Dadonghai — the city beach

The bay behind Deer Hill

Dadonghai lies on the other side of Luhuitou hill, about three kilometres from the city centre. The bay is crescent-shaped, about two kilometres long and framed by hills; the water is calm and shallow. Between beach and road runs a narrow park with palms, behind it hotels, apartment blocks, restaurants and shopping centres.

Unlike Yalong Bay or Haitang Bay, there are no luxury resorts right on the sand here. The beach is public, officially rated as a sight and still free. Locals come to swim in the morning and evening, holidaymakers from all over the country during the day.

Little Moscow on the South China Sea

What strikes you at once: many signs, menus and billboards are in Russian. For many years Dadonghai has been the quarter of Russian holidaymakers in Sanya, who fly in directly from Siberia and the Far East. There are Russian restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets with Russian products, and some traders speak better Russian than English.

For travellers from Europe it's a strange mix: Chinese food stalls next to borscht, fur shops at 28 degrees, massage parlours with Cyrillic price lists. It's one of the few quarters on the island where a foreigner doesn't stand out.

Diving at the rocks

At the western end of the bay are rocks where people dive and snorkel. Dozens of operators offer trial dives there, often from just 69 to 70 yuan. Underwater visibility is moderate at six to ten metres, with some corals and fish — no comparison with Wuzhizhou or West Island.

Local media describe how Sanya's diving market was dominated for years by operators without a fixed address who recruited customers via WeChat. The lure price is rarely the final price: photos and videos, the mouthpiece, a “better spot” or the boat transfer cost extra, and the bill quickly reaches several hundred yuan.

How to approach the beach

Dadonghai is most beautiful in the late afternoon, when the heat eases and locals come to swim. The middle and eastern parts of the bay are good for swimming; the rocks in the west are more for divers. Loungers and umbrellas cost money, a towel on the sand doesn't.

If you want to dive or ride a jet ski, book through a platform with a fixed price and find out exactly what's included beforehand. If you only want to watch, sit on the promenade and see how the operators work — a lesson in itself.

Why it's worthwhile

Dadonghai shows Sanya's ordinary side: a city beach where pensioners from the north-east swim their lengths, families build sandcastles and Russian guests spend their winter. After the resort bays it's a good counterweight — and only a short ride from Sanya Bay.