# Dadonghai Tourist Area (大东海旅游区)

Sanya, Hainan Province · South China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/dadonghai-tourist-area
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Free
- **Opening hours:** Open all day
- **Time needed:** 0.5–1 day
- **Address:** Dadonghai Tourist Area, Tiandu Town, Sanya City
- **Getting there:** Near Xiari Department Store (夏日百货) (bus stop)
- **Good for:** Hiking & Outdoors, Photography, Nature

## About Dadonghai Tourist Area

Dadonghai is one of the first coastal resort areas in Sanya to be developed. It has mature dining and accommodation, convenient transport, free public beach access, and a wide range of watersports. Prices for most things are roughly half those in Yalong Bay. Because development started early and planning was weak, the area has many high-rise residential blocks and some eyesore unfinished buildings. Its natural scenery is not as pristine as Yalong Bay's, but it is busier with visitors. Hotels are mainly mid-range, ranging from five-star properties to youth hostels. At night, the beach has the liveliest atmosphere of anywhere in Sanya. Along the coast, beach bars play music, and fireworks are sometimes set off. You can eat beachside barbecue at open-air hotel stalls or at the busy roadside barbecue stands.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. Sunset dinner: Spend at least one evening having dinner at a restaurant on the Dadonghai beachfront to enjoy a stunning sunset. Yalong Bay also has beautiful sunsets, but the dining costs more than twice as much. Sanya Bay feels rather desolate by comparison.
- 2. Don't miss Haijiao: Walk west along the beach past the last hotel (Shanhaitian Hotel), then continue to Haijiao, a headland of rocky outcrops. With sea, mountains and rocks all in one place, it is Sanya's most popular spot for wedding photos and also offers some of the best travel photos. There is a professional diving school in the Haijiao area, and you can often negotiate on diving prices. Further on is the Red Coral Reserve, where the water is clearer than in the middle of Dadonghai.
- 3. Avoid west-facing sun when renting umbrellas: A beach umbrella with two loungers costs ¥50 per day. Avoid loungers too far west in the afternoon, as the setting sun can be intensely hot there.
- 4. Skip the semi-submarine: Semi-submarine trips in Dadonghai and Xiaodonghai cost ¥180 per person. They are advertised as a way to see coral, but the water in both areas is not very clear, so you will mostly see small fish. Not recommended for people prone to seasickness.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 2553. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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