Lonely Planet Review

Right in the middle of Haikou, above a modern shopping centre on the main drag, the Haikou Hotel offers attractive rooms for reasonable prices. The service is several cuts above most of its competitors and the rooms are fairly stylish without the usual cheesy touches.

While the hotel dates back to 1988 when Hainan became a province of its own, it was completely overhauled in a renovation a couple of years ago. From the 20-metre-long fish tank in the 1st-floor lobby to the cool minimalism of the rooms, the Haikou is refreshingly non-generic. All rooms are fairly spacious and have faux wooden floors, sliding screen doors to the bathrooms (no tubs) and sybaritic beds. However, as refreshing as the design can be, some of the rooms we saw stank - if you don't like cigarette smoke it's best to book a room on the nonsmoking floor, especially if you're after a suite. Some of the suites have mah jong tables and from what we saw these rooms cop a beating. On a brighter note, the food is good and the hotel's famed Chinese restaurant is worth a visit itself.