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Introduction to the Tianfang InterContinental

The InterContinental Sanya Haitang Bay Resort is an internationally branded resort hotel featuring a full seawater marine world, and it officially opened in January 2014. The hotel is located on Haitang Bay, part of China’s “National Coast,” with blue sea, soft sand, and long stretches of coconut groves. Nearby are 17 kilometers of pristine sandy beach, plus hot springs, rainforest, and other natural scenery, making it a great place to explore unspoiled tropical beauty. The hotel is 28 kilometers from downtown Sanya, about a 35-minute drive from Sanya Phoenix Airport, and only a 5-minute walk from the world’s largest duty-free shopping complex. Its 295 spacious ocean-view rooms, distinctive villas, and high-end entertainment facilities in the basement are designed to help you fully relax under the blue sky by the sea.

It’s called the Tianfang InterContinental because it was invested in by Tianjin’s Tianfang Group. Overall, the property feels grand and upscale.

Booking

All three high-end IHG hotels in Sanya can be booked with free night certificates. During peak season especially, rates can run around 2000RMB or even 3000RMB+, so redeeming a free night certificate can be a very good deal. Relatively speaking, the Crowne Plaza requires the most points, while the two InterContinental properties are about the same.

  • InterContinental Sanya Resort (Xiaodonghai / Peninsula area): great for couples who prefer a quiet stay, with excellent ocean views
  • Hengren Crowne Plaza (Haitang Bay): highly recommended for families with kids, with lots of activities, though it is a bit livelier
  • Tianfang InterContinental (Haitang Bay): very close to the duty-free mall, so it’s a good fit for people who like shopping. There are also plenty of kids’ facilities and activities.

This trip was with a child, and we originally wanted to stay at the Hengren Crowne Plaza. Unfortunately, we could only find one night bookable with a free night certificate, so we had to settle for the Tianfang InterContinental instead. One reminder: hotels may release award nights close to the stay date, and award nights can also be booked with free night certificates. You can take advantage of the free cancellation feature on both certificates and points bookings by locking in a few nights first, then waiting to see if something better opens up. For the two nights we used free night certificates, the pretax cash rate was 2700RMB, or about $380, so it was absolutely worth it. Free night certificates can only book base room types, but the rooms here are all very large—even the standard room is 80 square meters.

Check-in

Hotels in Sanya get especially busy in the winter, so be prepared to wait for your room at check-in. When we went, China had just reopened after COVID restrictions were lifted, so lots of recently recovered travelers were coming in. There weren’t that many people checking in, but many rooms had either not been vacated yet or had not finished being cleaned.

We arrived at around 1 PM, and the base room we had booked still wasn’t ready. They also couldn’t say when it would be available. (There are similar DPs online, and some people reportedly had to wait until 5 PM.) I wasn’t in much of a rush and figured waiting a bit was fine—surely by 2 PM it would be ready. I casually asked about breakfast, and the front desk agent said award stays did not include breakfast, and Platinum members did not get it either. However, since our room was not ready, she said she would submit a request to see whether she could get us breakfast, and if successful she would call me. As for an upgrade, that also seemed impossible: the hotel was very full, and they couldn’t even offer a regular ocean-view room.

Then things took a turn. My LD saw that I still hadn’t finished checking in after quite a while and came over, clearly irritated, to ask what was going on. When she heard that the room still wasn’t ready, she immediately gave the front desk a piece of her mind, leaving the staff member stunned. After that, the front desk started typing furiously in the system and called over a manager. At that point, I thought maybe an upgrade was actually possible. The manager looked into it, asked again about our check-in time, noticed that we were traveling with a child, and offered us a kids’ suite. He also emphasized that the duty-free mall next door was under construction, and said that if we were unhappy we could still switch rooms later. I figured as long as we had a room and construction stopped at night, it was fine, so I quickly accepted. When I checked the app, the room assignment had already updated. And wow—the suite was a really solid upgrade. It had one king bed and one double bed, exactly what we needed.

I didn’t check the price at the time, but I later looked up a comparable date. Amazingly, it was over $1,300 per night before tax, which made this feel like an incredible win. My guess, though, is that the other room types were sold out, so the manager reluctantly upgraded us to the best kids’ suite available.

Kids’ Suite Stay Experience

It seems there is only one of this room type on each floor, and each one is at the very end of the hallway. Every time we walked from the elevator to the room, it took five or six minutes. Because of the island sun and sea breeze, the walls along the open-air corridor had faded, which made the area look a bit low-end.

You enter this room type from the balcony and then into the suite itself. As soon as you walk in, you enter the kids’ area first. Even though this is supposed to be the top-tier kids’ suite, it looked a bit worn from the island sun. Overall, it didn’t feel as clean and tidy as a normal room, and it gave the impression that no one had stayed there for a while.

That said, the 270-degree balcony and floor-to-ceiling glass were still pretty impressive.

From the windows, you could see the duty-free mall as well as part of the phase-three construction. Fortunately, the main structure had already been completed, so it wasn’t too noisy. Once the balcony door was closed, there was basically no sound.

Overall, the room’s kid-friendly features were done very well. The wall lamps were cute, and the table corners had protective bumpers.

The bathroom also had child-friendly amenities.

Kids’ slippers and beach sandals were provided as well.

The toiletries and other supplies were also fully stocked.

The adult part of the suite was pretty standard: just one king bed and no desk or workspace. But then again, this is a resort hotel—who comes here to work?

This “open suite” layout means there is no door separating the adult and kids’ sections—they are fully connected.

Compared with the kids’ area, the adult side felt a bit cramped, and it was probably the same as a regular room layout.

The bathtub in this room type is set out on the balcony. Honestly, the dust outside was pretty bad, and the whole area felt a bit dirty, so we basically ignored that part. Even the little yellow duck had faded in the sun, which didn’t feel especially well maintained.

About an hour after check-in, the hotel also sent over welcome fruit and some small snacks. Hainan fruit really is excellent quality.

One more thing worth mentioning: this hotel’s mini bar is free, and it gets restocked in full every day. In our room type, it included milk, Coke, Sprite, Fanta, bottled water, and two cans of beer, which was pretty nice.

Breakfast

Originally, the upgrade to the kids’ suite was only a room upgrade and did not include any added benefits, so technically we were not supposed to have breakfast. But I figured it was worth asking, so that evening I went to the front desk to ask about breakfast and mentioned that one of the front desk staff had previously helped submit a request for it. The staff member typed away for a while and said there was no note in the system. I insisted that he double-check whether a request had been made, so he went into the office and made a call. In the end, we were still given breakfast for two. My suggestion here is: if there’s a perk you want, just ask. Hotels will often accommodate you when they can.

Because of the pandemic, guests could ask for boxes and pack up breakfast to eat back in their rooms, so you could see plenty of people walking around with several takeaway boxes. The breakfast restaurant is very large, so even when there were a lot of guests, it never felt too crowded. If you’re a Platinum member or above, there’s also a separate seating area.

The food selection was fairly average, but the fruit was very fresh.

This noodle dish was pretty distinctive and tasted quite good.

There was also a dedicated dessert area for kids, which was a nice touch.

Kids’ Facilities and Activities

One of this hotel’s biggest highlights is its children’s facilities and activities. The daily schedule for kids is packed, so you really don’t need to worry about them being bored. And aside from snorkeling and little mermaid lessons, almost all facilities and activities are free.

The hotel also has a dedicated group chat that announces the day’s children’s activities. Some activities require reservations, and you can sign up directly in the group as well. If no fee is mentioned, it’s free, and in most cases you can participate just by showing up on time.

Someone also takes photos at each activity and lets guests know any important details in advance. Everything was very well organized, and you can tell a lot of thought went into it.

  • Bubble party
  • Climbing coconut trees
  • Dancing with fish

The hotel’s kids’ facilities are also very complete, and all of them are free to use—you just need to provide your room number.

  • Kids’ pool
  • Indoor playground equipment
  • Pedal cars and electric ride-on cars
  • Family tricycle
  • Kids’ club

Pool

We only went to the outdoor heated pool, and it was very comfortable. Swim rings, arm floaties, balls, and even little boats were all available for free.

Setting the kid down and lying back to look at the sky was probably the most relaxing part.

Beach

The hotel has a private beach. From the room, you just head downstairs and walk through a large garden to get there.

  • This photo of the hotel was taken from the border between the garden and the beach. The lawn is really nice. If you don’t feel like walking, you can also take the hotel’s little train to the beach for free.
  • This was the view of the beach from where we got off the little train. The design isn’t especially striking, but it’s more than good enough for spending time there.

In winter, there were relatively few guests on the beach. The hotel provided free beach chairs and water, as well as free sand toys for kids.

One slight downside is that the beach doesn’t really have any iconic photo spots. That said, the sand here is very fine and feels great underfoot. The one landmark was a “love” sign.

A little lonely-looking.

Food and Drinks Nearby

You can order all kinds of delivery directly to the hotel, including milk tea, Pizza Hut, and even medicine. The only issue is that delivery may take a bit longer. The hotel also has dedicated delivery lockers, so once your order is dropped off there, you can just go pick it up. Haitang Bay is fairly lively, with lots of hotels around, and it’s now very easy to call a DiDi car. A taxi to nearby dining spots only costs a little over RMB 10. If you want seafood, I still recommend Lin Jie Seafood, which also has a location in Haitang Bay. The value is decent, but more importantly, the seafood is fresh, and there’s no bait-and-switch or tourist price gouging. It’s only about a 10-minute ride away.

  • The mantis shrimp were very good quality.
  • The spicy crab was delicious, just a bit of a hassle to eat.

Bottom Line

Even though we only stayed for two days, this hotel still left a deep impression on me. The kid-focused elements in particular were very thoughtfully done. Overall, the hotel feels more like a resort than a luxury showcase. Compared with the St. Regis Sanya, where we stayed afterward, it lacks a bit of design flair and luxury feel. But if you’re traveling with kids, I would strongly recommend this hotel.