loosely translated as “Refreshing & Nourishing” – a local Hainan specialty got me hooked. I then vowed to have one every day in Hainan. :)
Shimei Bay in Hainan
Nearing evening, we walked to Shimei Bay (石梅湾) and strolled along the beach. One popular thing to do here is to visit a book store by the sea (华润凤凰九里书屋) that opens up to a view of the beach.
You can also lounge at the bars or cafes along the beach, or engage in water activities.
I love the small-town vibe of “Wanning”, especially when you see cute pinky e-scooters everywhere you go. It really makes you feel like you are on a relaxing beach holiday!
Vinegar Hotpot Dinner at Wanning, Hainan
Our first dinner in Hainan at “Nine Miles Street” (九里润街) was memorable. It’s a small enclave with some restaurants.
We chose to dine at this chained vinegar hotpot restaurant (太琼糟粕醋) and ordered a yuan yang hotpot (spicy and non-spicy vinegar soup), seafood platter, beef and some veggies add-on.
While experience was good, we thought the portion was small and hence rather expensive by local standards (¥350).
Still, it’s a decent and memorable meal! I drank so much vinegar that night! :)
Day 2: Boundary Island & Riyue Bay
Today’s itinerary was a great one. After breakfast at Discos (德克士) – a fast-food chain in China, we headed to Boundary Island (分界洲岛景区).
From the pier, a short 15 minutes ferry ride brought us to the very scenic Boundary Island. We’d pre-purchased an Island admission + Round-trip boat tickets + Sightseeing Shuttle package (see price) and this made the visit a rather relaxing one, with minimal walking required.
Boundary Island: It’s beautiful!
The island shuttle would stop at four stations. Let me summarise them below.
1st Stop: Datong Tian (Big Hole Sky)
Lots of photo spots here, including a big cave. But beware of mosquitoes within – quite “venomous”. The bites created obvious lumps that lasted for over a few weeks.
TIP: Bring and carry an insect repellent everywhere you go in Hainan. We finished a bottle by the end of the trip.
2nd Stop: Fengdongshi
You’ll walk along a scenic “stone” trail, and imagine yourself staying in one of the scenic cabin that overlooks the ocean.
3rd Stop: Huaxiting (Pavilion)
This is the highest point on the island and was comfortably windy and scenic. We rested there for a long while, enjoying the view and munching the Panda cheese cake that I got earlier from Luckin.
This place also serves free coffee.
4th Stop: Yuefengting (Pavilion)
The last stop brings you to yet another pavilion, nearer to sea level. You can view a valley or walk along a trail by the sea.
Summary: Is Boundary Island worth a visit?
Boundary Island is easy to visit as each stop is short in distance. So you can tour the island at a relaxing pace, and there isn’t much walking needed (provided you purchase the shuttle service).
Boundary Island Tip: I recommend that you get the bundle ticket that includes island admission, boat ticket and shuttle service.
Shuttle frequency was great during our visit (lull period in May) – we experienced zero waiting time for both shuttle and ferry.
I also like how Boundary Island keeps the F&B price reasonable, unlike Wuchizhou Island in Sanya that charged exorbitant prices.
Hainan Travel Tip: May is considered lull travel season (because locals need not escape winter). We read that during peak season (Nov to April), the crowd can be quite scary wherever you go.
Riyue Bay for Surfing & Bar-hopping
The next attraction on Day 2 was Riyue Bay (日月湾), which was located along the way for today’s itinerary.
Many bars and cafes were beach-facing (though separated by a small road), and we understood this to be a beach popular among the younger people. It was also said to be very happening at night.
We were at Riyue Bay too early (no choice as it’s located between Boundary island and our hotel). To hide from the intense heat, we found ourselves in KFC enjoying its nice Waygu Beef Burger.
TIP: Riyue Bay is a popular bay for people interested in surfing or taking up surfing lessons. We were approached by a few “trainers”, pitching their service.
When the heat eased, we found ourselves lounging at a sea-fronting Luckin, sipping coconut latte, with great music playing from neighboring bar. If you like the night life, you can stay till the night.
Shopping at Wang Fu Jing Outlet Mall
By 5pm, we were at WFJ Duty Free mall (王府井国际免税港) near Shenzhou train station. The crowd was thin but we did enjoy the shopping.
I bought a Lesportsac bag (about ¥300), and the man bought a few discounted tees from Lafuma.
Regrets: I still regretted not getting a white UV jacket from Lafuma (about ¥600 after discount). I thought I would have the chance to shop at a better outlet mall – CDF – in Sanya, but that proved otherwise which you’ll read more in Day 6’s post.
Our second dinner was as good as the first – at Xiang Zi Grilled Fish (匠子烤鱼) located within the mall.
We ordered green pepper grilled fish, chicken and some add-ons. The fish was generous in portion and tasty, though you can skip the chicken. Damage was only ¥170.
Day 3 Hainan Itinerary: Shenzhou Peninsula
On Day 3, we made use of the free e-scooter from our hotel in Wanning and rode to Shenzhou Peninsula (神州半岛).
Shenzhou Peninsula (Hainan Itinerary)
Loosely translated as a half-island, you can think of this destination as a place that houses condos and hotels, offering scenic sea view, beaches, water activities and many IG-photo spots. Plenty of F&B options were available on this half-island too.
We rode past a very scenic “Coconut Road”, which seemed like a must-stop for photoshoot (judging at how people pose in the middle of the road).
Then visited probably the most popular attraction here – a Light House (said to resemble a lighthouse in a popular Chinese movie).
From the parking lot, it was a long walk under the sun that left us totally drenched in perspiration.
You can visit the beach too at Letao Bay (乐涛湾) to enjoy some sea activities.
But we chose to retreat for a cool dessert – Qing Bu Liang again at “Coconut Village Head” (椰村长·冰激凌清补).
This, as compared to yesterday’s coconut dessert was served very chilled, almost frozen which was good for the weather. But the ingredients were hardened too. It also came with more flour-based than natural ingredients.
Other than the dessert, we also ordered a Mango “Chee Cheong Fun” which was quite a unique and refreshing dessert. Thick chunk of mango was wrapped within Pandan-flavoured rice flour.
Cute Animal Ranch in Wanning (Hainan Itinerary)
Our next stop was at “Qiao Hai” ranch (桥海牧场) – it was free to enter and you’ll see cute geese, cows, buffalos and duckies.
Quite scenic in a different way (not sea and beaches) and we enjoyed our short visit there.
M1 Coffee Dream Factory: A Unique Cafe in Wanning
The next attraction was at this big cafe – M1 Coffee Dream Factory (M1咖啡奇幻工场) – that boosts an AA tourist destination.
You can admire the facade, bring your kids to play, learn and experience more about coffee production and trading (additional fee applies) or shop the merchandise.
I ordered a “Ceiling Hainan” Latte (¥48), which was unique with fermented Osmanthus.
I also bought a small 100g pack of “Pear-flavoured” coffee beans (¥98) which was really good. In hindsight, I wish I’d purchased more variation of the uniquely-flavoured beans at M1 Cafe.
Local “Small Bowl” Dinner in Wanning
We ended the day with a local dinner at “Hua Fu Small Bowl Dishes” (化府小碗菜). Located near our hotel in Wanning, smalls bowls of dishes were laid at the counter, which you can pick those you fancy.
Our picks – Sour Preserved Veggie Fish, Kailan, Beancurd with Pork, Potato Strips and Cabbage. Portions were generous and I really enjoyed the meal.
The potato strips was the best I’ve tried, with a hint of sourness. I liked it so much I packed away another tub for supper.
Later that night, the man walked out to get supper – fried chicken and another “Qing Bu Liang” from this store (椰大柠二).
I like this Qing Bu Liang too (see store) – not too sweet and ingredients were not hardened like the one we had this morning (¥20). It also came with Pandan jelly.
TIP: Nanyang food including Pandan seems popular among domestic tourists here. Since Singapore is “Nanyang” and these are dishes we grew up eating, we didn’t intentionally chase the food fad here in Hainan.
This concludes our Part 1 Hainan Itinerary, where you see us exploring the quieter and less touristy part of Hainan, at Wanning and Lingshui. Stay tuned to the next post as we would travel to Sanya city and stay there for 6 nights.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no cost to you. Read my full disclosure for more info.
Essential Info:
|
