Sanya sits at the southern tip of Hainan Island, closer to the equator than to Beijing, and it has grown into China's premier beach resort — a scatter of palm-fringed bays on the same latitude as Hawaii. The trick is knowing that Sanya is not one beach but a choice of bays, seasons and trade-offs. Get the season right, learn the seafood-market rules before you sit down, and the water really is as blue as the brochures.
