Haikou is the unhurried capital of Hainan, and travelers who use it only as an airport for Sanya miss the island's best daily life. This is a city of century-old arcade streets shaded like verandas, tea houses that open at dawn, volcanic peaks clothed in tropical forest, and wide beaches where the sunset crowd is mostly local. Come for two or three slow days between coconuts, and you will understand Hainan better than any resort strip can teach.
