Luoyang Departure: Sanya Yalong Bay, Wuzhizhou Island and Tianya Haijiao, 5 Days 4 Nights

Leave Luoyang in the morning and meet the group at Zhengzhou Xinzheng airport for a midday flight. The cabin door opens onto warm air and the jacket comes off right there. Drop the bags at the hotel first; the Sanya Bay properties sit one road back from the water, and the window looks into coconut crowns. Nothing is scheduled for the afternoon. Toward evening walk west along the Coconut Dream Corridor, sea on one side, palms and shaved-ice stalls on the other, and turn back when the sun goes down.

Attraction introduction: Coconut Dream Corridor is the coastal boulevard along the north shore of Sanya Bay, roughly twenty kilometres long, with no wall between the road and the sand. The bay faces south and the beach is wide at low tide. Local families fly kites and dance here in the evening, which makes it the least commercial stretch of coastline in the city.

Tips: The first day is mostly aircraft and car, so pack light because fruit will come home with you. Guests generally find the sunset here better than the sunrise, with the softest light around six. In practice we keep this evening free, since the boat to the island leaves early the next morning.

Leave at half past seven for the Houhai pier at Haitang Bay and take an early boat. The crossing takes under twenty minutes. Walk right off the pier toward the water below Sunrise Rock, where only a handful of people are on the sand and the bottom is visible through the shallows. Eat on the island at noon, expensive but it saves the day. At two, board the loop cart: the single-lane road runs around the island, reef on one side and scrub on the other, stopping ten minutes each at the Lovers Bridge and the film location. Be back at the pier before half past four.

Attraction introduction: Wuzhizhou Island belongs to Haitang District and is one of the few coral islands off southern Hainan, longer east to west than north to south. Coral coverage around the shore is dense enough that the near-shore water is protected, and walking on the reef flat is not allowed. Sunrise Rock faces east and is built of coarse granite worn into broad steps by surf.

Tips: The ultraviolet here is harsher than in town, so cover the ears and the tops of the feet. Guests generally find the food on the island overpriced and two bottles of water plus a snack a better deal. In practice the loop cart is sold separately from the boat ticket, so anyone who only wants to swim can skip it.

In the morning head up to the Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park. The shuttle climbs to the ridge and the platform looks down on the whole arc of the bay, water shifting from pale green to deep blue, with a white line further out where surf breaks on the reef. One section crosses a wooden suspension bridge that sways when someone steps on it, wind pushing up from the valley. Back at the hotel for a midday rest, then down to the sand after three, where the quartz sand takes half a foot and the water stays waist deep a long way out.

Attraction introduction: Yalong Bay sits east of Yulin Harbour and opens to the south, with headlands at both ends holding the swell outside, which is why the water stays calmer than elsewhere. The sand is quartz based, fine and even, pale in colour. The forest park occupies the northern hills, not high but steep, and its walkways pass through secondary forest rather than planted landscaping.

Tips: The ridge runs three or four degrees cooler than the beach, so bring a light long-sleeve. Guests generally find the viewing platform washes out in photos at midday because of glare. In practice we put the hill in the morning and the water in the afternoon, which suits both the light and your legs.

Head west in the morning to Tianya Haijiao. The gate no longer charges, and a reservation plus an ID card gets you in; the park is larger than it looks, over two kilometres from entrance to the Tianya rock, so the round-trip cart is worth it for anyone who dislikes walking. The boulders at the water are rounded by surf, Tianya to the south and Haijiao to the west, with a reef flat between them that can be crossed at low tide. In the afternoon move to Nanshan, where a train shuttles between stops and the one to get off at is the sea goddess.

Attraction introduction: Tianya Haijiao lies at the foot of Maling Hill on the southern tip of Sanya. Officials carved the characters Tianya here in the Yongzheng reign of the Qing, and Haijiao and Nantian Yizhu followed on other rocks, making this the oldest named site in the city. Nanshan opened in 1998 in Yazhou, built around a 108-metre three-faced statue standing on a reclaimed islet.

Tips: The reef flat is slippery after the tide drops, so leave the flip-flops in the car. Guests generally find Nanshan too large to cover on foot and the shuttle ticket good value. In practice the two sites make a long day, so we stop for lunch in Yazhou rather than squeezing in a third stop.

Nothing is rushed today. Sleep in, then walk the First Market, where mangoes are sorted into baskets by size and the vendor cuts one open for you to taste. Rambutan and mangosteen are still in season, and the stall will box and tape everything for the hold. Behind the market a few old shops serve Hainan noodles in a broth soured with pickled bamboo, which is exactly right at nine in the morning. Check out at eleven and take one last look at the bay on the way to the airport.

Attraction introduction: The First Market sits west of the Sanya River and is where residents shop, not a purpose-built tourist street. Fruit stalls and seafood kitchens ring the hall, busiest at six in the morning and thinning after noon. The noodle broth is built on pork bone and pickled bamboo, and the local version is served with a thick gravy rather than soup.

Tips: Do not overpack the fruit box, mangoes bruise. Guests generally find it worth watching the scale and cheaper to bargain by the whole basket. In practice allow three hours before departure, since security at Phoenix airport backs up in high season.