Balinese meru towers rising from a South China Sea shoreline tell you immediately that something architecturally ambitious — and slightly contradictory — is at work here. Raffles Hainan, set along Clearwater Bay on China's tropical island province, deploys the formal vocabulary of Indonesian temple architecture — steeply pitched pavilion roofs with copper-patinated finials, carved stone detailing, layered landscape terraces thick with coconut palms and heliconias — across a resort scaled for the Chinese luxury market. The result is a sprawling complex of mid-rise wings, perhaps six or seven storeys, whose massing is softened at dusk by warm amber uplighting that turns the canopy of mature plantings into something closer to a garden city than a hotel compound. Inside, the interiors navigate between Southeast Asian craft references and the clean-lined contemporary idiom that Chinese hospitality design has increasingly favored since the 2010s. Guest rooms carry warm-toned timber wall paneling, stone vessel sinks, and botanical-print bed runners in teal and ochre against ivory linen — tropical detail held within a composed, neutral envelope. The all-day restaurant mixes grey banquette seating with rope-back chairs, teak tabletops, and a large-scale relief wall sculpture in layered sandstone that anchors the space with genuine material presence. At the beachfront infinity pool, canopied day-beds line the water's edge, a dark volcanic-stone pagoda structure framing the view westward across the South China Sea.

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Raffles Hainan features 289 elegant guestrooms and suites, starting from 80 sqm – the largest in Sanya. Each room enjoys magnificent ocean and golf course views from your private balcony. Offering even greater levels of privacy and exclusivity, 32 exquisitely appointed Private Villas are located by the beach. Each offers a private pool and garden, and access to a private Clubhouse, which offers a restaurant, gym, library and a relaxation lounge. Dining is a highlight at Raffles Hainan with five superb restaurants including Italian, Chinese, Asian and Western cuisines, whilst the legendary Raffles’ Long Bar has also travelled to Hainan. The original Long Bar shares an important history with Hainan, as it was Ngiam Tong Boon a bartender from Hainan who first created the world-famous Singapore Sling in 1915. The first Raffles Spa in China is a sumptuous 1,400 sqm sensory retreat designed to resemble a small Chinese village.