Riyue Bay sounds remote — a surf town on the east coast of a tropical Chinese island. In practice, getting here is one of the easiest long-haul trips you can book: a single flight into Hainan, then a private van down a coastal highway to the PerfectSwell® wave pool. No domestic connections, no taxis, no apps. This guide covers the two airports, the direct routes from around the world, and what happens after you land.
Step one: pick your airport — Haikou (HAK) or Sanya (SYX)
Hainan has two international gateways, and both work for Riyue Bay. The right one is simply whichever has the better flight from your city.
Haikou Meilan International (HAK)
The island's main international gateway, in the north. Most long-haul flights land here — including the direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne — and it has the deepest schedule of international routes. From the arrivals hall it's about a two-hour drive down the east coast to Riyue Bay.
Sanya Phoenix International (SYX)
The southern airport, in Hainan's resort zone. Fewer long-haul routes, but the shortest drive to the Surf Pool — roughly one hour. If your connection lands you in Sanya, you'll be checking in before your board bag has settled.
Not sure which to book? Send us your departure city and we'll tell you the best option — that's part of what our trip planning covers before you buy a ticket.
Where the flights come from
Australia & New Zealand
The easiest long-haul routing on this list: Sydney → Haikou direct, Melbourne → Haikou direct, and Auckland → Haikou direct. Leave home in the evening, land on a tropical island the next day, surf that afternoon if you're keen.
Europe
London and Brussels have direct flights to Haikou; from other European cities it's a one-stop trip, typically through Hong Kong, Singapore or a mainland hub.
Southeast & East Asia
This is where the schedule gets dense. Singapore flies to Haikou daily, and there are direct routes from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Seoul — Seoul serves both Haikou and Sanya. From Tokyo, Osaka or Taipei, connect via Shanghai or Hong Kong.
North America
One stop is all it takes. From the West Coast, connect through Hong Kong, Seoul or Tokyo; from the East Coast, through Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai. We help every guest pick the cleanest connection when they book.
And the paperwork? For most passports there isn't any. Hainan admits travellers from 86 countries — including Australia, the U.S., the UK, Canada and New Zealand — visa-free for up to 30 days. We covered the policy in detail in our Hainan visa-free travel guide.
Step two: the pickup and the coastal drive
Forward us your e-ticket and the rest is handled. An English-speaking driver waits in the arrivals hall with your name on a sign, and a WhatsApp number is shared in advance so you always have a real person to reach. We track your flight live — if you're delayed, the driver shifts with the new arrival time, and late-night arrivals are fine because the resort accepts check-ins around the clock.
The vehicle is a modern business van — Mercedes V-Class or equivalent — with Wi-Fi, USB charging, bottled water and space for boards and luggage, seating up to six guests per vehicle. Bringing multiple boards or a bigger crew? Tell us in advance and we size the vehicle accordingly.
The drive itself is a highlight. Hainan's east coast highway runs straight along the South China Sea — beaches on one side, coconut groves and buffalo fields on the other. It's the road you'd drive for the view; the airport just happens to be at one end of it.
What's waiting at the end of the road
Your trip coordinator meets you in the lobby of your resort, and the pool is a minute's walk from your room. From there the island opens up: the world's only wave pool on a tropical island with around twenty settings from beginner rollers to barrels — see the surf session for how a session runs — plus Riyue Bay's ocean break a short walk down the beach. Golfers can pair morning waves with afternoon rounds at The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula or Blackstone at Mission Hills — the full pairing is on our golf page — and the local seafood and Xinglong coffee fill everything in between.
The route at a glance
Ready to book the flight? Browse our trip packages, read more planning guides on the journal, or send your departure city and dates to hello@surfchina.co (WhatsApp +8613893402173) — we'll come back with the best routing, the right airport and a pickup plan in one email.
