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Galen U
Whitchurch-Stouffville, Canada

Where Luxury Meets Tranquility

Review of Raffles Hainan
5.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 16 Apr 2018
My wife and I had the pleasure of staying at this fabulous property for 5 unforgettable days in early April 2018. Given that Clearwater Bay is about 45 minutes from the airport in Sanya, we arranged for transportation through Raffles. This is your first clue that you are in for something special. We were greeted at the airport and ushered to a waiting Mercedes, loaded with snacks, water and scented cold towel. This is where the luxury begins!

As you pull into the massive, spread out property, you are greeted by a crew of staff, all with welcoming smiles. Our Mandarin is not very good, but that didn't matter, as most everyone understands and speaks a reasonable amount of English.

The base rooms at Raffles Hainan are the largest base-level rooms of any hotel in Sanya, clocking in at a massive 850 sq ft, not including the balcony. We opted for a Premium Suite, which was an incredible 1850 sq ft, with a massive balcony overlooking the ocean. We also overlooked the grounds of the hotel and what was amazing was that you could not see any of the pool areas below, due to the tree canopy, which really gives everyone a feel of seclusion. The room was immaculate, with great amenities, including an espresso machine, microwave and washlet-style toilet. Below us, on the ground level were suites with the own private pools and when we walked the property throughout our stay, there are several private villas surrounding the two main wings that make up the core of the property.

There are 4 dining options + 2 lounges/bars (including a Raffles Long Bar), which give you plenty of options. We ate at all 4 restaurants. The food selection and quality was great at all of them. Our favourite was Bai Wei, which serves up excellent authentic choices from different regions in China. Also, don't miss the Hainan Sling, the local variation of the Singapore Sling, served up at the Long Bar (their Singapore Sling is great as well!).

As mentioned, the property is massive and so is the pool area, or should I say areas. They have the main pool area that has a meandering stream feel to it, with salas beds, and loungers scattered throughout. If you are looking for seclusion, then you will find it here. You will seldom find more than 4 loungers in close proximity to each other, but if you are a bigger family, then the staff can help you arrange more together. There is also a neat little area with some loungers and table + chairs placed on a water ledge, so if you are sitting there, your feet are right in the water to keep you cool. There is also a 25m lap pool that is surrounded by loungers, as well as little plunge pools, which seemed to be a hit with any of the kids that were there. The next stop from all the pool areas is the ocean, so not only do you get the great breezes, but you also hear the sound of the surf from pretty much any lounging area. The pool staff is very attentive and will bring you water and cold towels throughout the day.

This is a very family friendly hotel and it appeared that over 75% of the guests had children with them, but you would never know it, other than at breakfast. Because the property is so spread out and I guess with all the villas. we never did see too many kids around the pools, so there was lots of peace and quiet. This really was amazing to us.

If you are looking for other activities, there is a great beach right out the back steps of the hotel. There is a stretch of if reserved for the hotel that has a large number of loungers and umbrellas, so you can enjoy the comforts of Raffles right at the beach. You can also walk on the beach for miles...literally, in some of the finest sand you will find on anywhere. If you don't fancy the sand between your toes, you can opt for the boardwalk, which stretches for about 3.5km. Also, we strongly suggest working with the concierge to arrange a trip to Monkey Island. The hotel has a package that includes transportation and tickets. The monkey preserve is about a 20 minute drive from the hotel. You then take a gondola over a mountain ridge and depart into a protected area with the monkeys run free all around you. Super family friendly and so much fun. Recommend about 90 minutes and well worth it.

Last, I can't say enough about the incredible Raffles Spa. It is a beautiful sanctuary, tucked away in a quiet area of the property. Each treatment room is set in its own 500-600 sq ft private villa. There are single and couples villas, each with a steam room. They have a wide array of treatments. They were running a special while we were there with a 2 hour body scrub, body massage and head massage for 1000RMB. That was an amazing deal too hard to pass up!

We would like to really thank Rob Cousins (hotel General Manager) and his team at Raffles Hainan for extending such a warm welcome to us. They went above and beyond to make us feel like family. The staff were all incredibly helpful and you can truly see that it stems from great leadership.
Date of stay: April 2018
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
5.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
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Raffles H, Front Office Manager at Raffles Hainan, responded to this review
Responded 28 Apr 2018
Dear Happy Guest. Thank you for giving us a perfect rating and for recommending our hotel to other travelers. I'm sure our entire hotel staff enjoyed catering to your needs as much as you enjoyed your stay. Take care! — Yoki Bi, Front Office Manager
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The listings of booking offers for each property take into account the compensation paid to us by our partners. Prices shown may be for varying room types. Prices displayed are the lowest available, corresponding to the least expensive room type available, as provided from our partners as of the time of the user’s search.
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    Reviews (4,256)
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    52 - 57 of 4,256 reviews
    Reviewed 23 March 2018 via mobile

    Hotel is wow wow wow!
    I’d like to say a big thank you to Abla! It’s our first experience to stay in Raffles Hainan. From the moment we arrived to lobby we were lucky to meet Alba. She is so professional and helpful! She arranged for us the best private pool room according our booking and she followed all our requests! After that we changed the room as it was room with 2 beds for room with 1 bed. We live everything! Perfect pls e for couples! And we loved breakfast very much!
    Our experience in Raffles Hainan was amazing! Thanks a lot to Alba again! Great stuff! Well done!
    Come back with children next time for sure!

    Date of stay: March 2018
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    1  Thank Olga_Minakova
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Raffles H, Front Office Manager at Raffles Hainan, responded to this reviewResponded 23 March 2018

    Dear Guest. Thank you for your positive comments. I am so glad to hear that you enjoyedyour stay with us! I hope your next stay is just around the corner. Call us if there is anything we can help you with. — Yoki Bi, Front Office Manager

    Report response as inappropriate
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
    Reviewed 12 February 2018

    Very romantic property, beautiful pools and luxurious rooms.
    Dined at each outlet and they were all great. The Chinese restaurant was interesting as there were many Asian dishes I simply wouldn’t eat.

    Date of stay: November 2017
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Thank Andrea P
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Raffles H, Front Office Manager at Raffles Hainan, responded to this reviewResponded 23 March 2018

    Thank you for choosing to stay with us and I am glad to hear that your stay with us was a memorable one! We look forward to welcoming you back to the hotel in the near future.— Yoki Bi, Front Office Manager

    Report response as inappropriate
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
    Reviewed 11 February 2018

    Spent a wonderful week at this location with my wife on our honeymoon. The staff (Hugo Lu)really welcomed us to begin with.And throughout the rest of the stay, the entire team was very friendly and service was excellent. Thank you for a memorable experience with us!

    Date of stay: January 2018
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Review collected in partnership with raffles.com
    1  Thank hongl470
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Raffles H, Front Office Manager at Raffles Hainan, responded to this reviewResponded 23 March 2018

    Dear Happy Guest. Thank you for giving us a perfect rating and for recommending our hotel to other travelers. I'm sure our entire hotel staff enjoyed catering to your needs as much as you enjoyed your stay. Take care!— Yoki Bi, Front Office Manager

    Report response as inappropriate
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
    Reviewed 11 February 2018

    This is a amazing on the bay of Clearwater Hainan. Probably the best Hotel I have ever seen. Room are large and full of equipment. Bed was relaxing and very comfortable. We had a superview on the bay and I really did not want to leave the room! Lunch is top probably one of the best I had in a luxury hotel. Simply excel, Five starts well deserved.

    Date of stay: January 2018
    Trip type: Travelled with friends
    Thank 建恆 陸
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Raffles H, Front Office Manager at Raffles Hainan, responded to this reviewResponded 23 March 2018

    Dear Guest. I appreciate your positive feedback about our hotel. We do take pride in catering to our guests' needs the best way we can. If you're traveling to our area gain soon, don't hesitate to call us. — Yoki Bi, Front Office Manager

    Report response as inappropriate
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
    Reviewed 25 November 2017

    Raffles Hainan is a very, very nice resort. It's not perfect unfortunately, but with a little work I'm sure it could it. The rooms are very spacious and well equipped as you'd expect. The gardens, pools and beach are beautiful and kept immaculately. The quality of the service is a little "patchy", but I believe that is mostly down to a language barrier and I have to add that staff tried very hard to understand and be understood. If we mentioned that service fell short of our expectations, then in most cases every effort was made to fulfill them. We received truly outstanding service from Leo (front office) and Rida (pool bar/Italian restaurant). We would have liked to have experienced better service outside around the pools, and not had to go into restaurants to order drinks.
    The quality of food in general was very good. The breakfast is up there with anything that I've seen in terms of choice and quality. Truly excellent. In room dining food was good, but service was a little lacking. We didn't expect to have to remove Clingfilm from the dishes ourselves, or open the wine. We ate in the Chinese restaurant which we enjoyed, and twice in the Italian. 1st meal in the Italian was excellent, but the 2nd time we were not served any of the accompaniments for the steaks we had ordered which was very disappointing. We were only informed when we asked where they were, that the menu was changing and that they were not available. Pretty inexcusable.
    Raffles Hainan are trying very hard to emulate luxury 5 star quality, and are not too far off. With a little focus on the details, this can be a truly magical resort.

    Date of stay: November 2017
    • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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    1  Thank Dave999930
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Raffles H, Guest Relations Manager at Raffles Hainan, responded to this reviewResponded 27 November 2017

    Thank you for your review. I am glad to hear that overall your experience was positive. I am disappointed to hear that our in room dining service didn't meet your expectations. This critical feedback will be used in training our staff. Thank you and look forward to seeing you soon. — Guest Experience Manager Fiona Feng

    Report response as inappropriate
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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