Howard Johnson Resort Sanya Bay

Howard Johnson Resort Sanya Bay had excellent facilities, grounds and rooms that were exceptionally well maintained, managed and secured. Service issues were promptly handled by attentive staff. A stroll through the front lawns led to an attractive koi stream, lily pond and access to the lengthy and popular Sanya Bay public beach. We stayed for several weeks (December-January 2025) in the 5th floor of the East wing in a sea & garden facing room. There were some fully sunny days and more cloudy days of somewhat temperate weather with wind making temps feel lower. January was sunnier and warmer. Kids’ activities, individual and group, were on offer each day. Kids were a focus of this and nearby resorts. The on-site Korean Palace restaurant had very good menu with well prepared options. Outdoor swimming pool was spacious with multiple lifeguards and a pair of 50m lap lanes. Indoor pool had limited hours and was very popular especially with families. Staff had few English skills but mobile translators were always at hand. Location was excellent with supermarket, pharmacies, KFC, McDonalds across an intersection from the Resort. It was also a short walk to the beach and local bus stops to Sanya Center, etc. We used bus 108 and taxis often to explore other nearby resorts and JieFang Lu and Sanyawan Lu locations. Free shuttle was available several times daily to Sanya International Duty Free mall for luxury shops and some reasonable eateries. Breakfast buffet was a highlight & definitely worthwhile. Afternoon tea at HoJo Sanya Bay wasn’t served to us particularly hot, but still a pleasant treat at a mini isle in a clear water moat surrounding the lobby bar. Afternoon teas at nearby resorts were very nice.

The hotel was large and well placed, but everything else was a lie. Nothing stated in the facilities was true. Please avoid.

No room service. Most of the restaurants and facilities are closed. No indoor pool. Most outdoor pools drained or closed. One main pool is open but obviously overcrowded. Food at restaurants is so poor, and I actually ended up being sick.

The hotel shows 5-6 pools on their listing but only 2 are operational. The main swimming pool has cockroaches swimming together with guests and manager does not care because it’s located outside. (But kids swim in this pool mostly.) The Korean Palace Restaurant is truly 15% Korean to say at best.

breakfast was very nice with lots of choices, but the pool was not open during our stay

the restaurant of diner, food was not very fresh

Nothing

dirty hotel Be careful, money is stolen in this hotel. 300 usd was stolen from us