Sanya

Mongolian citizens with an ordinary passport need a visa for mainland China (Hainan included); Hainan's visa-free scheme doesn't cover Mongolia. Tourist L visa at the Chinese Embassy in Ulaanbaatar: single entry $53, standard processing 4 working days. Hotel bookings, flight reservation and bank statements are required. A visa is needed even when transiting via Beijing.

Tip: Some Mongolian sites say 'China 30 days visa-free' — wrong; check with the embassy.

Almost every payment in China is by phone. Link your Mongolian phone number and Visa/Mastercard to Alipay (international version) and WeChat before flying and complete verification — in China, SMS and app downloads become a problem. Alipay has DiDi taxis, transit QR, translation and Trip.com built in.

On Chinese networks Google (Maps, Gmail, online Translate), WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube don't work. The simplest fix is a travel roaming eSIM: its data routes through a foreign operator, so those apps work normally. Download Google Translate's Chinese offline pack and Amap in advance.

Sanya's big hospitals have little English and want cash up front, so insurance with medical and evacuation cover is essential. Bring regular medicines with the prescription and English name. Private international clinics are few — ask the resort doctor.

November–April is dry and warm — perfect for the Mongolian winter holidays; around Chinese New Year prices double and it's packed. July–October brings rain and typhoons. Light clothes, sunscreen, hat, water shoes (rocky beaches), covered shoulders for the Nanshan temple.

Yalong Bay — cleanest beach, international resorts, far from town; Dadonghai — close to town, restaurants, markets; Haitang Bay — Atlantis and the duty-free mall; Sanya Bay — cheaper, city beach. With children choose Yalong/Haitang; for food and walking, Dadonghai.

Fingerprints and a photo at immigration; fill in the foreigner arrival card (forms in the terminal, or on your phone). Foreigners in China must register their address within 24 hours — hotels do it with your passport; in a private rental you register yourself at the nearest police station. Always get your passport back from the hotel.

Airport bus Line 1 runs via downtown (Dadonghai) to Yalong Bay, Line 2 to the Haitang Bay duty-free mall; both from opposite domestic arrivals Gate 5. The big bus charges by distance, up to 25 yuan per person (child 12.5); the 7-seat business van costs a little more. Line 1 runs 18 times a day, until 02:00.

The official taxi rank is outside Gate 01 of the arrivals hall (1st floor). Sanya taxis are metered: flag fall 11 yuan (class-2 cars 10 yuan) including the first 2.5 km, then 2.4 yuan per km. Insist on the meter; if offered a 'fixed price', take another cab — the real fare to Yalong Bay is only on the meter.

On a Chinese SIM, Google, WhatsApp and Messenger won't work. Buy and activate a travel roaming eSIM (a China data plan) from Ulaanbaatar — its data goes through a foreign operator, so all apps work normally. With a dual-SIM phone, use the Chinese SIM for calls and verification SMS and the eSIM for data.

China Unicom and China Mobile register tourist SIMs on your passport at the airport and in city branches (unregistered SIMs are illegal). A Chinese number helps with DiDi, some hotels and delivery verification. Data is cheap and coverage across the island is good.

Resort Wi-Fi is fast but it's still a Chinese network — Google and WhatsApp stay blocked. Some international chains have a 'foreign guest' network; ask reception. The easiest way to reach people at home is WeChat — get them to register before you leave.

Alipay/WeChat verification SMS go to your Mongolian number, so leave your Mongolian SIM active for receiving SMS on roaming (data off) — receiving texts is usually free. Set time and region to automatic.

The simplest way around. Inside Alipay or the standalone DiDi app, paste the destination's Chinese name from Amap. At peak times and in rain waits are long; drivers find you easiest at the resort gate. The fare is set in the app, no extra charges.

Street taxis are metered and cheap; if a driver says 'no meter, fixed price', take another. Downtown to Yalong Bay is a long ride, so the meter adds up. Pay by Alipay QR; cash can't legally be refused but drivers rarely have change.

Buses run to Dadonghai, Sanya Bay, Yalong Bay and Nanshan and are very cheap. Scan Alipay's 'Transport' QR (select Sanya) when boarding, or pay exact coins. Amap shows bus routes and real-time arrivals.

Phoenix airport to Haitang Bay and Yalong to Nanshan are long drives — plan each day in one zone. Atlantis, the duty-free mall (Haitang), Nanshan and Yalong each take half a day to a day. Haikou is a feasible day trip by high-speed rail (12306).

The currency is the yuan (CNY, ¥, 'kuai'). Restaurants, taxis, markets, even temple tickets take Alipay/WeChat Pay QR — you scan theirs or show yours. Alipay linked to a foreign Visa/Mastercard has no fee on small payments and a small percentage on large ones — check the settings.

Refusing cash yuan is illegal, so markets and small shops will take it, but nobody has change — carry small notes. Bank of China and ICBC ATMs dispense yuan on foreign cards (English menu). Mongolian banks exchange yuan, so bringing some cash from Ulaanbaatar is easy.

Visa/Mastercard are accepted at international resorts, the duty-free mall and big stores; ordinary restaurants and taxis don't take them. Enable foreign transactions on your card and expect 3-D Secure codes to arrive on your Mongolian number.

No tipping in China — not in restaurants, not in taxis. Bargain at markets, the seafood market and tourist shops — start below half the first price. Shops with price tags, supermarkets and resorts are fixed.

Wenchang chicken (poached, with chicken rice), Jiaji duck, Dongshan lamb (close to Mongolian tastes!), Hele crab. Also coconut chicken soup, Hainan rice, qingbuliang (iced coconut and fruit dessert), Lin'gao roast pork. Chinese food is generally oilier and greener than Mongolian.

At Sanya's First Market (第一市场) you pick seafood from the market stalls and have it cooked at a neighbouring restaurant (cooking fee separate). Watch the scales and get the price written down; the persistent 'guides' work on commission, so choose yourself.

In seafood restaurants, when ordering 'market price' items ask the per-kilo price and weight and have them written on the bill. Overcharging complaints are common in Sanya's tourist zones — restaurants with printed prices and supermarket food courts are safe. Problems: 12345 (city complaint line, Chinese) or your resort.

Don't drink tap water; hotels provide bottled water daily and shops sell it cheaply. Restaurants serve hot water and tea free. Iced drinks from bigger places only. In the heat drink plenty; fresh coconut water is cheap and the best.

Police 110, ambulance 120, fire 119 — free, but answered in Chinese; have resort staff call. Hospitals: Hainan Hospital of PLA General Hospital (branch in Haitang Bay), Sanya Central Hospital — limited English, so call your insurer's emergency line first.

July–October typhoons stop flights, trains and island trips; hotels and Amap push weather warnings. Dadonghai and Sanya Bay can have strong currents — swim near lifeguards and respect red flags. Yalong Bay is usually calm. Sunstroke is common — shade at midday.

Carry your passport (or at least a copy, with the original in the resort safe) — police may check, and trains, museums and some beaches require it. If lost, first get a loss report from the nearest police station, then contact the embassy.

Most common: seafood bills, 'fixed price' taxis, 'free photos' on the beach that are then charged, 'tea ceremony' invitations. Don't trust 'police/bank' calls that arrive via WeChat. Don't leave valuables on the beach.

Drugs — even traces of use abroad — are a serious problem; tests can be given. Drones need registration and are banned in many Sanya zones. Don't photograph military sites, ports or parts of Hainan's southern coast. No jokes about politics, Taiwan or Tibet. Smoke only in designated areas in the city.

At the Nanshan Buddhist complex cover shoulders and knees; be quiet before the Guanyin statue and don't cross in front of people praying. You don't have to buy incense or candles. Remove hats in the worship areas.

Loud talk and jostling are normal in China — don't take offence, and hold your ground politely. Queue, and keep your place when needed. Give business cards and gifts with both hands. Don't stand chopsticks upright in rice. Children and the elderly are adored — families get lots of help.

Bikinis are fine on the beach; topless or nude is banned. Put a shirt on for restaurants and lobbies. Water parks and pools require swim nappies for toddlers. Don't take coral, shells or sand. Many beaches have no-smoking and no-alcohol signs.

Payments, DiDi, transit QR, translation, train tickets (Trip.com) — one app. Download the international version in Mongolia, link a card and verify with your passport. The Play Store doesn't work in China, so install everything beforehand.

All communication in China: hotels, drivers, restaurants, tour agents. WeChat Pay also takes a foreign card. In-message translation (press and 'Translate') is enough to deal with Chinese speakers.

Taxis. Standalone app with an English interface, or inside Alipay. Register with your Mongolian number; pay via Alipay/card.

Google Maps doesn't work in China (even on a roaming eSIM its map is outdated and positions are offset). Amap is in Chinese but search works in English; on iPhone, Apple Maps works well in China. Needed for copying a destination's Chinese name into DiDi.

Anyone aged 18+ leaving Hainan by air, train or ship can shop duty-free up to 100,000 yuan a year (unlimited transactions) — at the Sanya International Duty-Free City in Haitang Bay and cdf stores in town, with passport and flight details. Collect the goods in the airport departure area (after immigration and security) at the designated counter with passport and boarding pass.

Airport bus Line 1 from Yalong Bay–Dadonghai–downtown, Line 2 from Haitang Bay; check the timetable in advance, the last departures are in the evening. DiDi or the resort car is reliable. If you're collecting duty-free goods at the airport, add at least an hour.

Fingerprints and passport at exit immigration; few international departures leave Sanya, so if you connect via Beijing or Guangzhou you leave from the domestic terminal and clear customs in the last city. Check your ticket for connection time and terminal changes in Beijing. Power banks in hand luggage only; China bans power banks without a CCC mark or above 100 Wh on domestic flights.