The Westin Blue Bay Resort & Spa — Hotel in Hainan Island

I've hesitated writing this review because honestly there were a lot of good things about the property. Despite that, our experience just after checkout and getting back to the airport was nothing short of a stressful mess! I'm hopeful the feedback will be useful for management going forward.

The afternoon before we left the hotel we went down to the front desk to make arrangements for a ride to the airport the following morning. There, a young man told us we didn't need to make any arrangements, that we could simply take the shuttle bus at 8:10 AM and that it was free of charge. We were surprised, since the handout we had received from the hotel on checking in made no mention of a shuttle at 8:10. The young man assured us that we could take what he called the "owners" shuttle with no problem. The ride was supposed to take 1 hour and 20 minutes, which would have gotten us to the airport about an hour before our domestic flight. With no bags to check, we were comfortable with the time frame and happy not to have to pay more than ¥300 for a taxi.

The next morning we checked out with no problem and went to the front of the hotel at about 7:50. We told one of the young men there that we were looking for the bus and he said it should be there between about 8:05 and 8:10 so we waited. When no bus came by 8:10 he explained it sometimes was a little late. When no bus came by 8:15 we started to get a little nervous. When no bus came by 8:20 we asked them to please check on the bus. We were shocked to find out they apparently had no way of contacting the bus! About 5 minutes later a supervisor came to tell us the bus wasn't coming that day, because it was full. So, I guess that did in fact have have some kind of contact with the bus.

We realized we needed a taxi immediately and one of the boys started trying to get one. 5 minutes later and they were having no luck in getting one to the hotel. The place is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Then the supervisor suggested we could take a hotel car at a %50 discount - which was still more than what a taxi would have cost! By then I felt like we had no choice and there was no time to argue about it. I rushed back in to pay for the car and then we waited another 5 minutes before it showed up. We finally left at about 8:40 and just made our flight.

If we had known there was ANY chance of the bus not showing up because it was full, we wouldn't have taken the chance and would have booked a taxi instead. You can't say to guests, "Oh, just take this shuttle", if there is ANY chance it won't come. One of the boys said, with a shrug of the shoulders, " It happens sometimes". In the end we ended up spending more money with much more stress than if we had just made a reservation for a taxi. Good intentions - but terrible execution. I felt the car should have been offered for free - but again we had no choice but to get in and go.

As for the rest of our stay, the hotel was very nice. It's an open, airy design, perhaps something of a fusion of Scandinavian and Asian influence. Very cool. The room was comfortable and spacious with a great tub and large balcony. The beach and pool are great and the F&B was also pretty good. I don't know when (if ever) China F&B managers are going to train staff as to when to bring appetizers and soups and salads. As is often the case here, it all came together with the main course the first night. We made sure to specify the next three nights, to bring appetizers and soup before the meal. The lobby bar was great for lunch... one of the best turkey clubs I've ever had anywhere.

Staff is friendly and courteous but it looks like I didn't receive my Gold Gift starpoints...

The only other negatives I can think of were noise related. It has been mentioned a few times by other guests here, about the noisy fishing boats heading out early in the morning. The first night we slept with the balcony doors open and at about 5AM the boats woke us up. The next three nights we closed the doors and had no issues. The third and fourth nights there was some kind of corporate event being held on the lawn. The fourth night especially went pretty late, with some truly awful (and loud) karaoke until about midnight.

An average stay with a lot of nice moments but not up to The Westin standard. I realize things happen and perhaps another time everything would have been perfect. When a destination hotel is in the middle of nowhere there is little room for error, especially with so many...

Visited the Westin Blue Bay resort just after the Chinese National Holiday week and had a fantastic experience.

I was greeted by name at check. Sincere thanks to the front desk staff (Sarah i think) who checked me in, really appreciated her friendly and professional attitude. She even waited for me outside the restaurant after dinner as I had forgotten to provide her with a document during check in.

Rooms: The design of the room is very modern and sleek. The best features has to be the huge washroom, which is separated by sliding doors with both a soaker tub and rain forest shower, and the large balcony which had a large lounge sofa which I ended up falling asleep in as the weather was just right and the ocean breeze kept you cool.

Quality of Sleep: The beds were very comfortable as one would expect at a Westin and I had no trouble falling asleep. I woke up quite early during my stay. With the construction that is going on (I was told the spa and villas are still under construction until November), it may be difficult to sleep in.

Facilities: While a few of the facilities are still under construction. I really enjoyed the pool and the beach front which was very quiet during my stay. On multiple occasions I was the only one in a very large pool. The beach felt like a natural beach with plenty of sea shells and I even managed to find a hermit crab.

Food & Beverage: I had the opportunity to try out every restaurant/bar at the hotel, I even went up to the not yet opened MIX bar. I found the food at international restaurant Seasonal Tastes the best, plus the prices were reasonable for a resort hotel. The restaurant even gave me extra ice cream for dessert. All in all, I was very happy with the food and service at the hotel restaurants.

The only real disappointment I had was the cocktails at the lobby bar. I tried a margarita which was not on the menu and for good reason (tastes a bit like sea water) and a blueberry mojito which actually tasted quite nice (and very sweet) but did not have nearly enough rum. I ended up chasing it down with a couple of beers, of which there is a good selection of international brands.

Service: This is probably the part that impressed me most about the Westin Blue Bay Resort. All the staff were friendly and would really try to make you feel like a valued guest, it seemed like everyone knew me by name. Keep in mind that not all the staff spoke English, so they might have to ask someone else to help you, regardless of that, any requests that I had was quickly fulfilled. The front desk manager Ms. Li came to ask about my stay and to send me off when I was checking out which I thought was a nice personal touch. Finally, we had requested a shuttle to take us to the Sanya International Airport, but since we were the only clients leaving at that time, the hotel provided us with a private driver and vehicle to transport us to the airport instead. This was just one more example of the service that made my stay at the resort a thoroughly enjoyable one from start to finish.

I will definitely be back at the resort, hopefully my travels brings me back sooner...

I really love this hotel! If you're looking for an escape, restful experience, beautiful accommodations and service at an excellent price, then this is the place for you in Sanya.| |It's about an hour away from the airport. Far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. On a beautiful beach, well maintained and very clean. Two swimming pools, a lazy river, slides for the kids, activities, kids program, three different restaurants and accommodations that all have ocean views.| |Booked an ocean view studio, platinum upgrade to ocean view suite, 150 m² of luxury. Huge bedroom, giant King bed, living room, office work area, dining room, wrap around terrace, bathroom with shower that can easily accommodate 10 people, bathtub that can easily accommodate four or five people, as needed.| |The swimming pool area is massive, literally the size of the South China Sea. If it gets a little windy, there's actually surf on the pool. Kids activities around the pool, actually they have little paddle boats for the kids, and even when they're being used, the pool is so big, there's so much space for you to swim around in and never be bothered. Cabanas for free, lots of towels, sunny side and shady side. Room service will deliver to the pool.| |Restaurant offers buffet dinners, and breakfast, very comprehensive, Western and Chinese selections abound. Service is great. English not as strong, but everybody tries really hard!| |If you're looking for a Chinese Miami Beach type of holiday, this is not the place. This is a place to be quiet and relaxed. There is a fishing village about 2 km down the beach, floating restaurants. Try monkey island, you can take a cable car over the bay and it's a great view. The monkeys are fun too. Pearl farm nearby. Otherwise it's a great place to escape the world.| |I want to thank Joanne Tan and Philip Li for their fabulous greeting at check-in. As I walked into the hotel, up to the reception desk, Joanne actually greeted me by name. I asked how she knew it was me. She said I looked like the platinum member. Very impressive and maybe a little bit scary. All in a good way.| |Super hotel experience, try it, you will not be...