My Experiences at Gloria Resort Sanya

我的三亚凯莱度假酒店入住体验

Enlish Version: Randy Lee Svendsen Photos: by Gloria Resort Sanya

Dear Cherry,

I am delighted to continue my series about my first vacation week in Sanya, Hainan Province, with my comfortable and happy experiences at the Gloria Resort Sanya where I spent 5 days and nights in a beautiful suite overlooking the gorgeous Yalong Bay.  From their website, Gloria Resort Sanya is a member of Gloria Hotels & Resorts, “a rapidly expanding regional hotel group featuring hotel properties with fine qualities such as choice locations, comfortable accommodation and superb facilities with representative offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Europe.  The group currently manages 16 hotels throughout the People's Republic of China, with Gloria Grand Hotel in Haikou, Nanchang, Hunan-Jishou; Gloria Plaza Hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Dalian, Shenyang, Xian and Chongqing-Wanzhou; Gloria Inns in Harbin, Qinhuangdao and Qingdao; Gloria Resort and Cactus Resort in Sanya, Hainan and Gloria Holiday Villas in Qinhuangdao.  Each with an ideal and central city location and a range of excellent hotel facilities, Gloria Hotels & Resorts is dedicated to the detailed art of hosting in China, offering all in China a warm welcome.”

As part of my birthday vacation last year, my experience at Gloria Resort Sanya began with being picked up at another resort by Angelina Wu, Communications Manager, in the resort limousine, a black Hong Qi with grey leather interior.  This is actually a big American Lincoln Town Car with Hong Qi labels.  I am not sure where it was built, but it was very big and comfortable.  Angelina welcomed me to their resort and assured me I would have a thoroughly relaxing stay.  Minutes later we pulled into the beautiful entranceway to the resort and proceeded up the circular drive to the expansive open main lobby entrance where I was greeted by the entire management staff who were lined up in equal numbers on either side of the Hotel Manager, Sergio Bretti who greeted me with a huge smile and a warm handshake.  Stepping forward was a nice gentleman from the staff who presented me with a tray containing a glass of orange juice and a cool wet towel, welcome on this hot and humid day in the tropics.  We took a picture together, which was delivered to my room nicely framed a few hours later.  I was introduced to Andrew Wong, Director of Food & Beverage; Bathny Zhong, Director of Rooms; Grace Tan, Director of Sales; Jane Zhou, Front Office Manager; and Helen, Duty Manager; all of whom greeted me warmly and were at my service throughout my visit.  My bags disappeared with the bellman and I was escorted to my room by Sergio and others who introduced me to my beautiful suite on the 7^th floor with balconies overlooking the grounds below and the Yalong Bay beyond.  I was checked in at my desk in the room as my bags were delivered and the features of my suite were explained to me.  All left with big smiles and I found myself alone to explore the details of my new temporary home in paradise.  I stepped out on the balcony to enjoy the beautiful surroundings.  The view of Yalong Bay was spectacular, as well as the view of the resort property including tennis courts, archery range, huge rolling lawns, interconnecting swimming pools, palm trees, and the 5 thatched huts of the Spa Garden down by the beach, nestled in a cluster of mature palm trees.  Viewing the layout of the suite begins by walking through the white painted heavy wooden door.  A credenza is on the right side of the foyer and a small bathroom on the left.  Entering the living room, the floors are covered with beige carpet.  A glass desk with dark colored wooden base and woven chair with soft cushion provides the working space, all connected by free Internet service and more electrical outlets than you could need.  On the right is a large wing chair, a couch with a glass coffee table in front of it, and another wing chair with an ottoman placed near the glass door to the balcony.  Across from this chair is a large wooden cabinet with a TV inside.  On each side of the couch are end tables with lamps on top and a telephone on the left side.  This seating area is as comfortable as you would find in a nice home.  Across from the couch is the large entry to the bedroom, which has white louvered thick folding doors that can be closed for privacy.  Against the back wall is the kingsize bed, flanked by end tables with lamps and a telephone on the right side.  There is even a pillow menu from which you can choose from health care, woven rattan, lavender scented, green tea scented, or buckwheat pillows.  Against the window is a comfortable chaise lounge from which you could watch another TV enclosed in a large wooden cabinet with 4 drawers to store clothing.  Across the bedroom from the window is the large master bathroom, which has a foyer containing a sink on the left and a closet on the right, with a security safe inside.  2 large white louvered doors open revealing a toilet on the right, a large white bathtub enclosed in tan colored marble in the center, and a glass shower enclosure on the left with a chrome rainwater showerhead.  Plush white towels and rug in front of the shower complete the scene and welcome you to a relaxing experience.  Additional comfort is provided by separate air conditioning systems in each room.  Finishing off the appearance of this suite are several seashells displayed on the walls of each room, covered by glass in matching wooden frames.  I felt very comfortable and at ease in this suite, which could become a new home for me in Sanya.

Soon after unpacking I decided to stroll around the property to take some pictures and I ended up at the Spa Garden.  As advertised by the resort, “Spa Garden includes 5 exclusive Thai style villa huts dotted amongst a tropical surrounding with full ocean frontal view.  Simply indulge in an herbal bath, aroma-therapy massage, or bask in body enriching nutrients.”  I entered the main thatched roof hut and asked for a massage.  I was given some cool green tea by Annie, who led me to my private hut for a soothing 90 minute oil massage.  Beginning with an outdoor shower in a shoulder high enclosure, I looked out over the water and listened to the waves crashing on the beach.  Then I laid down on one of two massage tables for my fabulous massage while relaxing to soft music and the sounds of the sea.  I almost fell asleep and I felt great!  This is an excellent way to begin a vacation, and I got into the habit of repeating the experience every day at 3 o’clock, thus preparing myself for happy hour and a good night of fine dining and wine.  Following my massage, I went back to my room to change clothes and proceeded to the lobby bar for a drink.  A large open space with a colorful bar in the middle, I chose the center barstool and asked Jenna to pour me a Beefeater on-the-rocks.  I had a nice conversation with Linda, who that day was serving MOVENPICK ice cream from Switzerland at the special ice cream counter near the bar.  Linda is from Hainan Island and I enjoyed talking with her about local history and customs.

After my drink I decided to try the Chinese restaurant, located on the second floor.  As advertised, “The Sampan Seafood Restaurant is well known for its flavorful Cantonese cuisine and fresh treasures from the ocean, cooked to perfection by master chefs from Guangdong.  The pleasant ambiance is further complemented by the impeccable service and cool comforts that offer relief to the tropical climes.”  This is a long restaurant with extensive window views to the beautiful grounds outside, and for a special effect a scaled down wooden Sanpan, complete with sails, is mounted in rocks at the back of the room against the windows.  The entire room consists of light colored woods and beige colored walls and tablecloths, and all chairs are traditional Chinese made of light wood to match the rest of the décor, which is very pleasing to the eye.  There are 4 traditional meat dishes and 2 special vegetables originating from Hainan Island.  These are: 1) Wen Chang Chicken; 2) Dong Shan Lamb; 3) Jia Ji Duck; and 4) He Le Crab.  Most notable of the vegetables are the square beans, which are long and square in shape.  I was seated at a nice table by the window in this very large Chinese restaurant with a kitchen visible through clear glass, centrally located opposite the long expanse of windows to the outside.  I took a look at the modest wine list and chose one of my regular casual drinking wines, a 2005 Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre blend called “The Stump Jump” by d’Arenberg of South Australia.  This was a steal at only RMB 380 a bottle.  Lisa brought the wine and opened it professionally and poured a glass for me.  Chef John Xu has prepared a menu with an extensive assortment of specialties and familiar dishes so popular in Chinese restaurants.  Because I wanted to try some of the traditional Hainan Island dishes, my choices were easy.  I started with a traditional appetizer of roasted peanuts with tiny fried and salted whole fish to sharpen my chopsticks skills before the main dinner.  My next plate was the Wen Chang Chicken, free range Chicken deep-fried with garlic.  This was very flavorful and the spiciness of the wine was very good with it.  The white meat was firm, but tender in the bigger pieces of breast meat.  I really liked this dish.  Next I had the Dong Shan Lamb, braised in brown sauce in a clay pot that looked like a stew, cooked with carrots, onions, mushrooms, and peppers.  This dish was interestingly seasoned with full-bodied wild spices.  The meat was gamey but tender and good.  Big pieces of ginger were so cooked down that I could eat them whole and they had big smooth flavors absorbed from the broth.  This dish was served with wild stir-fried fresh vegetables.  Chef John Wu specially prepared for me a sampling of desserts consisting of 3 delightful selections.  The first was Baked Durian Pastry that was so good I could eat it every day.  Secondly, I tried the Crispy Water Chestnut Cake, which was very nice and different than any cake I have had before.  Finally, I had the Sweetened Red Bean Cream, a smooth and cool sweet finish to a great meal.  Service was also excellent throughout the evening.  Lisa continued to pour the wine at appropriate intervals while Tina, Cather, and Jojo managed my table and kept me happily entertained.  This was a special treat for my first night at this friendly resort.

After dinner I went upstairs to my suite for a restful night’s sleep after checking my email.  This accomplished, I awoke in the morning and opened the curtains in both rooms to reveal another beautiful morning in the tropics.  I stepped out on the balcony to enjoy the still cool air of the early morning.  The sun having risen only minutes before, I could see the rays of sunlight penetrating the cool morning mist.  Yalong Bay is formed by mountains tapering down into the water at both ends of the bay, thus cradling the area and protecting the beaches from some of the direct forces of the South China Sea.  Further protection is provided by 3 small islands and 2 rock clusters off shore, but visible from the beach and from my balcony.  Off in the distance at the far left end of the bay sat 4 Chinese Naval vessels, which reminded me of my home in America near the harbor of San Diego, California, which hosts a large United States Naval Base.  Stepping back inside, I completed my morning routine and went downstairs to breakfast.  There is a large restaurant area to the right of the main lobby called the Atrium Café.  I was welcomed by the smiles of Miller and Delia at the podium and shown to my table.  This room is open to the outside, front and back, through large white louvered doors and windows, giving the feeling of complete openness to nature.  There are 5 large tropical birds living on perches in the lobby that caw and scream sporadically, thus adding the sound effects of the jungle to the visual pleasure of the flora seen outside.  I sat at a brown colored granite topped table with black wrought iron legs and rattan chairs.  Immediately, the charming Coco brought a cup of fresh coffee for me to enjoy during my initial people watching before I indulged at the breakfast buffet.  Coco is very nice, and she took care of all my needs at breakfast each morning.  Also caring for the breakfast tables were Peggy, Ketty, Jennifer, Helen, and Owen.  Anthony, one of the managers, checked up on me and introduced me to Chef Peter How who promised to attend to any of my special breakfast requests.  Everything looked so good on the large circular buffet in the center of the room, I did not require any special attention.  A complete array of breakfast buffet offerings included juices, fruits, cereals, freshly cooked eggs, pastries and breads, and several stations of Chinese breakfast selections.  As advertised, “Dining at the Atrium Café is an experience that is made more pleasant by the caressing, gentle sea breeze from the beautiful South China Sea making the extensive offering of delicious Western and Oriental cuisine only more enjoyable.”  I can’t help but agree and I looked forward to starting every morning in the pleasant environment of the Atrium Café.