The Sanya Edition is situated along the tropical coastline of Haitang Bay on Hainan Island. More than just a hotel, the 19.5-hectare site also accommodates privately owned villas, conference facilities, restaurants, swimming pools and other leisure amenities. These elements are organised around a central water body, the Private Ocean—a man-made salt water lagoon separated from the South China Sea by the beach. 

 

Throughout the project, SCDA’s design explores different ways of linking the Private Ocean with the architecture. In front of the hotel lobby, a promenade steps up from the water’s edge in a series of curved terraces, following the site’s topography, creating a sweeping green amphitheatre. Smaller programmatic elements, such as the private villas and F&B outlets, are placed along a private beach, or perch directly above the Private Ocean’s waters. The water edge is lined timber decks and private pools that create a gradual transition between the architecture, landscape and water.