Yalong Bay

Yalong Bay is a seven-kilometre arc of pale sand at the southern tip of Hainan, the most developed of Sanya's main bays and the one with the clearest water. It faces south-east and is protected by headlands, so the sea is usually calm and shelves gently. Behind the beach a single road runs the length of the bay lined with large resorts, and behind that the forested hills of a tropical park rise steeply. Public access points exist between the hotels, though most of the beachfront is managed. Winter is the season here: while much of the country is frozen, the water stays warm enough to swim.

What you actually see

• The main beach - the long shelving arc of white sand, calmest in the early morning.
• The offshore water - clear enough for snorkelling near the eastern headland on settled days.
• The hill park behind the bay - walkways and platforms with views over the whole crescent.
• Sunrise over the water - the bay faces east enough that the sun comes up out of the sea.

When to go

The dry, cooler season from October to April is when Hainan works: warm sea, lower humidity and little rain. Chinese New Year and the winter holidays fill the resorts and push prices to their annual peak. Summer is hot, humid and inside the typhoon season, when swimming is frequently flagged off for days at a time.

Honest expectations

This is a resort strip rather than a wild coast, and the beachfront is effectively divided between hotels, so finding a public entrance takes some walking. Prices in the bay are high by national standards. Jellyfish appear in some seasons and swimming is restricted to flagged sections. Sanya's centre, half an hour away, is a busy city.

Nearby

Sanya Bay and Dadonghai closer to the city, with Wuzhizhou island offshore.