Haitang Bay is the most recently developed of Sanya's main resort strips, lying about 35 kilometres east of central Sanya — even further than Yalong Bay. Construction here only began in earnest around 2010, and the result is a wide arc of beach lined with very large international hotels: Atlantis, Conrad, Park Hyatt, Shangri-La, Kempinski, and so on. The atmosphere is more sprawling and less compact than Yalong, with each resort sitting on its own substantial plot.
The beach itself is long, broad, and quiet — partly because the resorts spread out the crowds, partly because the bay is open to the South China Sea and the swell can be more substantial than in the protected coves to the west. The headline attractions in Haitang Bay are Atlantis Sanya (with its aquarium and waterpark, open to non-guests) and the Sanya International Duty Free Mall, the largest duty-free shopping complex in the world. The wharf for the Wuzhizhou Island ferry is at the northern end of the bay.