Howard Johnson Resort Sanya Bay

The location and facilities are outstanding. The staff is not very motivated and getting a drink at the bar or pool will take way more time than it should. We were told breakfast was not free by an employee who didn't bother to check if that was actually true. For this price I dont plan to go back.

This is a 5-star hotel in terms of facilities and amenities available. However, the service is not 5-star in many ways (but this has been my experience at other 5-star hotels in China, so I was not surprised). The room service was very slow and not accurate. The concierge desk was not swift with helping guests get taxis. The cleaning was often done with a rag that appeared to be dirty and was not full of cleaning agents. The two times that we tried to eat in the hotel restaurants, they were out of the food that we ordered (hamburgers and pizzas) which made dining frustrating. However, the breakfast buffet was great! Having said all of this, we did have a great time here. It's just that you have to be ready for service that is not 5-star (which we were because we have lived in China for a long time and have had similar experiences at other hotels in China).

Howard Johnson is a huge place with lots of space and facilities for the family to enjoy. We like the open space and recreational facilities. Rooms are very comfortable and clean. However, rates for transport services are high - much cheaper to walk out of the resort and hail a metered taxi. The surrounding area is full of new hotels being built - it will be a glut soon. The beach was under construction when we were there - so we missed the beach very much. Other setback is that there are no convenient restaurants in the neighbourhood or a shopping centre to buy stuff. On the whole, we enjoy the resort very much!