After 2 days of rest coming back from my Harbin trip, my wife and I will be flying to Haikou (capital city of Hainan Island) later this afternoon. Our flight leaves Chengdu at 7:00pm and arrives at Haikou a little after 9:00pm. This is something that I've been really looking forward to, since it's winter here, and the weather in Hainan Island is beautiful all year around.
We'll be staying 5 nights at Haikou, and 5 nights at Sanya, and returning from Haikou to Chengdu on the 31st. I'm going to try to change the return flight from Haikou - Chengdu to Sanya - Chengdu instead. This way, we won't have to bus back to Haiko on the 31st. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I booked the plane tickets. :) I bookd a 5 star hotel in Haikou and a 4 star hotel in Sanya, and both are ocean view rooms. I looked pretty hard to find the right hotel that I was happy with, so I'm really looking forward to the next few days at Hainan Island.
Haikou Airport
We arrived at Haikou from Chengdu around 9:30, after a 2 hour flight. Our flight to Haikou was slightly delayed. It was raining when we landed, and the temperature was 14 degrees. After coming out of the Haikou airport, we immediately got the feeling of being in a tropical place. The air was fresh, and the surrounding were filled with all types of tropical plants and trees.
Haikou Airport - It was late at night, so there weren't too many travellers. The people wearing uniform you see are some sort of travel agents. They sell tourist maps, and offer travelling services such as flight, hotel bookings, arranging cars, and selling tour packages. I bought a map of Haikou for $5 yuan.
Check in at Noble Yacht Club Hotel
We took a taxi from Haikou airport to the Noble Yacht Club Hotel, which cost $150 yuan. When I booked our room at the Noble Yacht Club Hotel, I didn’t realize it was quite a bit ways out from Haikou city center; however, when I was searching for a hotel, my goal was to find a nice hotel that’s right by the beach with nice amenities, scenery, and available ocean view rooms. So although this hotel is a little far from city center, it met our needs perfectly. Besides, it’s a classy 5 star hotel, and from our balcony to the beach is about 50 steps. I can hear the splashing of the ocean waves from my room, as I’m typing this.
A photo of the pool of the Noble Yacht Club hotel from our balcony. 5 steps behind the palm trees far in the back is the beach and ocean.
It’s late at night, so my view of the surroundings is limited, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’m betting it’s going to be fantastic scenery. I can’t wait till next morning to go for a walk on the beach, and go for a dip in the pool. |
