Hainan Island Travel Tips

Banks: 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday 09:00 to 15:00
Post Offices: 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday
Department Stores and Shops: 10:00 to 22:00, daily, some closed on Sundays
Museums: 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, some open on weekends
Business Offices: 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday

Hainan is a safe holiday destinations and visitors need not concern themselves overly with threats to personal safety. The usual warning with regards to petty criminals should however still be observed as any destination that attracts holiday makers, has a tendency to attracts those with ill-intentions also. Keeping your money and items of value out of sight and in hard to reach places can help deter pickpockets while keeping a tight hold on bags in busy public places can thwart the intentions of bag snatchers.

The Chinese currency is called the renminbi (RMB), and there are bills in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 yuan. Yuan are commonly referred to as kwai.

In the major cities such as Haikou and Sanya, ATMs are fairly easy to find and good for withdrawing local currency. AMEX, Visa, Barclaycard and Diner’s Club are the most widely used. Most banks meanwhile offer currency exchange services and some major hotels also, but with less favourable rates.

Visitors arriving at the Chinese island of Hainan are given an allowance of up to 400 cigarettes, two bottles of liquor, each not exceeding 0.75 litre, a reasonable quantity of perfume for personal use and one item of electrical equipment.

220V, 50Hz

Chinese etiquette is a complex and deeply ingrained cultural trait that is often difficult for westerners to grasp in its entirety. Few visitors spending a week or fortnight’s holiday in the country are given the opportunity to experience the whole spectrum of subtle rules and nuances so its best just to take note of the basic rules that are pertinent to visitor-local interaction.

When meeting a local for the first time for example; a handshake is an appropriate form of greeting (note that Chinese avoid eye contact with relative strangers). When addressing locals, use their title followed by their surname unless you are instructed otherwise. Like many Asians, the Chinese put great importance on the concept of ‘face’ and visitors are warned to avoid causing loss of face by openly criticising Hainan citizens in front of family, friends or colleagues.

As a general rule, the people of Hainan prefer to entertain guests in restaurants however on occasion you may find yourself honoured to be invited to a family home to dine. In this situation, there are a number of considerations you need to be aware of in order to be the perfect guest. Punctuality is important, bringing a small gift for the host/hostess is advisable and removing shoes before entering an abode is imperative. Wherever you are dining out, always allow the host/hostess to be seated and begin his/her meal before you start your own, master the art of using chopsticks and remember to place them down in between mouthfuls of food or when engaging in conversation, try a little of everything that is offered to you, hold your rice bowl close to your mouth when eating and avoid taking the last piece of food from the serving plate.

It’s unwise to drink the tap water in Hainan, even if it’s something that the locals might do; opt instead for the cheap and readily available bottled drinking water. Be discerning and exercise a little judgement when it comes to choosing where to eat; roadside food vendors may not employ high standards of hygiene. 

Hainan Province Haikou City Anning Hospital
Tel: +86 898 66890120

Emergency services: 131/132/133

A dialect of the Min Nan Chinese language is spoken by the Han Chinese of Hainan while Putonghua, the national Chinese language, is spoken and understood by the majority of people. The local Hainanese people also invariably have a good grasp of standard Cantonese. English is not widely spoken except among the younger generation. Ethnic groups such as the Li, Miao and Zhuang have their own dialects but many speak Standard Mandarin as a second language.

Entry to the Republic if China is possible by visa only, irrespective of your country of origin and a passport with a validity of at least six months from the point if entry is also necessary. On arrival in the country, all visitors are required to complete a health declaration. Visitors who are HIV positive will be denied any further access.

The general office for the entire island is the Hainan Tourism Administration centre in Haikou (tel: +86 898 5353253). The Haikou Tourism Bureau can also be found in Haikou (tel: +86 898 6797859).