Sanya

Sanya reveals a side of China far removed from the megacities of Beijing and Shanghai. At the southern tip of Hainan Island, mountains and tropical forest descend towards long beaches and the warm waters of the South China Sea. Traditional villages and the cultures of Hainan’s Li and Miao communities provide a deeper regional identity, while the coastline has become a testing ground for some of China’s most ambitious resort architecture. At its best, contemporary design here responds to climate and landscape through shaded courtyards, gardens, water and open-air spaces rather than simply importing international resort luxury.

Food and drink are naturally shaped by the island. Fresh seafood is fundamental, alongside Hainanese dishes built around tropical vegetables, herbs and locally grown produce. Wenchang chicken—closely related to the dish known internationally as Hainanese chicken rice—is one of the island’s signatures, while markets and local restaurants provide a much better introduction to Hainan’s culinary culture than the international buffets of the larger resorts. Coconut, tropical fruit and influences from southern China and Southeast Asia reinforce the feeling that Hainan occupies its own culinary world.

Sanya’s most interesting hotels use architecture to create a stronger relationship with this tropical environment. Low-rise resorts, sculptural contemporary buildings and secluded retreats combine water, gardens and dramatic landscape with increasingly sophisticated Chinese design. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where architecture, food and Hainan’s tropical identity come together—hotels that reveal Sanya as more than China’s answer to another international beach resort, and prove that the most compelling luxury begins with a genuine sense of place.