Business Destination of the Month: SANYA

Planning a business trip with your colleagues? Or just looking to get away for the weekend but can’t escape the paperwork? Sanya might just be the trip for you…

Sanya, in Hainan Province, is three hours south of Shanghai by plane and is thought by many to be the ‘Hawaii of China’ because of its exotic climate, sandy beaches and tropical surroundings. Even in winter the temperature stands at a comfortable 21 degrees Celsius, and with an approximate temperature of 28 degrees Celsius for May, you’ll feel a million miles away from Shanghai, transported to heaven on Earth.

Still, we know many of you busy people have trouble breaking away from your hectic work routines, and end up spending most of your time tied to your laptop, or making conference calls until the early hours. Fortunately, the Mandarin Oriental in Sanya does better than anywhere else in combining business with pleasure, and offers a sophisticated and relaxing location for memorable meetings and luxury incentives.

Located just seven minutes from Sanya's city centre and 25 minutes from Sanya International Airport, the 296 room Mandarin Oriental Sanya resort is a convenient option, and yet still feels a million miles away from it all. The feeling of being on a desert island won’t be lost on you. Enjoying the tranquility of a secluded 1.2 kilometre private coral bay nestled amongst jungle matted hills and the South China Sea, you’re guaranteed to feel that the office is a world away.

Still, if you are here specifically on business, there is an expansive 900 square metres of meeting space making the MO a popular choice for functions and events. The Mandarin Oriental Sanya’s biggest function space, the 525 square metre Coral Bay Ballroom, can host up to 450 guests, and located at the highest point of the resort, commands spectacular panoramic views over the bay below.

For smaller meetings, there are a further five well-equipped, attractive rooms, each of which looks onto the hotel’s landscaped gardens and Coral Bay. Still, if you’re determined to spend some outdoor teambuilding time with your colleagues, outdoor functions can be held at the pool side, or in locations along the beachfront and in the gardens.

Events and teambuilding programmes can be customised to make the most of your trip. Yoga, taught by an Indian yoga master, tai chi taught by a Shaolin Kungfu expert and water sports are popular choices. There are also specially prepared team games and problem solving activities supervised by teambuilding professionals. For a spot of golf, over ten world class golf courses can be found within an hour’s drive of the resort.

Along with ten restaurants and bars, the resort’s award-winning Spa Village offers relaxing international treatments and traditional Chinese medicine therapies so you can truly unwind once all the hard work has been done, making this our choice for a business or MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) getaway.

Mandarin Oriental Sanya. Tel: (898) 8820 6051, Web: www.mandarinoriental.com/sanya/meetings