Resort Golden Palm is very close to the beach in Yalong Bay, Sanya. Note that for westerners, the beauty of this beach is strongly overrated, and a pacific island may be a more appropriate beach destination. Also Yalong Bay is far from most of the attractions in Sanya, except for the beach and a bevy of overpriced resorts. The Resort Golden Palm had no trace of our booking, so we waited for a few tense minutes while they did some checking. Eventually the somewhat dour receptionist gave us a family suite overlooking the beach. This set of rooms was huge and very convenient, and a great deal for the price we paid. The poolside is very impressive, and there were some swings right next to the lake, which gave a very romantic atmosphere. We ate at the resort several times and in general had no complaints about either the food or its price. However, one day we requested in room breakfast by hanging the order slip on the doorknob well before the cut-off time. By the next day, when we reached the time for our breakfast, there was no sign of it, and the slip was still on the doorknob. We called the room service to complain, and to order the breakfast we wanted. One hour later, they delivered the food, but it was different to what we wanted, and much smaller than expected. My wife complained to them, and they told us they they did not have the supplies, so substituted where necessary without informing us first. It was still quite tasty, but we recommend visitors go to the dining room for breakfast rather than requesting inroom service.

We spent 9 days at this hotel over the main holiday week and I have to say the staff are lovely and try very hard to help you, but their English is limited. One small moan they were slow at cleaning the rooms, one day it was nearly 6pm before our room was finished. Don't let this put you off though, I would go again, the pool area is delightful and you can sit on a chair swing or hammock over looking a lake. I wish I had stayed longer there and I would definately go back.

We have just returned from a 10 day holiday at this wonderful resort and we would like to recommend it to others who would like a relaxing holiday by a beautiful beach in southern China. The staff is friendly and helpful and have enough English language skills to be able to assist guests with most requests. We stayed in a spacious and comfortable 'deluxe seaview room' on the 6th floor and I would definitely recommend staying on that side of the resort. The ground floor garden view looked over the large pool (hammocks and lounges abound!) and might have been a little noisy if you wanted an afternoon nap. There is an ATM in the foyer, the food in the 2 restaurants was tasty and snacks were available in the small lounge area at the front of the resort. There are very few alternative options for eating in Yalong Bay itself beyond the various resorts, but a 5 yuan ride on the regular blue double decker bus that plies the resort areas along the coast will take you to an area frequented by Chinese folks where the seafood is cheap and fresh. Just point at what you want and they will indicate the price per kg on the calculator. I had fresh shrimp for 18 yuan per 500 grams (compared to 120 yuan I was quoted at one hotel at the end of the strip!). A taxi ride to and from the airport will cost 100 yuan, and a trip to Sanya city will be about 50. The resort's section of the beach was always much less busy than those which were allocated to other resorts either side of us. The water was crystal clear, the sand clean and wooden deck chairs with umbrellas were available for lounging. Enjoy!