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Petrena Schell’s Hainan trip begins at Atlantis Hotel in Sanya, where an aquarium with stingrays, zebra shark eggs and beluga whales sits inside the resort. A 15-minute ferry brings her to Wuzhizhou Island, where beachgoers remain fully clothed and tour vehicles, viewpoints and food stalls serve a busy stream of visitors. At Nanshan Temple, she sees the 108-meter, three-faced Guanyin statue and joins visitors lighting incense and making wishes. The trip ends at the Romance Show, a performance about Hainan and the maritime Silk Road, with acrobatics performed without harnesses.
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Atlantis Hotel and Wuzhizhou Island
Petrena Schell visits Hainan, described in the video as China's only tropical destination. Her trip challenges her idea of a typical beach holiday by combining a luxury resort, a fully clothed beach, a temple complex and an acrobatic show. She begins at the Atlantis Hotel in Sanya, where the aquatic theme extends from the room to a large aquarium inside the hotel. The aquarium holds stingrays, zebra shark eggs and beluga whales, despite being part of a hotel rather than a public zoo. Petrena is amazed by the setting and compares it to The Little Mermaid.
A 15-minute ferry takes her to Wuzhizhou Island, a small island off Sanya's coast. Petrena notices that people remain fully clothed on the beach, even while relaxing on sun chairs, unlike the bikini-clad beaches of the Philippines where she lives. Tour trucks, viewpoints and food stalls serve visitors, and the island is busy even outside peak season.
Nanshan Temple and the Romance Show
Petrena then visits Nanshan Temple, described as Sanya's busiest tourist spot. By 9 a.m., there are 3,500 visitors, and the complex has shopping stalls and lanterns. Its main landmark is the 108-meter-tall, three-faced Nanshan Guanyin statue standing over the water. Petrena burns three incense sticks and makes a wish as part of a local ritual. She calls it the most iconic Buddha she has seen in her travels across Southeast Asia.
The trip concludes at the Romance Show, a theme-park performance about Hainan and the maritime Silk Road. Petrena is impressed by the acrobatics and notes that the performers use no harnesses. She recommends the show as a Sanya visit. The itinerary moves from a luxury hotel aquarium to the beach, a religious complex and a staged performance, giving her several contrasting experiences during the Hainan trip.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What was the best hotel you stayed at?
- A: The Atlantis Hotel in Sanya. It had a massive aquarium inside with beluga whales and a water-themed room that was absolutely stunning.
- Q: How do people dress on the beach in Hainan?
- A: Everyone is fully clothed on the beach, even on sun chairs. It was a big contrast to the Philippines where people wear bikinis.
- Q: What was the most impressive sight you saw?
- A: The Nanshan Guanyin statue, standing 108 meters tall over the water. It's the highest standing Buddha over water in the world.
- Q: Is Hainan Island crowded with tourists?
- A: Yes, extremely crowded. Even at 9 a.m., there were 3,500 people at Nanshan Temple, and the ferry lines were huge even out of peak season.
