Residents on Big Wanshan Island have made their living from fishing for generations, but now tourism is a growing industry.[Photo by Xu Taotao/for Shanghai Star]

Exotic Dong’ao

It took 90-minutes on the ferry to get from Zhuhai’s Xiangzhou port to the island. A resort is built halfway up the mountain and overlooks the sea.

This is the third Club Med resort on the Chinese mainland. It offers a French-influenced experience of leisure, romance and great food.

Before the carts ferrying us to the resort came to a stop at the entrance, the staff formed a line and expressed their warm welcome with a song and dance.

Each of us were given a wristband that would give us access to privileged services, including three meals a day, free soft drinks and snacks in the bars and on the beach.

Each room in the suite faces the waterfront and has a balcony. The balcony of the bedroom has it’s own spa. You can soak in the warm water while taking in the amazing natural scenery or pull down the curtain to enjoy complete privacy.

The outdoor swimming pools at the resort have a very special design, they look like green jade that has been inlaid in the vast blue sea. Walking down the stairs by the pools and going through the lush greenery, we reached a beach of soft natural sand. People drank and chatted, walked with their children and collected beautiful shells.

A boisterous party was happening under the starry sky. The hotel staff turned out to be well-trained entertainers, doing magic tricks, clowning and stilt walking. Enthusiastic group dancing let everybody share in the excitement. At midnight, the crowd was led to a pub on the beach to enjoy cocktails and the amazing live music.

When the time came to depart to the next destination we were reluctant to leave. We believed we would come back, with our spouses and children, to enjoy the wonderful natural beauty and appreciate the sincere smiles on the faces of the hotel staff.