Visitors curious about the lifestyles of China’s rich and famous would do well to begin their research on Wuzhizhou Island in Haitang Bay, about 30km north of Sanya, Hainan’s sun and surf capital on the island’s southern coast. At Wuzhizhou’s posh resorts, guests can play tennis and beach volleyball, try water-skiing and windsurfing and explore crystal-clear waters teeming with exotic sea life.

Hainan has bragging rights to the creation of no less than four culinary specialities whose distinctive tastes are spoken of in hushed tones across the country. Chunks of tender, boiled Wenchang chicken are meant to be enjoyed after dipping them in spices; black-skinned Dongshan mutton is typically served in a soup that’s thick and savory; steamed, full-flavored Hele crab is renowned for its tough shell and tender meat and steamed, sliced Jiaji duck is much coveted for its fatty, flavourful meat. Each dish is widely available in Haikou.

It has been about 13,000 years since the most recent eruption in Haikou’s Rocky Mountains but that doesn’t make the volcanic cluster that remains – made up of about 36 conical craters, Fengdu Ridge being the highest at about 223m, several lava landscapes and 30 caves – any less impressive. Located just 15km from the city centre, Haikou Shishan Crater Cluster National Geological Park offers insight into the island’s geological past along with the chance to check out the hot springs and bask in the surrounding greenery.

For those less inclined to brave the ocean’s depths to experience all the wonders that the undersea realm has to offer, there’s Tropical Ocean World in western Haikou. The 30,000 colourful tropical fish inhabiting The Merry Ocean are sure to wow youngsters, as will waterpark stalwarts like bungee jumping, water slides, tube rides, the “Drifting River” and the pendulum-like “Flying Man”. For parents, a stroll through the Tropical Rain Forest Garden and Tropical Fruit Garden is sure to provide welcome respite from the watery onslaught.

Proving yet again that not everyone has caught on to the fact that real estate is all about “location, location, location”, Dongzhai Harbor Mangrove Nature Reserve is the site of a huge metropolis that now sits unceremoniously beneath the waves. Legend has it that at midnight on 13 July, 1605, a major earthquake resulted in 72 villages disappearing into the sea, where their buildings can be seen to this day. Located about 20km from Haikou, the reserve is also a protected area for tens of thousands of birds representing at least 160 species, a wide array of sea creatures and mangrove trees whose green crowns are the only parts of them visible at high tide.