Shangri-La Hotels in Sanya

I wouldn’t stay here again. It’s not worth it. In my 5+ years of living in China and using Trip.com, this is the first time I’ve ever written a poor review. I should start by saying that the staff are incredibly courteous, just mostly incompetent. Out of the staff, there was only Vito, who was kind and prompt with check-in and follow up. Everyone else who works there of course has a very difficult job, and while they had a few mistakes here and there, I understand that 端午节 can be a very busy time of year. In those cases, the manager Brian was very kind to try and help resolve them. However, overall the hotel has policies in place that are just unacceptable. Firstly, after checking in I was told that there would be a music festival happening right next to the hotel. So for 2 days, I had to listen to nonstop EDM through the afternoon and night. It was so bad that my room would literally vibrate with the music until midnight. If I had been warned of this ahead of time, I would have chosen another place. But instead they chose the sneaky route and did not say anything until I had already paid the deposit and was in the room. So shady. Secondly, Trip.com lists this place as having an “exclusive beach area” but there was nothing of the sort. There IS a path to the beach, but on the way there you will come across a sign that says it is in no way linked to Shangri-La. There are a small amount of beach chairs out there, but again, they say this isn’t their property so I was worried the whole time that I was intruding. In addition, it’s still quite a bit of a walk, so remember to bring all your own things (water, towel, snacks, etc) because getting back to the property will take some time. Also, the area does not permit swimming. That is of course something they cannot control, but if you are hoping to swim in the ocean, this will disappoint you. Thirdly, breakfast was a mess. I am fully aware that things are different over a holiday, but they couldn’t fit everyone in the restaurant so they had to set up an additional “breakfast area” that had about half the choices—and then shove you away in this little crowded ballroom. I learned the second day that there was a patio option with no wait, and I actually had wanted to sit outside anyway, but no one told me this was available. Even then, I had to ask for my own cutlery (they gave me a children’s set), they did not wipe down the tables, and no one paid any attention to me until I finally showed some frustration. Fourth, the place is very much geared towards families. This place has the most “children-friendly” resources out of every Sanya hotel I’ve stayed in, and if you are a parent this is of course great. However, if you are looking for a quiet retreat, I recommend you look somewhere far far away. For my entire stay, I had to deal with screaming kids and their louder-screaming parents (two families got in a screaming match at the pool, and no one did anything except stare). It is definitely something to be aware of when planning your stay. Honestly, I wanted to spend as little time at the property as possible. It was just too frustrating, too loud, too disorganized, and a waste of my money. This place is taking advantage of the name “Shangri-La” to overcharge you.