In addition to the indescribable nature of Hainan Island and excellent relaxation, its visitors are delighted by restaurants and bars with a variety of cuisine. Many travelers go to this amazing country not only for the gentle sun and blue sea, but also to taste many world-famous Chinese dishes.
Even in Russia, thanks to the Internet, you can decide on restaurants and bars that you plan to visit on vacation. You can go to their website, find out their cuisine, the proposed menu and prices, thereby determining your budget.
In the restaurants of the island, holidaymakers can taste dishes that are known all over the world and are considered purely Chinese, for example: Peking duck. But, you can also find on the menu dishes that are characteristic exclusively for the island of Hainan. These are Dongshan goat meat, Wenchang chicken with spices, hele crabs with garlic sauce.
At a seafood restaurant on Hainan Island, you can enjoy local recipes. At the entrance, as a rule, these restaurants have aquariums where the marine life is offered on the menu. The specialties of the restaurants are raw lobster meat with a special sauce. Gourmets here can taste shark fins, moray eels, clams, shrimps, lampreys and other delicious seafood.
How much will dinner cost on Hainan Island
For vacationers, it will be useful to know that all restaurants in Hainan sell seafood by weight. Regardless of the method of their preparation.
The price for 500 grams of the ordered dish is often indicated on the aquarium. You can calculate how much the dinner will cost in advance if you see how the desired marine life is taken out of the aquarium and weighed.
There are also many establishments with reasonable prices, where, in just a few minutes, visitors will be able to cook and serve skewers of fish, meat or vegetables on skewers. Many vacationers prefer such a hearty meal.
It is worth noting that it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question about the price of dishes on the island. The price is influenced by which part of Hainan the establishment is located in.
For example, in Yalunwan, given that restaurants are located in hotels, you will have to pay an average of $ 20 for a meal. In the resorts of Dadonghai and Sanya, it is possible to find a place for dinner or lunch near the hotel. Prices in cafes, bars and restaurants are quite affordable. And ordering a meal could well cost about $ 10.
It is worth noting that vacationers from Russia do not need to worry that the waiters may not understand them. In Hainan, everything has been done so that holidaymakers do not need anything, and the Russian-speaking staff will understand all orders and requests. There is a restaurant in which the waiters and cooks are from Russian-speaking countries.
You can even come to the island and not feel that this is Asia, if you order the usual dumplings and borscht. Most cafes and restaurants offer a Russian-language menu.
How to choose a restaurant, cafe, or other establishment in Hainan
In order to decide which restaurant, bar or cafe to go to for dinner, the easiest way is to understand what kind of cuisine you want to try.
Hainan offers a choice of Russian, Chinese, Japanese, European, American, Mediterranean, Indian, German, Thai and many other cuisines that can be tasted in hundreds of establishments.
When you find yourself on the territory of China, you understand that the earth is not only round, but also so different. If you are used to seeing a lot of dairy products, sausages and cheeses on store shelves, then this may not be at all familiar to another country on the other side of the world. The same is with the size - our kebabs can simply be called mega-royal after you meet their younger brother - a Chinese kebab on a toothpick skewer. But this far from implores his taste, and he certainly has no equal in variety.
Shaokao (烧 烤 ) a very popular dish in China and often very cheap (2 to 10 yuan per skewer). If you do not talk about restaurants, then you can try barbecue right on the street, usually this is an evening meal or even a night snack. Previously, it was possible to find such barbecue in almost every yard, it is very convenient, but now the state is successfully fighting this type of activity, bringing such illegal entrepreneurs to the legal level. Large beer producers rent the territory and rent out places for barbecue people or those who can quickly and tasty feed the people at an affordable price, and where there is food, you can sell beer well. The symbiosis is convenient for everyone.
One such place will be discussed further. Situated a beachhead for eating barbecue in the Sanya Bay on the street Fengxiang Lu opposite the hotel Xizang Dasha (风 翔路, 三 亚 西藏大厦 对 面 ) within walking distance from the hotel Palm Beach(Palm Beach Resort) and Soluxe (Grand Soluxe Hotel Resort)... For those who love exotics and walks, you can also get from more remote points of the Sanya Bay. I do not recommend coming to this address from the city or Dadonghai Bay, since there are barbecue houses there, reports on which will be later. And the name of this in Chinese sounds like this: Limensian (黎梦 乡 ).
Attracts the fact that there are not very many people here, so it will not be as noisy as in cafes of the same type, but located on the coastal zone. And arising from the location - more low pricing policy.
With order difficulties should not arise, everything that can pamper you lies right in front of your eyes in the refrigerators. Again, it is worth noting that the choice is not small, there is meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables ... and even bread, it is true rice, but if you cook it on the grill, it turns out to be very fragrant. There are several barbecue houses working on the square, you can order from everyone, they cook deliciously, if something is not found on the counter at one, you can order from another.
Note! The Chinese love spices. AND very fond of spicy dishes... This is especially true of kebabs, usually they are peppery and pepper is not spared. Therefore, in order not to ruin the evening and not drink half a ton of beer, when ordering, say loudly Boo La (不辣 ) , and if this is the second cafe from the entrance, then this phrase must be said a couple of times and do not hesitate, we are faced with the fact that when we saw foreigners, the Chinese turned off all perception of reality, and they cooked everything for us very spicy, albeit delicious. The second time - we were already more persistent - and everything turned out to be five-plus.
Receipt our evening barbecue walk for two is 78 yuan without drinks. Although the kebabs in China are really small, you somehow quickly fill up with them. We braided 4 beef skewers for both cheeks, two chicken ventricles, 3 cuttlefish (it was because of her that we went to the barbecue, very tasty), a skewer with tofu and herbs, 3 skewers with veins (for an amateur), 2 skewers fried bread, one sea cucumber (also very tasty).
Terminology
牛肉 - beef
羊肉 - lamb
鸡翅 - chicken wings
玉米 - corn
鸡 胗 - chicken stomach
馒头 - rice buns
生蚝 - oysters
豆腐 - tofu
Good day to all! We rested in Hainan in Sanya in Dudonghai Bay in May 2017 for the first time. The weather is excellent, it rained a couple of times for 20 minutes. We have been to Thailand several times, to GOA, Vietnam and Egypt. We rested in the Liking hotel, declared as 4 stars. We are not picky people, so we liked the hotel. The only thing that a little strained by the end of the rest was that you still had to walk to the main dviznya, where all the cafes, restaurants and shops. The walk is not long, of course, about 10-15 minutes.
They settled us quickly, took a deposit of $ 100. The room was on the first floor, somewhere in the back of the hotel, It was very quiet. No gnats and mosquitoes interfered with or bit, no living creatures were seen in the room at all, but if suddenly, all the same, a mosquito flies in, that is, a fumigator in the room. The hotel area is clean, well-groomed, lots of greenery and flowers. The room has a hairdryer, a TV with one Russian channel NTV, all the accessories for washing, something is paid, something is free, there is a refrigerator, but it is quite weak, it cools somehow, there is no question of freezing ice. Refrigerators in all rooms are the same, it makes no sense to change the room because of the refrigerator. There is a safe, robes, slippers, an umbrella, you can take it to the beach, dishes, a dryer on the balcony, the air conditioner was normal, in short there is everything that people need. There is no iron. The staff is polite, cleaning every day. Representatives of travel companies work at the hotel reception until 19.00, they are Chinese, but they speak Russian, you can find out any information from them, they will write you on a piece of paper in Chinese and you can safely go with this piece of paper in a taxi and on a bus. go where to find something. In short, on all incomprehensible questions to them.
Breakfasts were included, they start from 9 to 10.30. Normal standard breakfasts))) were not hungry. Porridge, soups, muesli, yoghurts, noodles, herbs, eggs, sausage, sausages, rice, fruits, toast, jams, juices, water, milk, tea, coffee. In short, we have no complaints)))
There is a swimming pool, I will not say that it is perfectly clean, it does not smell of bleach, the water in it heats up very much during the day, it doesn’t even cool it at all. There is a shower by the pool. Towels for the beach are very rare, so we took from the room and did not bathe. The pool is open until 22.00 About the beach: of course, there are sun loungers, there are also few of them, by the way, I have never seen free ones, to take a sunbed, you need to come earlier))) You cannot swim near the hotel, stones. To swim, you need to walk to the left of our beach, but sun loungers will already be paid from 50 yuan for a sun lounger, as agreed. This was a little strained later. Many lie on the sand under the sun on towels, there is no place to hide from the sun. The sea would not say that it is super clean, the water is clear, blue, but there is garbage floating in it (((Swimming is comfortable, there are no waves. Beware if the waves on the sea ... there may be jellyfish. Check the sea. We have two days there were waves and a bunch of jellyfish, one bit me, the burn took about three weeks ... The beach line is long, and along the whole line there are cafes and restaurants. We dined there most often. On the second line from the beach there are also cafes and shops, there too ate more than once.
Communication: Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, both in the rooms and by the pool, such a normal Internet. Films, of course, cannot be downloaded, but you can read something. All social networks work, except for instagram. There is no Google, only Yandex and no YouTube. Viber works every other time, mainly WhatsApp. Who does not have - download. You need to set up a VPN on your phone, then it seems like Instagram will work))) Check with your operator in Russia. Communication is expensive, so I recommend turning off cellular data on an airplane. The guides said that you can't buy a local SIM card there, but you can still buy it with your passport, only how to communicate with the Chinese you will ... it is not known))) Use the Internet and call WatsAP, here is your answer. Wi-fi is available in all cafes))) it is very convenient.
The most famous shop in Dudonghai Bay is Pineapple. There are four floors of all sorts of things. 2nd floor food supermarket, Tipo Lenta or Okay, or Auchan. There are fixed prices for everything, and, accordingly, it is cheapest to buy there. On the 4th floor there is a cafe 1 + 1, many eat there, we did not go there. The Pineapple shopping center is a reference point for everything else))) There are smaller shopping centers such as Summer and Winter. Summer is a taller semicircular building, there are expensive boutiques, and Winter is also a semicircular one nearby, but an old building, they sell everything there))) They went in, looked and left, nothing interesting ... You can ask any vacationer where that is. In two or three days, you will begin to navigate)))
Where to eat: you can bring your own alcohol to all cafes))) Cafe Slavyanka or Lena is the same thing. Second line from the embankment. Prices are about the same as everywhere else. The waiter speaks Russian, in principle you can go ... The food court is located near the Intime hotel. Was once, did not like it. It's a closed cafe, and we love to sit outside. Soups were taken, horror ... I do not recommend. The prices are not low. Inn Moscow, located across the street from the shopping center Leto. Tasty, not expensive, a lot of our compatriots. A decent establishment, a huge menu, but you can't take your own drinks. Recommend! Cafe Caravela, there are two of them. One is also located across the street from the Leto shopping center. The second is near Food Court. I recommend visiting. Cafe USSR. located on the waterfront, on the first line, near the Intime hotel. Russian music, friendly staff, delicious, prices, like everywhere else. Live Russian music in the evening. Recommend! The food area is still there, it only works in the evening. Lots of tables, lots of people, food is okay. Prices are slightly lower than in cafes. They tried fried ice cream, yummy))), located between Summer and Winter. Recommend! The Peking Duck cafe is also worth visiting, located near the Leto shopping center. All the main cafes are located in the area of the Leto shopping center. You can ask any person, they will prompt you without any problems. Cafe Harbin, located opposite the square with a fountain, right in the hotel from the sea side. Take a walk and see))) you can also ask if that. There are also a bunch of small cafes on the embankment, they are delicious, but the Chinese do not understand anything either in Russian or in English, even the translator in the phone did not help. It is very difficult to explain to them what you need ...
I recommend trying the Peking duck. We bought it in a cafe in the USSR, 150 yuan, the dish is really a person for four. Tasty, you will lick your fingers))) It seems like they saw it cheaper somewhere, but it's tasty or not, I can't say. This dish consists of five courses. Therefore, you do not need to order something else))) Harbin salad is worth trying, delicious))) The first time we ate sea urchins. Cool, I liked it. Not disgusting! Delicious oysters, not the same as in Thailand. Tastier as something like cooking, or the oysters themselves are different))) I liked the fish mirror))) I advise you to try it too))) I also liked the local Chinese dumplings, feel free to order. Juices, fresh juices are also sold and made everywhere. But somehow they seemed to me not very tasty. The local ice cream is also worth trying. Fruit is all there! They sell on every corner. A lot of exotic seafood from the look of which makes it uncomfortable))) Who is brave, of course try it. They offer many in which cafes to try silkworm cocoons, we did not dare))) And in general, you need to try everything! The main thing is to eat in those places where there are people, and in the evening use activated charcoal, 1 tabl per 10 kg of body weight))) And everything will be fine.
Hookah lovers: I do not recommend taking it in any cafe. Sucks! The only place where a good hookah is at the Steam locomotive hookah bar. Located in Food Square, where beer is sold. If you stand facing the BEER, then go a little to the left into the shopping arcade. Perhaps they will already make a sign when we were in Hainan, they just opened))) It was opened by a Chinese man who lived in Russia for many years. He speaks Russian, such a nice guy, he has a hookah of 100 yuan.
Alcohol: Most people drink beer. Their beer is delicious, very light, about 3 degrees. The price is reasonable, about 10 yuan in a cafe. Also, Chinese rice vodka)) is different and the prices are different, I recommend small white bottles with coconut. Similar to Malibu liquor)) 125 ml 10 yuan approx. Different stores have different prices. Price first))) And another delicious 0.5 ml vodka - green label with a bull and a red cap, 42 degrees, price of 17 yuan approximately. This is what we tried and we liked it))) And so there is a lot of alcohol, buy try))) Elite, branded alcohol is also there, not cheap))) We brought a bottle of whiskey on vacation from Russia))), why and I wish you if you drink alcoholic beverages.
Prices: when compared with Thailand, of course more expensive. For all! For food, for things, for fruit ...
There are no markets where to eat, as in Thailand, for example. There is only a cafe.
Transport: we went either on foot, or by taxi, or by bus))) There is a fixed tariff in a taxi. Orange cars 10 yuan landing, blue cars are more expensive. Very convenient, went everywhere and did not pay more than 15 yuan))) We went by bus to Yalong Bay. Bus 25 and go to the final, sit down from the side of the Pineapple shopping center, go 30 minutes. Manage to come back before five in the evening. In the evening, bus 25 does not run))) I definitely recommend going to this bay, we have been three times. The water is pure, there are fewer people))) One way fare is 7 yuan per person. Cook without surrender))) I recommend going to the park "Deer turned his head", go to the sunset, at five o'clock in the evening. How to get there ask the hotel guide))) go uphill. Don't get lost))) Price 57 yuan. In the evening it is very beautiful there. And one more recommendation to visit, this is an excursion "Romantic Park" price of $ 50 somewhere approximately. They say this show ranks third after the circus du Soleil. Take a tour, at least there will be a guide who will tell you a lot of interesting things.
We also went to the Big Trees Light Show at the Sanya Beauty Crown Hotel. Beauty. By taxi, about 13 RMB. At night, this hotel lights up with different lights. You can take cool pictures! What else to see? The fountain show on the square near the Leto shopping center, starts at 20.00, the show runs every other day. Nice, effective))) Free! It's a sin not to look))) We've traveled a lot, but there is nothing super interesting there, so I won't write ...
I do not recommend the sightseeing tour for free or paid. Waste your time! We also did not go to the springs here, we were in Vietnam and decided not to go here. Someone says what, someone liked it, someone didn’t. It's up to you))) if the budget allows, go everywhere.
The Chinese themselves did not cause negative emotions in me. Nice, smiling, benevolent people. They smoke a lot, and everywhere)) In elevators, in rooms, in cafes, etc. They spit, sometimes farts, vomit, in short they are specific ... But this is their culture and it is not for us to decide. It is we who are going to them, and not they are going to us))) Therefore, only a good mood and positivity and everything will be fine! Relax and ignore the little things!
Hello everyone, my dear readers. Today I want to tell you how much food costs in Hainan in the city of Sanya. Let's talk about cafes, restaurants, fruits from the markets, delicious ice cream and products from the supermarket.
There are many absolutely opposite opinions on this topic on the Internet: someone says that everything is expensive, someone, on the contrary, claims that you can eat for a penny. The truth, as you probably guessed, is somewhere in between.
And I just want to tell you where we ate, how much it cost us, and what impressions this or that dish left me, and you yourself draw your own conclusions as to how much these prices and quality of food are acceptable for you.
In this article:
Cafes and restaurants
You will definitely not stay hungry in Sanya: cafes and restaurants are literally at every step. Here are some of those we visited.
1. Food area
This place is located in Da Dong Hai Bay, not far from the main street, between the Zima and Leto shopping centers. It is a small square, along the perimeter of which there are several cafes, tables are installed closer to the center of the square, and a stage is located in the very center. The food square is open in the evenings.
The exact location on the map can be found here.
I started my story from this very place, as it is quite popular with tourists. It's great to sit here in the evening, eat ice cream, and enjoy the concert (I recommend visiting). But I cannot recommend it as a place for lunch or dinner, for the simple reason that the food here is not tasty.
Yes, there is a great selection of food. Yes, the food is relatively inexpensive. But I didn't like anything here:
- chicken kebabs - the meat does not look like chicken at all, it's even scary to imagine what it was made of (10 yuan per skewer),
- tofu fried in soy sauce - too salty (RMB 8 each).
The rolls with bacon and mushrooms were tolerant to the taste, but I can't say “tasty” about them either.
In addition, before the trip, we knew from other tourists that it is better not to take rice dishes or pasta with meat on the square, since there will be very little meat, and beef is not always fried. So this rule was confirmed not only for this place, but also for some others (we will talk about them further). Such dishes cost from 25 RMB to about 60 RMB.
Let's just say, if I was very hungry, I would not have the strength to go to another cafe, then I would take rice with vegetables and some greens here.
In general, it is worth going here in order to try fried ice cream. It is prepared at a kiosk on the corner:
It's just unreal! I highly recommend it to everyone.
For everyone who doesn't know, I will briefly explain how it is prepared. First, take fruits (of your choice) and beat them in a blender. The finished mixture is poured into a special bowl, which is cooled from below. The mixture begins to freeze, it is stirred with a spatula so that it freezes evenly. After a while, when the mixture is completely frozen, it is put into a glass.
This pleasure is worth 20 yuan. It doesn't look very presentable, but it really tastes good.
Here you can also buy a fruit cocktail, that is, the fruit will simply be whipped in a blender. It will cost RMB 18:
I repeat once again that it is very tasty and must be tasted.
Small bottom line: you shouldn't dine in the food square, but you can taste great ice cream and listen to good music.
2. Chinese food cafe
See the exact location on the map at this link.
It can be found along green walls, a red sign, and skullcap waiters:
Here you can taste Chinese dishes consisting of pasta or rice with various additives of your choice: meat, vegetables and sauces.
Picture menu, staff speak a little English.
Here a very important point arises, which applies in general to all cafes and restaurants in China: the dish that you order may turn out to be simply unrealistically spicy. So spicy that you can't eat it.
Therefore, when ordering, be sure to indicate that the dish is not spicy. You can do this by using words to visit China. Just print it out before you travel, or save it to your phone and carry it with you everywhere.
Here the food seemed to me quite tasty, I love different sauces. The only thing I would advise is to take dishes with chicken, as all other types of meat can seem tough.
The portions are large: a plate with a mountain. The average cost of a rice or pasta dish with meat, vegetables and sauces is 20 yuan. We ate there for 45 yuan together with drinks.
3. Frog cafe
Yes, there is a restaurant in Sanya where you can taste the frog dish. It is located in the Pineapple shopping center in Da Dong Hai Bay, which was already mentioned above. This mall from the outside looks like a pineapple (who would have thought), I marked its location on the map.
In general, I really liked this shopping center, there is a lot of interesting things, and on the 4th floor there are just countless cafes and restaurants. So even if you don't want to go exactly to the cafe with frogs, still visit this place. I am sure that you will find a restaurant for yourself with quality and very tasty Chinese food.
On purpose, we were not going to this cafe. We just walked by, and I saw unrealistically huge (!!!) portions on the tables of visitors. Imagine a baking sheet for baking something in the oven, so deep, with high sides. Now divide it in half - this will be the size of the plate. And on such a plate there is just a mountain of meat and vegetables.
We could not pass by. For a very long time we talked with the waiters through an interpreter, trying to find out what this or that dish was made of. In the end, it turned out that there are dishes of frog meat, chicken and shrimp.
We decided not to risk it and ordered a chicken dish. It turned out to be not as big as the frog dishes, but still not small either. To him we ordered a small plate of rice and drinks. They brought us watermelons and a kettle of tea for free.
All this pleasure cost about 140 yuan. It was very tasty: the meat was well done, the broth was rich. Recommend.
Prices can be found in the menu:
I want to explain why we didn't order frog dishes. The fact is that the Chinese cook meat differently than we are used to. For example, they do not cut chicken into legs, wings, thighs and fillets. They just take a big heavy knife and cut the chicken to pieces right with all the bones, skin and even paws.
That is, when you catch a piece of chicken, it will not be pure meat, but a bone with meat and cartilage, for example. And here a chicken paw can also swim. This is such a feature of Chinese cuisine (of course, there are exceptions, which will be discussed later).
But if the chicken paw in the dish can still be safely transferred, then I'm not entirely sure about the frog paw. So we decided to take something more familiar. And now, to be honest, I regret a little that I did not dare to try it. For some reason it seems to me that it would be delicious.
You can find this cafe on the fourth floor. From the escalator you need to go through the corridor and at the end of it there will be a sign like this:
4. Shopping center "Pineapple"
As I said above, there are many cafes and restaurants in Pineapple. At the entrance to the mall, we were given advertising brochures several times. I will post them below so you can evaluate the dishes and their cost.
There is also a rather unusual cafe on the fourth floor of the Pineapple shopping center: it can be recognized by the benches that stand at the entrance to it. That is, the cafe is so overcrowded that the Chinese (we did not see Russians there) sit and wait for a place to become free.
Guys, I'll tell you honestly, I've never seen such huge plates anywhere (even in a frog restaurant). My salad bowls are smaller than these plates.
As a result, as far as we understood from communication with the waitress, in this cafe you only need to pay for the entrance of about 50 yuan, and you can eat as much as you want. And the food is very spicy. This is all not accurate, since we communicated literally on our fingers, but just keep in mind that such establishments have a place to be.
5. Restaurant in the hotel
Each hotel has its own restaurant. Many believe that it is very expensive to eat there, although this is not always the case. I recommend that you definitely look there, you can even drop by before opening to just study the menu: often the prices for the dishes are quite reasonable, while the service will be excellent.
For example, in a hotel restaurant Hawaii Hotel we ordered spicy duck (96 yuan) and dumplings (38 yuan). Juice (we drank 2 liters with spicy duck) - no more than 10 yuan.
The duck is constantly heated from below:
Food prices at this restaurant start at around RMB 30.
The duck turned out to be VERY spicy, so if you want hardcore - go ahead! The dumplings are delicious, I recommend to everyone.
The restaurant, by the way, is located on the second floor of the hotel:
6. Cafe with hairy food
There is one fairly popular place in Da Dong Hai Bay near the beach, but the food there is just disgusting! Not because it tastes bad (although in this regard they also pumped up), but because both times that we were there, other people's hair turned out to be in my food !!! Well, once they gave me a dirty spoon ...
This is the place:
The portions are huge, the prices for the dishes are from 20 RMB.
But the quality of the food is lame. If you take any meat other than chicken, be prepared for the fact that it will most likely not be fried, and there will be very little of it.
7. Fast food
It is generally accepted in our country that only burgers and soda that are harmful to the stomach are sold at McDonald's or anywhere else. But traditions are so strong in China that in every McDuck and other similar establishments you can buy a full-fledged dish of rice, meat and vegetables.
For example, at the local fast food Dicos ( see the position on the map here) we had a very tasty and very inexpensive dinner. The cafe is located on the second floor:
The smallest cell of the plate contains a sharp component. That is, you are not initially prepared spicy food, but given a choice, which, in my opinion, is simply wonderful.
The food is delicious, the meat is boneless and very well cooked.
And one time we ran at McDonald's on a pedestrian street, where they also ordered rice and chicken. Prices are about the same. There is a lot of meat, but, in my opinion, not enough sauce.
In general, if you need a quick, relatively inexpensive and without surprises snack, you can run here.
Once, for fun, we decided to order a local chickenburger at Dicos (13 yuan). Who would have thought that it could be SO sharp! So be careful)
8. Cafe in Yalong Bay
Fruit
Fruit is best bought from two locations. The first of these is the markets.
All markets, large and small, are a must. Since there I tell you which of them you can buy fruits inexpensively, and where it is better to take them is not worth it because of the cosmic prices.
The second good place is street vendors. On the central streets you may meet Chinese women who will offer all passers-by "mango" and "banana". Their fruits are very tasty and ripe. Prices may be slightly higher than in the markets, but if you meet such a Chinese woman in the evening, you can buy the last item from her at a very good price.
And these are the approximate prices for fruits (prices are indicated for half a kilo):
- pineapples - 4 yuan
- mango - 5-6 yuan
- tangerines - 4 yuan
- lychee - 6 yuan
- dragon fruit, pitahaya - 4 yuan
- coconuts - 10 RMB apiece
Prices may fluctuate slightly, don't forget to bargain.
Ice cream
I already talked about ice cream above, but I just can't help but put it in a separate chapter. This is what you MUST try in Hainan. This is delicious.
Ice cream is made from fresh fruits. First, beat them in a blender until smooth. Then the resulting mixture is poured into a special freezing bowl. After completely freezing, the mass is laid out in a glass.
You can buy it at the food market: at the very first kiosk... Costs 20 yuan.
I confess that I was ready to eat it every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Food in supermarkets
There is a supermarket chain in Sanya, they are found literally at every step and even more often. I cannot say what they are called, since the name is written only in hieroglyphs. Usually green color predominates in their design.
You can buy literally everything in them. If you get to a large point, you can walk like in a museum and be amazed at the huge variety of those products that we sell very limitedly. For example, a whole department might be devoted to infusions or soy sauce. You can come across unusual products that are not sold here.
Prices are very different for everything. For example, we bought cookies on the way back (by the way, it came in handy): 1.5 - 2.5 yuan per pack:
Dairy products are very expensive - sour cream 35 yuan per jar. But here there is a lot of other and inexpensive things. In one supermarket, I photographed a rack with stock products (do not forget that the cost of products is indicated for half a kilo):
Drinks cost 3 - 5 RMB for a 0.5 liter bottle.
So, here are 2 of the largest and most interesting food supermarkets.
1. Underground food supermarket
In Sanya, they no longer know where else to build something, so they decided to bury themselves underground. Under the busiest street in the city, next to the pedestrian street, there is a supermarket located on the minus second floor.
You can go down into it by an elevator, which is located right next to the roadway, and is a separate building. The elevator is located approximately here - see location on map.
On the second floor there is a whole underground street, on one side of which there is a parking lot where taxis are waiting.
On the other hand, the shopping center, which smoothly turns into a huge supermarket, where you can find almost any food.
I took a few shots. Pastries and sweets:
Seafood:
Crabs from RMB 50 per pound:
Hedgehogs from 3 yuan per piece, shells about 20 yuan per pound:
148 yuan per pound:
Bread - from 1.5 yuan,
Coconut milk - 3.5 yuan per can,
Candy - from 8.5 yuan per box,
Fruit is slightly more expensive than on the market.
2. Food supermarket in "Pineapple"
On the second floor shopping center "Pineapple" there is a large supermarket. There are clothes hanging at the entrance to the store, so it is not very clear that this is a food store.
There is also a lot of interesting things here, you can buy gifts.
The prices are about the same as in the first supermarket, so I don't see any point in listing them.
About breakfast at the hotel
Concluding the topic of food, I would like to talk about the breakfasts that take place in hotels. Can't speak for all the hotels as we were only two (and both were 4 stars), but still.
Don't rely on fancy and varied breakfasts.
Be prepared to be disappointed with the breakfast food. For example, it can be soy sausages of an unnaturally red color, something will seem unsalted, something too greasy. We didn't have coffee at all, instead tea, coconut milk and juice.
The variety of breakfasts does not differ either: most likely, they will be the same every day.
My advice is: try a little of everything and look for what you like. For example, I really liked dumplings, tomatoes stew with eggs, green tea and cotton cheesecake (very tasty).
Don't put a lot of food on your plate at once if you haven't tried it yet. Food may not taste what it tastes like.
Dear friends, I hope this article was useful to you, and now you are a little oriented on the cost of food and food in a cafe.
I wish you a great holiday and incredible gastronomic discoveries. And for today I have everything, bye everyone!
Sincerely, Elena.
The owners of almost every modern Chinese bar, cafe or restaurant with a European bias consider it imperative to include in the menu not only hipster macchiatos, smoothies, mojitos, craft beer and cheesecakes of all stripes, but also long, intricately towering over the tables, Arabic hookahs with tobacco, as a rule , fruity taste. Magazine asked how long and in what form do the Chinese know hookah, as well as how the hookah business is controlled? And is it a business?
Hookah (水烟), not only as a way of smoking tobacco, but also as an object of art and a reason for communication, has been known in China since the Ming Dynasty, a period of active development of shipping and trade. By the time the classic novel "Three Kingdoms" was written, in which the hero Zhuge Liang tries a hookah offered to him by a hermit, it had already spread widely in the Gansu and Guangxi regions.
Thanks to international contacts and profits from sales, tobacco began to be grown in China on an industrial scale, and tobacco smoking became commonplace. Hookahs from Lanzhou (兰州 水烟) and Shaanxi (陕西 水烟) are especially popular among the population. The Arabic hookah (阿拉伯 水烟), having appeared in India in the 13th century, began to spread in China, Japan and the Middle East from the 16th century. Hookah bowls were then made of coconut or bamboo shells, and the smoke was black.
Despite the fact that the region with the richest hookah culture the Chinese consider Yunnan with its smoking pipes, the Lanzhou hookah in which tobacco-makhorka (黄花 烟) is smoked is most famous among the Chinese. Lanzhou is located near the Yellow River, surrounded by mountains, the local soil is rich in chalk and potassium, and is excellent for the cultivation of tobacco.
Lanzhou hookah. Photo: bbs.sssc.cn
In Gansu province, the production of tobacco products is about 10 million tons per year, the province's tobacco plantations are 43% of the area of all tobacco plantations in China. Here, tobacco leaf is the main product: it accounts for about 67% of the province's total annual turnover. The sales market covers northeast China, Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as Guangdong and Guangxi.
At the beginning of the 19th century, only about 140 companies in the world were engaged in the creation of smoking devices similar to the Lanzhou hookah. The production of Lanzhou hookahs is costly, with low "exhaust". Handcrafted, they were transported over bad roads, far and expensive. As a result, the buyer received an overvalued product. So, initially, the buyers of hookahs were local wealthy traders and officials, because the pleasure was not cheap. In the Qing era, craftsmen did better, production became simpler: a smoking vessel and tobacco became available laobixinam... Now one could often see a man with a hookah in teahouses, and the guards, fishermen and shop assistants especially fell in love with him.
After the 30s of the 20th century, the hookah business, closely associated with the cultivation of tobacco, and therefore with the climatic conditions, which were completely unfavorable, began to suffer significant losses. Because of the washed-out and unrepaired roads and constantly disrupted supplies, transportation has practically ceased. The military actions of the People's Army and the Japanese also dictated their terms and influenced the supply. For example, during one of the attacks, about 840 tons of tobacco leaf were completely burned out, which resulted in losses in the amount of more than 1 million silver coins.
Workshop for the production of tobacco for Lanzhou hookah. Photo: mt.sohu.com
In 1956, 22 hookah and tobacco companies located in Lanzhou merged into a concern, forming a local monopoly. Today the largest and most successful companies are located in Xi'an, Shanghai, Nantong (南通) and Suzhou, with large branches in Hankou (汉口), Tianjin, Baotou (包头), Luoyang (洛阳), Taiyuan (太原), Chengdu, Chongqing, Beijing and other cities.
After the 80s, the already shaky reputation of the hookah fell completely, also due to the fact that the Chinese tried to imitate in many ways the visiting Europeans who preferred cigarettes and cigars to hookah. Among the townspeople, hookah has become associated with the countryside, poverty and devastation. According to the owners of the establishments serving hookah, such a business is still spectacular today, but for the Chinese it is not at all a status, besides, it is far from the most profitable.
But there is hope for the revival of the culture of hookah smoking. The tobacco used in Lanzhou hookah, due to its chemical properties, is recognized by Chinese medicine as a therapeutic agent: in addition to a negative effect on the body, in small doses and with a low concentration of nicotine, it also has a certain positive effect. In the end, smoking hookah in China is again becoming stylish and fashionable, because Chinese hipsters are greedy for everything retro, gladly visit the few hookah bars and gradually popularize the culture of hookah smoking.
Nevertheless, the buyers of hookah mixes in China are still mostly low-income villagers: fishermen, field laborers, shepherds. Foreign smoking mixtures and coal are practically not represented on the market, where the compositions for the Lanzhou hookah dominate. The vast majority of tobacco is sold where it is produced.
According to official statistics, the Lanzhou hookah market numbers more than 1 million people annually purchasing from 1 to 1.5 million kilograms of tobacco blends. The prospect of increasing the market for tobacco products and collecting taxes on the sale of various smoking accessories and tobacco pushes the government to encourage the development of the tobacco business, including the hookah business.
Arabic hookah in pop culture. Photo: maiyanju.com
Unlike the completely legal Lanzhou hookah, the Arab hookah in China is legally in a borderline position, not referring to either legal or illegal methods of smoking. The production of tobacco for smoking Arab hookah in China, its transportation and sale must be accompanied by appropriate permits from the competent authorities, just like in the case of other products of the tobacco industry. Since tobacco for Arabian hookah is practically not produced in China, and its import does not reach an industrial scale, the control scheme in this case is extremely blurred.
When conducting such a business, the owners are faced with the problem of compliance of the documentation for tobacco blends produced overseas and brought to China in relation to Chinese legislation, which often has local requirements. When organizing such a business, it becomes extremely important to comply with both fire safety rules and the recommendations of regulatory authorities. The law may have claims to the hookah bar in the event that prohibited substances and substances hazardous to health are added to the tobacco.
So, despite the fact that in fact, tobacco and hookah accessories in the overwhelming majority of establishments are supplied by firms from the Middle East, so that there are no problems with documents, tobacco and tools are officially registered with them.
