Rocky Hainan peninsula near Sanya, named for a Li deer legend and crowned by sunset viewpoints.
Luhuitou is a small rocky peninsula on the southern tip of Hainan Island, just outside Sanya. The name means "deer turning its head" and comes from a local Li legend: a young hunter chased a deer to the edge of a cliff, where it transformed into a beautiful woman. A statue of the moment stands at the entrance to Luhuitou Park, which covers the forested hilltop of the peninsula. A small herd of Hainan deer — the island's native species — lives in the park grounds.
The peninsula is also a working fishing port, and the seafood here is about as fresh as it gets on Hainan. Simple waterfront restaurants serve the day's catch directly. The hilltop viewpoint offers a wide panorama over Sanya Bay, particularly good at sunset.
Guide
Eating Out
Luhuitou is the place to come for fresh seafood at workaday prices. The cluster of small restaurants along the harbour road serves what came off the boats in the morning: steamed grouper, salt-and-pepper prawns, stir-fried clams, and the local speciality of Hainanese chicken rice. The pattern is "point and eat" — choose from the tanks, agree the cooking style, and pay by the catty.
Most kitchens close around 22:00. Sanya's busier nightlife scene is back over the bay.
Guide
Getting There
Luhuitou is just south of central Sanya across the small inlet. A taxi from Sanya Bay or Dadonghai takes about ten minutes; city buses run regularly to the foot of the peninsula. The chairlift up to the park starts from the harbour-side car park.
Sanya is reached by frequent flights to Sanya Phoenix International Airport, by the high-speed train that runs around the perimeter of Hainan, and by long-distance buses from Haikou.
