China Welcomes First Atlantis Resort

Image: PHOTO: Sanya, China is home to China's first Atlantis resort. Chin(photo via Pixabay/meisheng63)
Image: PHOTO: Sanya, China is home to China's first Atlantis resort. Chin(photo via Pixabay/meisheng63)
Monica Poling
by Monica Poling
Last updated: 4:17 PM ET, Sat February 24, 2018

Just in time for the lunar new year and the massively popular Spring Festival travel season, China is welcoming the new Atlantis, Sanya Hainan resort.

Atlantis, Sanya Hainan is the first Chinese location for the iconic Atlantis brand-known for its over-the-top family activities and offerings-but the third member of the global Atlantis family, joining sister properties, Atlantis resorts, Paradise Island in The Bahamas and Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai. (A fourth resort, Atlantis, Ko Olina is also planned for O'ahu, Hawaii, although an opening date remains unconfirmed.)

Atlantis, Sanya Hainan is located on 133 square acres along the South China Sea overlooking Haitang Bay National Coast.

Reportedly, more than 10,000 expert craftsmen helped build this ocean-themed property, which includes 1,300 luxurious guest rooms. Similar to other Atlantis properties, the resort will include a signature Aquaventure Waterpark, an exotic marine exhibit, ocean-themed activities and distinctive underwater suites. Its Lost Chambers Aquarium, home to more than 86,000 marine animals, is the world's largest open-air aquarium.

There will also be an on-site, spa, luxury boutiques, expansive event spaces and long stretches of pristine beach.

"I am very excited to be bringing Atlantis to China," said Sol Kerzner, Chairman of Kerzner, during the original announcement of the property in 2013. "I know this property will astonish and amaze guests-I have been working with the designers to come up with something that captures all the wonders of Atlantis, with its magnificent sense of discovery, whilst also introducing new experiences specifically for Sanya. I can't wait to unveil this resort to the world."

Sanya has seen a dramatic uptick in interest by international hoteliers. Most recently, IHG announced it would open the 251-room Kimpton Resort Sanya Haitang Bay by 2021.

"The growth potential of Sanya and the entire island of Hainan is tremendous, and we believe that the number of visitors, our perfect location in Haitang Bay, and warm weather are the key reasons to launch this first Atlantis resort in Sanya," said the resort's managing director Heiko Schreiner, according to a report in China's Xinhaua.net.

Atlantis, Sanya Hainan is owned by Fosun International Limited, the leading non-state-owned enterprise in China, and will be managed by Kerzner International Holdings Limited, an international developer and operator of destination resorts, casinos and luxury hotels, including the Atlantis properties in Dubai and Bahamas.

New York-based Brennan Beer Gorman Architects (BBG), part of the team who conceptualized the resorts in the Bahamas and Dubai, also loaned its vision to the interior of Atlantis, Sanya Hainan.


Falcon's Creative Group has also contributed to the property, with the primary responsibility of developing the Lost Chambers Aquarium and the Aquaventure Waterpark.

Paying tribute to the lost paradise of Atlantis, all Atlantis resorts are unique, ocean-themed properties, featuring extensive water-related activities including a water park, fresh and salt-water pools, lagoons and marine exhibits, an open-air marine habitat and a dolphin interaction and education centers.


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