This ¥2,000 Glamping Experience in Sanya is What KOL Dreams are Made Of

By Vanessa Jencks, April 30, 2021

Why stay in a hotel blocked away from the sounds of the ocean when you could stay where the waves nestle your soul?

The creators of Sanya Dare Hot Wilderness Camp must have thought the same when they planned out the concept for their glamping grounds.

Dare is located right on Sanya's sands just west of Tianya Haijiao’s famed rocks.

The camping base is self-described as an economic business leisure vacation spot and has been making its rounds in selfies of the young and beautiful Chinese since its opening earlier in March of this year.

Image via late wind/Dianping

Their slogan is “Try if You Dare,” and we suppose this is due to the Chinese market’s almost complete disinterest in camping, glamping’s lackluster cousin.

Glamping became a revisited trend in 2007 when the term was coined, but some argue this activity really has been around for thousands of years in multiple cultures, from Mongolia’s yurts to Saudi Arabia’s famously luxurious tents.

Image via goood3/baidu

The style of the decoration at Dare isn’t quite what could be described as luxury. What we feel is a modern Southwestern US desert camp appeal with definite Mongolian flair. With the pull-ins of hardware inspired from the 1930’s or maybe old episodes of Lost, we think this is the perfect example of online shopping creating a modern global mixing pot that works to get social media attention.

The price for staying in one of these trendy tents was going for around RMB500-700 per person upon launch but have steeply risen to a cough-inducing RMB1,730 per person for May holiday. That’s with a discount on the lowest package.

Image via late wind/Dianping

We have to tip our hat for the ability to cook on open grills and start campfires though. We don’t know how they pulled this off in view of Sanya’s infamous restrictions against open flames, especially on the beach, but we’d consider a stay simply to legally stare into flickering flames and glowing embers without scorn from authorities.

READ MORE: Snap Selfies at Sanya's own 'Santorini Village'

Reviews by Chinese females state they enjoyed the service, being close to the sea, and the ample photo opportunities. Reviewers also mentioned the overall atmosphere and planned activities being a big plus.

A word to expat males with Chinese girlfriends: don't assume that your Chinese girlfriend would enjoy this experience. We once heard a hilarious cross-cultural honeymoon story when a South African husband took his new Chinese wife to an open-air safari 5-star hotel. Long story short is that it ended up being a bit of a fail and an ongoing sore spot, as the wife continues to refer to it as camping on her honeymoon.

Otherwise, we would suggest this as a place to stay if the prices settle to a more reasonable level because it could be a unique romantic experience for expat lovebirds.

[Cover image via xialinxiu/Dianping]

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