Known as ‘the Tail of the dragon’, Hainan Island in China’s southernmost province is synonymous with sun, sand, turquoise water and good times. Every Chinese who can afford the luxury wishes to spend a holiday relaxing on its golden beaches, lapped year-round by warm surf.

The resulting resort construction has altered some stretches of the shoreline. But with a crop of sophisticated boutique hotels springing up at more secluded locations on quieter stretches of coast, Hainan still offers you the best options for a beach stay at the end of a tour.

On the same latitude as northern Vietnam, the island boasts a subtropical climate that’s warm and humid between June and October, and drier and sunnier over the winter months.