Hainan West Coast Self-Driving Tour: A Wonderful Journey of Hits and Misses

Hey everyone👋, today I'm sharing my super special self-driving tour along Hainan's west coast🎈. This trip was full of both disappointments and pleasant surprises. Compared to the east coast, the west coast is definitely less traveled, but its unique charm is just too attractive👀! 🏜️ On the westernmost tip of Hainan, there's a city called Dongfang (东方, meaning "east"). 🤗 There's also Danzhou (儋州), where my fellow Sichuan native, Su Dongpo, was exiled many times. 🌊 And then there's Ocean Flower Island (海花岛), a 160 billion yuan replica of Palm Island. 🏝 Of course, there's also the volcanic rock coastline, different from the romantic sandy beaches of the east coast. Each place has its own unique charm. 🚗 I started from Sanya and drove all the way west. Now let me tell you about my experiences along the way. 🌟 First, let's talk about the stunning photo spots📷: 💎 Qizi Bay (棋子湾): Qizi Bay has three bays: large, medium, and small. I went to the large and medium bays. The seawater is incredibly blue, the white sand is fine, and thatched umbrellas dot the beach, creating a perfect vacation vibe. There are also small, round stones and shells washed up on the beach. Every photo you take here looks like an Instagram post, super photogenic. 💎 Banyan Tree Beach (叶榕沙滩): This is a wild beach near Danzhou Ocean Flower Island. No filters needed! The sun, sand, waves, and cacti create a breathtakingly beautiful picture. It's so beautiful it leaves you speechless. Although the road to the beach is a bit rough, it's definitely worth a visit. 💎 Ocean Flower Island (海花岛): Ocean Flower Island is divided into three islands. Island 1 is a great place for sightseeing, while Islands 2 and 3 are mostly residential or B&Bs. If you're going sightseeing, choose Island 1. There's a free shuttle bus around the island. Buildings in various international styles are scattered around the island, and the wedding chapels are especially beautiful for photos, super Instagrammable. Food and drinks are readily available on the island, and there's also an amusement park, making it a great place to spend the whole day. 👻 Now, let's talk about the disappointments: ❌ Yulinzhou (鱼鳞洲) in Dongfang: Although Yulinzhou is a good place to watch the sunset, the seawater is yellowish, the waves are huge, and the sand is very coarse. It's impossible to stand barefoot without hurting your feet, and the surrounding environment is a bit dirty and messy. However, to be fair, the Yulinzhou Lighthouse is really beautiful and makes for great photos. ❌ Dongpo Academy (东坡书院) in Danzhou: After Su Dongpo was exiled to Danzhou, he started teaching and built the academy to improve local customs. I thought I could see the wonderful stories of Mr. Dongpo in Danzhou at the academy, but the park is very small, and there are very few exhibits about his local creations. It felt like a wasted trip. 🍲 Let's talk about the food along the way: 🥢 Dongfang's specialties, crispy roast suckling pig and lomein, are both sweet. I really couldn't stand them🙅. 🍜 Danzhou's Mǐ Làn (米烂) is a dry mixed rice noodle dish. It's quite fragrant and tastes pretty good. 🍤 Lingao's seafood is quite famous. We used our GPS to navigate to Lincheng Shengjin Seafood Market (临城盛金海鲜城) to buy seafood and then went to a restaurant to have it cooked. The seafood market isn't very big, but the prices are reasonable. 👀 Overall, compared to the cities on the east coast, the tourism infrastructure on the west coast is not yet fully developed, but this also gives it a more local feel, which is a unique travel experience.