Mandarin Oriental, Sanya

For the second leg of my Hainan birthday trip, I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Sanya. I booked a Guestroom with Courtyard-View, hoping for a luxurious and relaxing experience. The location is stunning—surrounded by lush greenery and overlooking the South China Sea. It’s a bit secluded, which adds to the tranquility, but the hotel offers shuttle services to nearby attractions. From the moment I arrived, the service was impeccable. The staff greeted me with a warm welcome. The check-in process was seamless, and the staff were exceptionally friendly. We had to wait by the cafe as our room wasn't ready despite requesting for an early check in. in advance. However, they surprised me with a birthday setup in the room, complete with decorations and a cake! The room itself was stunning—spacious, beautifully designed, and stocked with high-quality toiletries, including full-sized lotion, bath salts and a Dyson hairdryer. The complimentary mini-bar with fruits and drinks was a lovely touch, and I appreciated the free photoshoot service around the resort. The in-house food was excellent, especially the breakfast spread, which featured lobster wonton and an assortment of pastries. The resort also offered a shuttle service to the city center, which was convenient. However, there were a few downsides. The air conditioner was weak, so we ended up sleeping with the terrace open. The pools weren’t as clean as I expected—there were leaves and insects floating on the cool pool and sand in the heated pool. The checkout process was painfully slow, causing us to miss our train back to Haikou. Additionally, the lobby toilet were shockingly dirty, which was disappointing for a hotel of this caliber. Overall, for the price, I expected better maintenance and management. But I would say that it's on par with most resort around the world.

My family loved it, while I personally would prefer a more clear communication on where I can swim in the sea and no construction on site (while it was happening when we arrived, right in front of our windows, but this issue was resolved quite quickly), generally highly recommended for families

The seaview and the design are excellent. However the furniture is old and the beach needs upgrands