Hi guys, what do you thing about working and living in Sanya, the Chinese Hawaii, real estate / rent price, life in general, hospitality jobs for foreigners and so :)

Sanya is more expensive (considerably) than Kunming, because it's an island - so food has to be shipped in. As a tourist location - it can get REALLY expensive and you have all of the issues with a heavily transient population - prostitution, drugs, crime - just slightly lower and more subtle, because it's China - but don't be deluded - it's there.

Summers are blisteringly hot and you have typhoon seasons.

Aside from that - it has fantastic beaches and if you have the money - fantastic hotels to dine and vacation in. If you stay away from the touristy areas and hang more in the residential/local areas - it's rather much like living in any tier 3 chinese city...like kunming. I'd say the population tends to be a little older, as it's also a retirement destination for Chinese - clean air, warm weather (for old bones) and real estate for rent/purchase is dependent on your taste for new or older dwellings. Internet is reasonably normal, aside from occasional glitches during the typhoons - and if you're NOT experienced with typhoon weather - stock up on water (bottled), groceries, and take out restaurant numbers (they'll occasionally deliver during typhoons, depending on wind speed and the size and mass of debris flying around.

Personally, I'd choose Xiamen over Sanya - better schools for kids, generally nicer international environment, infinitely better food, but housing is more expensive (buying and renting).

Ditto on Xiamen. I went to Sanya once and would never return. Hawaii of the east....mah. Locals are not too nice and more dishonest than Kunming.
Vaca in a nice resort there...only ok if you don't venture out in Sanya.

Xiamen is MUCH nicer. I leved there for a year, and it would be my #1 pick of a city to live in China.

When I was there last December a friend told me you can fly into Hainan and apply for your visa at the airport.

@ mike4g_air. The visa on arrival in Hainan is a 15 day tourist visa for people arriving from outside China. Not relevant or needed for foreigners already in China with any sort of valid visa.

Sanya may be on a tropical island but the city (i.e. the buildings) are mostly hideous. The people are the most horrible, dishonest population I have ever had the misfortune to meet. And its full of fat ugly Russians.

- More expensive than Kunming
- Typhoon Season
- Xiamen is better than Sanya
- More dishonest than Kunming
- City is hideaous
- Horrible + dishonest population
- With many fat, ugly Russians

On advice alone - I would never even visit such a place.

To be fair, the sea is cleaner than Xiamen where I was swimming past used condoms...
About 1-2 hours travel northeast of Sanya are some lovely quiet beaches - Ri Yue Wan (Sun Moon Bay) and Shi Mei Wan (Beauty Bay)

Sanya - Go if you like fat, ugly Russians

Xiamen - Go if you like swimming next to used condoms.

Good info to know.

I saw pretty young slim Russians when I went, but my memory is probably bit skewed.