Most of the questions we answer before a booking are the same six, in the same order: can I get in, when should I come, how do I get there, where do I sleep, how does the pool actually work, and what does it cost. This is that conversation written down — the complete planner for a first trip to the PerfectSwell® wave pool at Riyue Bay, Wanning, with every number checked against the rate board.
In short
Step 1 — Check you can enter visa-free
Hainan runs its own entry policy, separate from mainland China: travellers from 86 countries can enter visa-free, most for stays of up to 30 days. Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., the UK and Canada are all on the list, so for most of our guests there is no embassy visit and no paperwork phase — you book the flight and go. We confirm your eligibility when you book. The full list, the conditions, and what happens if you want to continue to the mainland are in our 30-day visa-free guide.
Step 2 — Pick your dates
The pool runs year-round on a published schedule, so the first thing to know is that no month is a bad month for the sessions themselves. The choice is about what you want around them. The cooler months, roughly October to March, bring Hainan’s dependable ocean swell and the most comfortable golf weather; the warmer half of the year is hotter and quieter, with sessions at their best early and late in the day. Two weeks fill early every year: Golden Week in the first week of October and Chinese New Year in late January or February.
One date matters in 2026: the pool is closed for a scheduled upgrade until 23 September and reopens on 24 September, with the session calendar through 31 October already published. Month by month reasoning, holiday weeks and how far ahead to book are in the best time for a Hainan surf trip.
Step 3 — Fly to Haikou or Sanya
Hainan has two international airports and both work. Haikou Meilan (HAK) is the main gateway, where most long-haul flights land — including the direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne — and it is about two hours from Riyue Bay. Sanya Phoenix (SYX) sits in the southern resort zone and is the shorter drive. From elsewhere, connect through Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Seoul into either.
Whichever you land at, the trip runs itself from the arrivals hall: our English-speaking driver meets you and takes you down the coast to Riyue Bay in a private van. No taxis, no shuttles, no apps. Airport-by-airport routes are in how to get to Riyue Bay, and Australians have their own guide: surf trip to Hainan from Australia.
Step 4 — Choose where to sleep
The simplest answer is inside the surf park. UECHAO Hotel Riyuebay is the property behind the beach at the resort: the pool in front, the rooms behind, the sea on the far side, and everything about a minute from your door. There are six room types, from Garden View up to the Owner’s Suite, from CNY 700 a night, with a daily breakfast buffet served until 1:30 PM. Staying on site has a practical advantage too: resort guests get their own booking window on each session, which is the easiest way to secure a particular wave setting.
Room by room, with the questions guests actually ask, it’s all in where to stay at Riyue Bay.
Step 5 — Decide how you’ll surf
The PerfectSwell® pool runs 23 wave settings across 55-minute sessions. Each public session runs a single setting with a capped lineup and one surfer per wave, so you get frequent, consistent sets and very little waiting. Beginner settings run through the middle of the day; advanced settings run early and late. Three things decide which sessions you book:
- Your level. Public sessions are sold by tier — Beginner from CNY 328, Intermediate from CNY 388, Advanced from CNY 498 per person. Never surfed? Start with the beginner’s guide.
- Add-ons. Coaching is from CNY 268 per person per hour, a performance board rental from CNY 200 a day, and photo & video from CNY 200 per surfer per session. The rental quiver runs from shortboards to a longboard, so most guests don’t fly with a board bag.
- Public or private. A private hour of the whole pool is from CNY 7,760, takes up to 20 surfers, and unlocks the full wave menu including the barrel and air settings that never appear on the public calendar. Price one in a minute for your group size.
Every published number in one place: the rate board.
Step 6 — Build the rest of the week
Nobody surfs eight hours a day, and Wanning fills the gaps well. When the season delivers swell, Riyue Bay’s ocean surf is a walk down the beach. China’s best golf is on the same island: The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula, the country’s best links, is thirty minutes from the pool, and Blackstone at Mission Hills sits up by Haikou airport — we have walked both hole by hole in the Dunes and Blackstone guides. Off the water, there is Xinglong coffee country and the Wanning food scene. Travelling with children? Read family surf trips in a wave pool. Want it pre-built? The Surf Escape package starts at three nights, and the 6-day surf and golf itinerary shows how the two sports fit in one week.
Step 7 — Book it
Send us three things: your dates, how many of you are coming, and how each of you surfs. We come back with the sessions that match, the room, the transfer and one price, and we confirm every booked session before you travel and again on the day. Reach us through the booking panel, at hello@surfchina.co, or on WhatsApp at +86 138 9340 2173.
