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Getting
The Best Price
If you are going to travel around Hainain you will get
greatly reduced rates from the local and online travel
agents. You can find hotels discounted as much as 70%
and attractions discounted as much as 50%. The following
Hainan travel agency websites are in Chinese, but you
can use a web translator like Yahoo Babelfish or Google
Translate. If you go to an English travel agency website
the prices are usually more expensive because they cater
to foreigners, for the best price try the sites below.
http://www.hk-cts.com/
http://www.hncyts.com/
http://www.htrip.com/
Traveling by Tour Guide
If you prefer to travel in groups, want to save money, and don't want to bother with making a lot of arrangements, there are many affordable Tour bus options in Hainan. You can purchase a trip for 3 days, 2 nights for about 300y or 4 days, 3 nights for about 400y. The prices always include bus fare and hotel, but you will need to pay for restaurants. Some tours include the cost of admission to attractions, some do not.
You want to set these tours up in advance at a reputable travel agency, they are located all over Haidiandao and Haikou, and are easy to find. It is best to have someone with you who can speak putonghua so you get the best possible deal and you do not have any unwanted surprises. Please ask the school for assistance to make arrangements.
Traveling Independently By Bus
At the bottom of the page is a map to the three bus stations in Haikou. Each one takes you to a different part of Hainain Island. There are two types of buses, budget and express. The budget buses are cheaper and make more frequent stops, they are also smaller and not as new or clean. The express buses cost a little bit more (80y to Sanya vs 50y for the budget bus), but they are much larger, newer and very clean and comfortable.
The slower and smaller bus
is called Pu Tong Piao.
The nicer and larger bus Zhi Da Piao.
The easiest thing to say for the nicer bus is "kuai che" which
means express bus.
When you are outside the bus station some drivers may approach you saying "Sanya", or wherever the popular routes are for that particular bus station. They are usually budget tours guides or they are employees paid by the budget buses to find passengers. To get where you want to go quickly and in comfort, do not speak with the people, instead go to the ticket counter and ask for the express bus to wherever it is you want to go.
The express buses are large, clean and very comfortable. They usually have oversized leather seats, they always have a "stewardess" who will bring you water and anything else you might need. They also have a small restroom. The budget buses usually do not have many of these amenities.
Bus
Station
1
- Bus
24
- Haikou West Bus Station - (To Danzhou)
It takes
about 25 minutes from Haidiandao to the east bus
station. The bust station will be on your left and the
bus stop is just past the entrance. The first and second
pics below were both taken in the same spot, one looking
back up the road to the bus stop, and the other across
the street to the bus station.
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