This was our second stay at the Marriott Sanya, both stays being over the Christmas holidays. Overall, this is a good hotel. We had a great deal of about $200USD/nt including breakfast and airport transfers. Service is good here but there were some issues. Long waits for food & drinks if you order at the pool/beach restaraunts. Staff's english is average but passable; however, if you have any special requests, your chinese better be good becasue they don't get it in english. And honestly, the food is average. But the positives of this hotel definitely outweigh the negatives: clean rooms, good buffet breakfast (try to get a package that includes it; otherwise, it's pricey), fantastic kids club and play area. The kids area always has a lot of staff on hand which is great and they do fun activities throughout the day for the kids. Also, the QUAN spa is FANTASTIC. The spa itself gets 5 stars. One other thing to note- the pools are freezing. They were freezing last year and this year too. This hotel does have a good sized heated whirlpool where we spent most of our time but according to other friends, this a problem at most of the hotels in Sanya, not just the marriott.

Bottom line- for the price it's a good deal, especially compared to the other hotels on this stretch of beach (Hilton, Ritz, Sheraton), never feels crowded, and the staff tries hard. We've been twice and will probably go again.

I just came back from a 4 day trip at Sanya Marriott. The Lobby and pool area are great and the beach is right in front of the Hotel. The Hotel itself is ok but definetly not the best in the area. Next to the Mariott is the Sheraton, Hilton, Pullman (opposite) and the Ritz Carlton. We went to each of the Hotels to go to a Restaurant and to have a look around just to compare all the 5 Star Hotels close by. Things I have not been so happy about at the Marriott: 1. We booked a Deluxe Room and they put us in a room with a tiny window and no balcony. We asked for a different room with balcony which they gave us without any problem but they charged us for every night over Euro 100 extra for the stay. After we showed the Manager the statement on the Marriott website that every room is spacious with Balcony etc. they gave us the room with no extra charge. 2.Quite a lot of the stuff does not speak very well englisch which can be a bit annoying if you just try to order a Pepsi but other than that they are very friendly. The Restaurants at the Hotel are ok only, there are 3 Restaurants + Snacks on the Pool. They all serve almost identically food, so we had to go to the other Hotels for dinner which was ok though. Taxi to the airport is around RMB 120 and takes approx. 30-40 min. If I would recommend a Hotel for his outstanding service and great rooms etc I would suggest to choose the Ritz Carlton. If you go there you need to try the Sand Restaurant which is very good and say Hello to Alvin for me :-). Overall it was a nice stay but would not choose the Hotel again.

Nice place on the beach. The place is well maintained, but nothing special, especially considering the rates we have to pay for the rooms. The breakfast buffet was a quite a zoo, trying to get a cup of coffee was an exercise of quick hands to wave the servers down. The dinner buffet at the Marriott Cafe is above average, Indochine restaurant was overrated...it was not vietnamese, a lot of the dishes were more Chinese than Vietnamese (I know, I am from Vietnam).

Very relaxing and friendly hotel. Loved the lagoon pool. Couldn't believe that there was no problem getting a decent lounger. Plenty of space and privacy if required. Pool side food was excellent although soft drinks very expensive (~£3 for a coke!).

Plenty of beach and garden loungers too so everyone was happy. Food was excellent in all restaurants- particulary good cocktail selection. Buffet breakfast could be a bit of a queue depending on your arrival time however the hotel staff did there utmost to keep it flowing.

Views from the Live lounge was great and live entertainment was bery good and unobtrusive.

Rooms were of excellent standard- particularly liked the spacious and well appointed bathrooms. Would definitely recommend this as a relaxing retreat. We noticed that children were very welcome however due to the spacious pools and gardens, they generally did not disturb the peace and quiet for other guests.

Fantasic resort

The hotel check in was quick, friendly and efficient. yes they do double check when 2 men have booked a double bed but they did so discretely. The room was large, well decorated, albeit rather 'busy' in style- yellow and gold. But nice mountain views, all working, clean tidy etc.

3 restaurants here. We arrived late and the Indochine served us even though we arrived after 10pm, and service excellent.

Breakfast served 6-10- great selection of heathy and indulgent, fruits cheese etc. good ,friendly service.

Beach are is beautiful and quiet. We found that most sun loungers were 'booked' by russian and germans (what's new) even before 830am!! But found one everyday. People leave during the day.

The service at the beach cafe was rather hit and miss. Great drinks and snacks, not cheap .they will deliver to your sun lounger but dont go around asking for orders. Does make for a quiet atmosphere on beach.

dont bother with the salads- not good value, sanwiches etc fine and the iced water is filtered so dont buy mineral! nice grassy areas too and lots of shade.

You can actually beach and pool hop between the nearby hotels.

Pool area was really nice,great for kids and never seemed busy for us adults who were cooling off.

leisure centre friendly, nice gym and shower area.

Looked at other pools and think marriot one of nicest.

My few gripes are;

beach staff dont actually do much and could be more helpful-some are good.

theres not really a bar for adults- try Hilton next door, has a good band.

the sheraton was great cocktails and phillipino karaoke, nice lounge.

overall- great service, facilites were excellent, particulary good for families. recommended for a few days, not much to do at night and if weather is bad you would be bored!

Look for deals with Hiton/Sheraton too as are next door.

I travelled to the Mariott, Sanya to attend a conference.

The hotel is around an hour transfer from the hotel and it is an easy trip.

Check in /out was painless, they bring you a welcome drink, towels, and a necklace made of shells.

The accomodation is spacious, with an excellent bathroom with separate shower and bath. Lovely large comfortable bed, sofa, desk and TV.

There is a mini bar in your room and coffe making facilities. My balcony offered lovely views across the grounds to the ocean.

The grounds are beautiful and well maintained, the pool has lots of different areas, that offer privacy, and there are bars and service areas that are easy to find and convenient.

The beach was lovely, plenty of sunbeds and a nice cooling breeze. The weather was a little cloudy during our stay and with the breeze might make you think it was not going to burn you. Be warned, it will.

There is a beach service offering food and drinks and if you want to move sunbeds around there are attendants to help you (Don't try lifting them on your own, they are solid wood and very heavy).

There are ladies on the beach selling jewellery. They are not easily dissuaded, a polite no thanks, dosent work and you have to ignore them completely. But if you are interested, it gets quite entertaining, more of them will come and join in and good deals are available if you are prepared to take the time.

The conference facitilties were good, the staff very attentive and keen to please and provide what we needed. We did have a problem getting wifi in the Conference room.

Eating and Drinking, the lobby offered a good selection of drinks but could be slow, particularly if there was a few of you ordering. Their English was not so good, and would recommend taking the notepad and pen out with you if you need to order a large round. However, in spite of this it was impossible to complain, the staff were extremely poilite and helpful everywhere that you went in the hotel and you really did feel looked after.

The buffet restaurant offered a good selection, and I don't usually do desserts, but had a selection that was too good to miss. The vietnamese a la carte was good, and the Chinese. The Beach Bar offered a good menu that covered various tastes, the lobby also offered snacks.

Would I go back, I'm not sure - if I were going for a quiet week with my husband, probably. If I were travelling with my lively nine year old, then probably not. I don't think I would stay here for longer than a week, but in fairness did not have time to check out the activities and excursions that were available.

We spent 4 days during December at the Marriott; wife, myself and children aged 3 and 1. To put our review into context, we live in Asia and travel frequently always staying in 5-star resorts so we have a bit of experience. This resort stacked up extremely well. Beautiful grounds, nice room, good pool and beach: despite hotel being sold out we never had a problem getting chairs and neither beach nor pool ever seemed crowded. The service was extremely good, all the staff very friendly and eager to cater to all our needs - in particular they were excellent with our children, always making over them, etc. We ate at all the restaurants and found the food quite good, including at the Chinese restaurant where we did not experience issues with bones, etc. as others have described. We ventured to the Sheraton and Hilton next door and were pleased with our choice from an overall standpoint although the Chinese restaurant at the Hilton was better than that at the Marriott.

Only drawback I could see is that the resort area is, as others have noted, very isolated so not much to do in the surrounding area. Not a problem for us though.

We booked to stay at Marriott Sanya for 6 nights.

Marriott Sanya was a lovely clean hotel.

The staff were courteous and the beach was very nice.

The hotel itself did not have anything particularly Chinese about it (apart from the staff of course). It didn't reflect any culture at all.

The hotel is on Yalong bay, a resort lined with other 5 star hotels. There is a small centre about 15 minutes walk away that has shops and bars, some of them still under construction. It will be nice when finished. There is a shop by the hotel entry/exit barrier where you can stock up on any essentials.

It's impossible to go anywhere without a taxi and fares are expensive. Concierge had an unhealthy interest in where we were going, and kept trying to recommend us to go elsewhere, to get their commission! We got out of it by saying we had to meet friends. Taxi drivers always tried to persuade us to go elsewhere too (oh, watch out for the paper covering the taxi meter, already ticking away before you're picked up!) The taxi drivers constantly tried to sell us excursions, get us to pearl shops or restaurants to get their commission, which is fair enough. It started to feel like everyone was trying to rip us off...we went to one restaurant on the outskirts of town, strongly recommended by concierge and taxi driver, yes we couldn't get out of it on this occassion! The car had barely pulled up and the staff were opening the doors, telling us how great their food was! We chose our fish and agreed prices with the waiter as he weighed up the fish, as you do - when our food bill came at the end of the meal, an additional CNY100 was slapped on top! Our waiter was nowhere to be seen, and when we questioned it with the staff, they made out that they could not speak English or understand us! I bet the waiter was hiding in the kitchen. Why don't they understand that this kind of behaviour will make sure that we won't go back!? To add to the dissappointment food wasn't even that good. My tip is to stick to the hotels!!! Try some of the hotels along the strip, I wish we did.

By the way don't go to the seafood restaurant by the hotel, if you do, ask for the main menu. The guy was trying to charge us £20 for a crab! Plus, I got bitten by mosquitos here.

There wasn't any entertainment or performances at this hotel. The lobby bar had a live band on until 11.30 in the evenings, the bar itself was quiet, perhaps due to London prices in China!? Still, we chilled out here in the evenings. If you are looking for a lively hotel - then this isn't the one for you!

Hotel guests are mainly Chinese and Russian. There isn't any interaction between guests. Hardly anyone smiled back or responded to "good morning". Cheer up - you're on holiday!!!

Everything in Sanya is so man-made. Reading that the resort was two years old I assumed that it was still be charming and cultural, but we didn't find this anywhere in Sanya. All the roads are brand new, the central reservations and side walks have perfectly kept flower beds. It was just too perfect, no character.

I was expecting the hotsprings to be natural too. The park was basically full of themed manmade pools with heaters! For example, coconut milk, coffee, and green tea pools. The fish were obviously introduced to the fish pool. This was a wierd experience, I found it ticklish and a bit squeemish at the same time. Try it. Overall it was a lovely relaxing day.

We got our taxi driver to stop at a shop on our way back and bought some water, soft drinks and beers - they came to just under £5. Bargain!

We went to the shooting range one day - this was good fun. Our Mr. let me drive you all around the houses taxi driver, came running in with us to get brownie points and would not leave us alone. We got him to drop us off at McDonalds afterwards because that was all he could understand. Wow - what a nice little area we discovered... we were finally with the locals. There were good shops and local restaurants here. I got a manicure done, and guess what, without getting ripped off! We got a taxi driver to take us back and the fare was almost a third of what we had been paying for runs from our hotel, as he didn't drive us round the block ten times, we kept him on to take us back to the airport.

We cut our stay in Sanya short by 3 nights. Admittedly, the weather was overcast and may have made our experience not so pleasurable, saying that even if the weather improved would it have made me feel like I was in China?

Overall I would say that Marriott in Sanya is perfect but shallow.

Canned fruit for breakfast. Sad. An island known for Coconuts and not a Coconut in sight. Strange! But worse:

When two men make a reservation and book a double bed, it is quite sad and unprofessional to still get asked if we are sure not to take a room with two beds?? Memorable and very awkward check in!! Mountain view turned out to be more of a garage entrance view! When asking the Front Desk about Dinner offers and the buffet at the Pool Bar, which we observed being set up, they told us there is no buffet at the Pool Bar and the main restaurant only serves a la carte. Both not true. Pretty indicative of the product knowledge of the staff. But the restaurants are pretty bad anyway and serve frozen fish at the Vietnamese restaurant. The sea is about 50 yards away. Amazing! Interesting that the executive chef sat with a group of people next to us having his dinner, which certainly was not Vietnamese. He never said hello to us and when serving eggs the next day at breakfast he failed to ever look up or even smile at any of the guests. Wonderful exapmp,e to his colleagues!!! The female concierge instructed our taxi driver how to get to a restaurant that serves authentic Hainanese Chicken. The address was wrong and after an hour searching the reccommended restaurant turned out to be a complete filthy dump.

The Cocktails are very very bad. Just go round the bushes on the left hand side of the beach and you find the Sheraton Beach Bar, which actually serves drinks that can be called Cocktails.

We never saw any Managers during our 4 days there, which is probably why the standard is so bad. Next time we will book the new Kempinski or even the Hilton right next to it is much better!The only highlight were very good housekeeping and the cleanliness as well that it has well kept grounds and a nice beach, although people who are not staying at the hotel can use it and it is sometimes hard to find a sun bed. And if you find one, don't mind the hotel staff watching while you carry it to your desired spot. Enjoy!

Just returned from our honeymoon. What a hotel! On arrival we were greeted by the head receptionist who personally showed us to our mountain view room on the 7th floor (executive floor) The bed was adorned with petals and towels shaped like swans and we had complimentary Chinese teas, roses, Fruit, chocolates,biscuits and coconuts and a cake!!

The hotel itself is approx. 3 years old and is incredibly clean. The grounds are immaculate as is the beach which has a lifeguard.

We stayed on a half board basis. THe breakfast is buffet style and is amazing. Everything from cereals to local Chinese steamed wantons are available with pancakes eggs bacon sausages fruits smoothies etc etc in between, if you couldnt find loads to eat you must be extremely choosy.

For lunch and dinner there is a choice of 3 restaurants, The Marriot cafe (buffet style with food cooked to order, which was brilliant) A chinese restaurant which we tried once and was very nice and thirdly the Indochine which was a Vietnamese restaurant. We had dinner on the beach and ate from this restaurant menu. We had 6 courses inc. lobster and it was beautiful.

The hotel has its own spa and it is definately worth a visit, we both had treatments which were amazing and very reasonably priced.

The hotel is quite secluded but thats what we wanted. There are about 6 hotels all next to each other and a shopping mall next to the Crown plaza hotel about 15 mins walk away.

The beach is simply stunning, you would never believe you were in China and the shells you can find washed up are amazing too.

We flew to Beijjing for 2 nights and would reccomend it but be prepared for the long excursions but dont let that put you off going. The great wall was the most amazing sight ever.

Drinks in the hotel although not cheap certainly were not more expensive than in the uk (£3 for a bottled lager)

What i would say made our stay special were the staff. They are so friendly and so proffessional. The smiles off the girls in the restaurant made a wonderful start to our day. They just couldnt do enough to make us happy.

We visited the Hilton, The sheraton and the Horizon and ive got to say the Marriot is by far the best out of all of them.

If you want a luxury hotel in peaceful surroundings then definately look no further.

This three-year-old hotel is a true 5 Star resort that is ideal for those seeking a relaxing break in luxurious surroundings. The beach outside the hotel, Yalong Bay, is long, golden and very clean.

The Marriot sits neatly between the equally lovely Sheraton and Hilton resorts, both of which serve better cocktails in our opinion! It’s great to be able to wander over to a different range of restaurants in the evening.

The Yalong Bay, area is being fast developed. There is another big development going on behind the Marriott and another big development next to the Hilton (currently the last of a long line of hotels). How the area will be in 3 years time (overdeveloped?), who can say? It’s fine for now though.

ROOM

We had a garden view - sea view just means higher up to see over the trees - and it was a good sized room with a high ceiling, two double beds, spacious bathroom and good sized balcony. No complaints. The room was well maintained and spotlessly clean.

Rooms at the front of the hotel “mountain view” get a good look of the building works referenced above. Best avoided.

IN HOTEL COSTS

Allow £60 for dinner for two with wine. Cocktails around £4 each.

GARDENS / POOL

Hotel has gorgeous and extensive gardens and several pools. 10/10

STAFF

They all try their best, but communication was a barrier as we speak no Chinese and they speak only enough English (still more than our Chinese!) to do their job.

GUESTS

Mostly Chinese visitors from Hong Kong or Mainland China. Nice change from the usual expat-only scene!

SPA

Good but the masseurs speak little / no English. Shame so much of the garden is taken up by the Spa, which could have been incorporated into the main building.

FOOD

The Vietnamese Restaurant gets good write ups and my other half liked it, I preferred the Spice Garden in the Sheraton next door. The Chinese restaurant serves “Chinese Chinese” food as a member of staff told us. It’s an acquired taste (lots of bones for instance) that we don’t have – however the lunchtime Dim Sum are excellent.

OUTSIDE THE HOTEL

There is a “shopping village” some way along the road but we didn’t go there as we were only there for five nights so found plenty in our hotel and the adjacent hotels to keep us occupied

Just returned from a weekend trip in Sanya and was phenomenally pleased that my boyfriend and I had picked the Marriott as our choice hotel. We had reservations about each of the known luxury 5-star hotels on Yalong Bay (namely the Hilton, Marriott and Sheraton) and after reading the reviews on this website we decided to toss a coin between the Hilton and the Marriott.

During our stay we managed to check out all three hotels and still came to the conclusion that the Marriott overally seemed the best, although the Hilton might be a worthwhile trial next time round. In terms of layout and location, the Marriott was ideal and it welcomed guests with a stunning foyer and semi-circular lounge on the 3rd floor that overlooked the grounds and out towards the beach and ocean. We especially loved that the Marriott had a lot of open area and was bright and clear in all the right places, such as the gardens and lobby. Being right on the beach, it was painless to jump in the sea for a quick swim or rent jetskis although we did end up going next door to the Sheraton to rent the jetski as it was cheaper. The water activities are not run by the hotel per say but seem to be arranged by the same company. Despite that, prices appear to vary so it may be wise to walk along the strip of beach and just ask to have prices quoted to you if you have the time and want to save some money.

We also upgraded to a Grand Ocean view which was definitely worth it as it was lovely to sit out on the balcony, particularly when it was sunny. The room was fairly large and extremely clean with all the amenities you would need and a very comfortable bed. Our only recommendation was that they would install a DVD player and have a DVD rental service for guests. However, I would also say that the hotel did have a lot of recreational activities that can easily keep family or couples busy. The gym looked well equipped and there was a clubhouse with a children's pool and several board games, as well as tennis courts, a pool table and table tennis table.

The pools were well designed and enjoyable and the staff seemed to be extremely diligent with keeping stray leaves out of the water so that it was always clean. There was a basketball hoop and water volleyball net to keep everyone entertained and which we had a good time using. Even though the weekend was busy, we were always able to find lounge chair space. The grill & bar located at the poolside had adequate food for a quick bite or lunch.

In terms of food, we arrived late in the evening our first day and ordered room service. We were impressed by the efficiency of the room service and the battered cod fillet and satay we ordered were delicious. The breakfast buffet at the Marriott cafe had a decent selection of foods to cater to everyone and the Chinese restaurant looked popular but we didn't have an opportunity to try it. Instead we dined at Indochine for dinner the next night and we would have to say it one of the most delicious vietnamese restaurants we have ever tried. We were trying to pick whether to eat at Indochine or Ize which was a restaurant located next door at the Hilton but seemed a little over-priced for what it was, and we don't regret choosing Indochine!

A comparative word on the other hotels. We generally liked what we saw at the Hilton but the design was a little darker and more 'zen-like' so if you like enclosure it would be a good choice. Unlike the Marriott, there isn't a large viewing deck to indulge in the landscape, but there are a lot of little lakes and garden landscapes which gives it a certain character. The main western and chinese restaurants were however a bit to loud, bright and noisy. The lobby did not seem so welcoming and the bright lights at the lifts were rather annoying but the lobby lounge was rather nice and trendy. The Sheraton, being the oldest of the three appeared a bit worn-down in some areas already and the ferrari displayed in the lobby seemed slightly tacky . The layout of the grounds was not as user-friendly as the Marriott and Hilton so walking around the resort was like a Maze. We had no interest in eating at any of the restaurants there.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Marriott as a top choice when visiting Sanya. The service was not impeccable as say a five-star resort in Phuket (we stayed also at the JW Marriott in Phuket) but it is getting there and we were pleased with the efforts of the staff in speaking english and meeting our requirements. It did however help that I speak mandarin so that the language barrier was easier to overcome but my boyfriend had no problem getting by with purely using english. We will definitely return to Sanya and stay at the Marriott in the future.

Great location, great beach, fantastic pool. No substantive infrastructure outside hotel. WARNING: Avoid "theme buffet dinners", it's a big rip-off; the food is exceptionally bad (unlike the restaurants), and the shows make you feel sorry for the performers...

I just got back from Marriot Sanya. This trip was exceptional! Before I went, my friend who stayed in Sheraton before, told me that the "hardware" was good but service was bad. I didn't go with high expectation but came back with 100% satisfaction. The service at Marriot was 5-star, we had a great ocean view room, food was good, the lagoon pool and access to the beach are reasons for repeated visits to this lovely hotel! The design for the lagoon pool is so good that despite nearly full occupancy at the hotel, you could still enjoy privacy in the little jacuzzi corners of your ownn. This is just amazing.

Whilst not all staff speak perfect English but they all are so willing to help. We didn't leave the hotel except for a short trip to the city centre just to take a look. The

With only 1.5 hour fom HK and the hotel being only 25 min from the airport, I highly recommend this resort as the best alternative to Thailand.

Sanya,

what a place. completly unexpected beautiful. when you go somewhere and you say "here are too many tourists, its like at home" well, thats not Sanya, specially the Marriott Resort at the Yalong bay.

The garden is fantastic beautifully designed and well maintained. the pool with the bar in the center great. people are so friendly there. sometimes seems like they have a island mentality, well, i know, it is an island, but i am there on holiday. but they try hard and smiling all the time. i had fun learning a little bit chinese from them and they german from me.

the beach is unspoiled. i hope they can keep it this way. i had a look around the other hotels, and i believe the Marriott had the nicest one. There is british guy call russel, he is fun, give you all inside information and this guy is unbelievible - hes speaks fluent chinese. nice guy, very helpfull and seems like always around.

the food and drinks are great in this hotel. doesn't matter if its the service people, chefs or even othere people (i don't know what department, just different uniform) they always ask if anything is needed, sometimes difficult to say no, they are so lovely.

the best dining we had, well one of them, was the indochine restaurant - what a food, service, decor! fantastic. dont touch the menu, ask for Chef Sang. what an caracter. wine menu is surprisengly large, so the wine by glass offer. but we like wine, so we took one bottler, before we asked for another one, great selection.

ok, need to run. if you ask me where to stay, i would tell you Marriott. why? great, warm, friendly, helpful people

Just spent four days at the Marriott in Yalong Bay, Sanya, Hainan. Maybe the best way to describe the hotel and sorroundings is a good product that needs some work on service.

The Hotel is 5 * Marriott beach hotel quality. The rooms are modern and comfortable, with many of them having ocean views (we stayed on 8th floor with an ocean view). The lobby is spacious and comfortable while the pool and garden landscaping is excellent. They have a 5 * Spa (with high prices though a steal compared to Hong Kong / Singapore -- 80 minute massage is 520 RMB) which is very comfortable. We only had dinner once in the hotel at the Chinese restaurant (which was good) and breakfast every day (which was excellent).

The main problem with the Marriott (and this applies to all the hotels in Sanya) is the lack of a 'western' or 'asian' service culture. There is no doubt that over time the Marriott and other hotels here will improve their standards but there is clearly a failing by the staff on how to deliver a competent service. As an example, the beach area is meant to be serviced by wait staff to provide lunch / drinks; they don't really walk around or offer anything, you need to go find them and ask for stuff. The food in the restaurant (though good) came out main dish first, soup second, and not everyone got their food at the same time. If you have a problem with the room (which we did), you are going to have a hell of a time getting it fixed (even if you speak perfect Mandarin).

A few recommendations on Sanya in general. It makes sense to visit here if you are living in China and thus can just hop on a flight here. If you are travelling around China, it is a great way to end your trip. If you are coming from abroad (and not chinese), the visa factor is a bit of a hassle (for a beach holiday), getting here is a bit labored (through Shenzhen if coming from Hong Kong -- ferry first to Shenzhen Airport from Hong Kong / Shanghai / Beijing). Eating out in Sanya is probably a good idea (we did most nights) though you should check where to go with a local or staff at the hotel who speak english. As usual in China (unless you are in Beijing / Shanghai / Shenzhen) it is probably a good idea if you speak some Mandarin or a with someone who does to really get the right experience.