The Ritz Carlton Sanya

Open-air Thai-style pavilions greet you at check-in, with Tod's and Ferragamo flanking the lobby before the whole thing opens onto Yalong Bay, a sheltered cove with genuinely white sand. This is a large-scale beach resort, 451 rooms, all with ocean terraces, plus beachfront villas, four pools, seven restaurants, and a spa. The golf crowd drives forty minutes from Sanya Airport; everyone else drifts between the sand bar, the gardens, and a long poolside afternoon.