Hainan Island

Hainan Island is the Hawaii of China, a large tropical island in the South China Sea lying just off the coast of Vietnam, only 1 hour southeast of Guangzhou by air. In 1988, Hainan Island became China's 31st province.

Hainan is a beautiful island with quality hotels, restaurants featuring local cuisine, and shops, but not much other development. The pace here is slow and relaxed compared to the mainland. The capital city of Haikou features a bustling market, with a fine choice of new hotels and restaurants, Karaoke bars, and nightclubs. You will have little trouble finding an attractive palm-lined beach to enjoy the sunny climate and warm waters of the South China Sea. The sea is safe for swimming, and there are good areas for scuba diving and snorkeling at several locations around the island. Daily charters are available to test your fishing skills. On the southern end of the island, an excellent new golf course was recently built. One of the most interesting daytime activities is to hike into the forest areas to visit hillside villages of the Li and Miao ethnic groups, which comprise about 15% of the island's population.