Haikou is a fairly large tropical city and the capital of Hainan. It is the business and transport centre of the island and a major port. It is a relaxed kind of place. Expect long breaks around lunch time and for shops to be open till late in the evening. Indeed Haikou is perhaps at its most lively at 10pm in the evening with many people outside along the streets eating, drinking and shopping.
Sights
There are good views of the modern Haikou skyline and sea from Century bridge. Wonder along HaiDian river and see the local traditional wooden fishing boats. Head to the east end of the river at around 5pm to see the fish markets. The old town centre retains a fast disappearing part of Chinese history - the Hutong. Spend an hour or 2 here getting lost amongst the winding narrow alleyways of this tradition housing style. Stroll with the locals along the bustling fruit and food stalls on Haidian San Xi Lu in the evening and stop for a snack of 'chao bing'.
Here are some of the better cinemas in Haikou City. Cinema ticket prices are around 30 RMB. Some of the big Western movies are shown with the original English language.
Haikou has many bars and clubs around the city. There are few different types of drinking establishments in Haikou. Here s a brief summary:
Small local style bars. Here most seating is outside on wooden benches. The beer is usually cheap, from around 5 RMB for a small can. The decor may be a little shabby and the music outdated. However, these places can be fun if you want to experience the ordinary peoples drinking habits, or enjoy some beer outside during a warm evening. These bars open in the evening around 8pm and are open until the early morning. Many bars also have BBQ available so you can eat while you drink.
Large nightclubs. These bars are decorated at the opposite end of the spectrum to the small local bars. Lots of money is spent on large flashy lights, mirrors and a large sound system. Drink prices are therefore much more exspensive. Individual drinks may cost around 20-40 RMB. Beers are more reasonable if you buy 12 at a time. A bottle of vodka will cost around 300 RMB, this may work out well if your sharing with some friends. Most clubs play fairly similar music. The more modern ones will play a mix of recent House, Hip-hop, RnB, Western Chart Pop, and Chinese songs. Most clubs have a very small dance floor and lots of tables. It is normal for slightly intoxicated Chinese to toast drinks at your table. Open from evening till late. Music is generally loud.
KTV. At KTV bars your generally order a private room to share with your friends.
Bars and night clubs are generally concentrated in different areas around Haikou. Here is an introduction to some of these areas:
Heping Avenue Bar Street (和平大道酒吧街 Hépíng dàdào jiǔbā jiē)
There are many small local style bars on Heping Ave (和平大道 Hépíng dàdào) in Haidiandao, around 10 minutes walk from Haikou Hostel. There are at least 10 bars along the road. The bars normally stay open as long as their are customers. Bars in this area include:
Red's Pub (aka Hash House), 红蜘蛛, Hóng zhīzhū. The meeting point for the Haikou Hash House Harriers. Situated on the corner of Heping Avenue and 2 East Road.
German Wolf Bar, 德狼酒吧, Dé láng jiǔbā. Has a large German fighter plane outside.
Pretty Girl Bar, 如花酒吧, Rúhuā jiǔbā. A bit more upper class compared to the other bars. Bar downstairs and a club upstairs.
Hangout Bar, 雪屋, Xuě wū. Nice large outdoor area. A little difficult to find. Follow San Dong Road east of Heping Avenue and take the first road heading south. The bar has a small entrance halfway down this road on the west side of the road.
Guomao Bar Area (国贸 Guómào)
There are a number of large nightclubs on, or near, Guomao Road (国贸路 Guómào lù).
88 bar, 88酒吧, bā bā jiǔbā. Popular and open late every day of the week.
MM Club, MM酒吧, MM jiǔbā
Allen Story Club, 阿伦故事酒吧, ā lún gùshì jiǔbā
Queen's Club, 皇后酒吧, huánghòu jiǔbā
SOHO, 苏荷酒吧, sū hé jiǔbā
Minghao, 名好酒吧, Míng hào jiǔbā
Haikou Bay Area (海口湾 Hǎikǒu wān)
Haikou Bay is a newly developed area. More international standard. You can eat good quality food (prices are not cheap) at Lounge bar and Coco bar durng the day time and drink there in the evening.
Coco Bar, Coco酒吧, Coco jiǔbā. Most days has a decent buffet from 6-9pm with unlimited beer, 78 RMB per person.
Lounge Bar, 领事馆酒吧, Lǐngshìguǎn jiǔbā. Also a restaurant.
18 Bar, 外滩十八号酒吧, Wàitān shí bā hào jiǔbā. Fairly standard Chinese club.
Century Bridge Area (复兴城 Fùxīng chéng)
There is an entertainment area under Century Bridge that has several large Chinese nightclubs and KTV.
Meilihui Club, 美丽会酒吧, Měilì huì jiǔbā
Dubai Club, 迪拜酒吧, Díbài jiǔbā
Century Club, 世纪酒吧, Shìjì jiǔbā
BBS is a small bar located just to the west of north gate of Hainan University (on 5 West Road in Haidian Island). It is popular with students. A large glass of draught beer costs 10 RMB.
Some popular clubs are Allen Bar and 66 Bar (now called 88 Bar). Both of these clubs are located in the Guomao area.
Here is a video clip taken from inside 88 Bar in Guomao area of Haikou.
HaiXiu road is a main shopping area and includes electronic markets, department stores, and restaurants. Catch the number 30 bus from Haikou Hostel. DaTong road is another busy shopping area. Buses 15, 36 and 19 go here from Haikou Hostel.
Jin Niu Ling Yuan (Golden Bull Mountain-Peak park)
Renmin Park (People's Park) next to East Lake.
Baishamen (Whie Sand Beach)
Wan Lu Yuan has more large open green areas, whereas Jin Niu has more winding paths and thick tropical vegetation. Join the locals on a sunny afternoon at Wan Lu Yuan flying a kite (can be bought for 5 RMB at the gate) and playing badminton.
If your interested in Tai Chi (Taijiquan), push hands, or other martial arts then go Renmin Park in the morning before 11.00am. Haikou residents practice most days at the park.
Renmin park also has wood carving stalls next to East Lake on weekends. You can see examples of the traditional Chinese art form that involves carving tree stumps.
Baishamen is close to the Banana Hostel, about 1.5 km away on the north coast.
• Explore old colonial area of city. Jiafeng Road, Dong Men Market.
• Go on the Hash (sat only)
• Take a day trip to Stone Park (石头公园). East of Wenchang area.
• Look at Fishing ports/markets/boats
• Cycle around old hutong areas of town
• Visit WoGongCi (Five Officals Temple)
• Visit Harui Tomb
• Go to Crater Park
• Cycle to some fascinating small villages just outside Haikou
• Try wind surfing or sailing at Xixiu beach
• Swimming for an hour at two at one of the landscaped outdoor pools, or relaxing in a hot spring.
• Eat some chao bing (炒冰). Delicious cold snack made from fresh tropical fruit, perfect on a warm evening and only 2.5 rmb. Closest place to Hostel is on San Xi Lu. Vendors only appear in the evening.
• Try some local bbq seafood (烧烤). There are many places close to the Hostel, including San Dong Lu, Er Dong Lu and at the front of Heping Cheng. Again vendors only appear in the evening.
One of the best outdoor swimming pools in Haidian Dao, Haikou City, can be found within the grounds of the Jiangnan luxury apartments and is open to the public. The swimming pool is large and clean. You can see the sea and sand beach from the pool. On a very clear day you can even see the mainland from the pool. There is also a Jacuzzi/hot spring. The grounds themselves are beautifully landscaped in a traditional Chinese style with tropical plants, pagodas, and fish ponds. If you arrive at opening time you are likely to have the pool to yourself since most locals swim later in the evening.
Opening times:swimming pool 16:00 - 22:00, Jacuzzi 18:30 – 22:00
Cost: 20 rmb
Directions: From Haikou Banana Hostel take a 3-wheeled trike to the far north of Heping Dadao. This costs 5 rmb and takes around 10 minutes.
To the west of Haikou city, Holiday Beach stretches for over 10km. This is the main beach in Haikou. In the summer we suggest visiting in the late afternoon to avoid the mid-day heat and staying until after sunset. The central area attracts a lot of locals in late afternoon, but it is easy to escape the crowds, if you wish, by walking a bit further down the beach.
You can swim in the sea and have a go on the jet-skis (15 minutes costs 70 rmb, though your probably have to haggle on the price).
In the main area of the beach there are outdoor street food stalls and places to buy drinks. There is a nice new swimming pool and hot spring, the price starts at 28 RMB for the swimming pool. You need to pay a little bit more to use the hot spring.
To the west of the main entrance there are volley ball nets and an outdoor BBQ area. Bring your own food to the BBQ. You pay around 50 RMB for charcoal and to use the one of the BBQ pits. The BBQ pits can be very popular in the evening with locals and can provide an atmospheric setting: with the smell of good food, many people having fun, and a nice sunset on the palm tree lined beach.
Xixiu Beach (西秀海滩 Xixiù hǎitān)
Closer to the west of Haikou city is Xixiu Beach, which 1-2km further west becomes Holiday Beach. The Hainan Windsurfing and Sailing Association has equipment for rent on Xixiu Beach.
Baishamen Beach (白沙门海滩 Báishāmén hǎitān)
On the north coast of Haidian Island (in the north of Haikou, near to the Haikou Banana Hostel) is Baishamen Park and Beach. The beach is about 1km long and next to where part of the Nandu River reaches the sea. The area was re-landscaped in 2010-2011.
Guilinyang Beach (桂林洋海滩 Guìlínyáng hǎitān)
To the east of Haikou is the beach area of Guilinyang. This is a quieter place than Holiday beach. The best area of Guilinyang beach is probably around the Crown Plaza hotel.
