Trip to Sanya, China

We left for a short holiday on Friday, Feb 1 to go to Sanya, Hainan Island, China. We left just in time, as Saturday came 8 inches of snowfall and shut the airport down.

Hainan Island is a Chinese Province. It is south of China and East of Vietnam. It is called the Chinese version of Hawaii. Most expats stay away from here during major holidays because they become very busy with nationals. I think we were the only Americans staying at this resort but we didn't find it very busy at all.

We stayed at the Sheraton and it was a very nice resort. It was right on the beach and it was a very nice, white sandy beach. It had playgrounds (indoor and outdoor) for the kids, bounce houses and many pools to swim in. The weather was only in the low 70s and overcast, so we stuck to swimming in the heated pool.

Elizabeth's favorite part of the trip was dancing with the resort entertainers. They had a lounge singer named Ware that she loved. She also loved the band from Paraguay at one of the restaurants.

Alex's favorite part was his 100RMB ($14) dump truck that he saw one day at the kids center. We normally buy a bucket and sand toys when we get to our destination for about $5 and then leave them there so that we aren't transporting big items back and forth. Well this toy made the trip back. #1 it cost $14. #2 it is now his favorite toy. It will probably break soon since it is plastic and since it was made in China, but it sure makes him happy.

Kirk's newfound talent that will not amount to any money making is sand sculpture. Forget the sand castles. He made a mermaid, a monster, and a car. There were many onlookers and admirers.

The flight was short, only 2.5 hours so we would definitely go back. The service was very good, the grounds were beautiful, and it was clean.

Also note in one of the pictures that Alex is wearing underpants. Yes, just like he did with walking, he decided on his terms that it was finally time to start going potty! He has only had a few accidents and has really good bladder control unlike his sister. He still is using a pull up at night, but I don't think that will last long.