Why shell out for expensive airfare to Hawaii when you can escape to Hainan Is-land for a fraction of the cost? It shares the same latitude as the American isle, is overall more affordable, enjoys sunshine year round and far exceeds Hawaii's capacity to produce grilled squid on sticks.

Skip the sand, head inland

The golden season for traveling in Hainan Province is from October to March. While the island's 1,528 kilometers of beaches are all some winter fugitives require, the more active types may want to head to one of the island's several tropical rain forests, provided they do not have a disproportionate fear of leeches.

The End of the World as We Know It

With no need for a new visa, plus the joys of duty free shopping, it's no wonder more people are visiting the island described as "the end of the Earth" in a popular Chinese song, cleverly titled "Welcome to the End of the Earth".

Lovers often make a pledge to go with each other to the end of the earth; Hainan's the place where they can at least pretend they are doing just that. Near the town of Sanya, two huge stones sit 50 meters apart at the seaside, each with an inscription. One bears the word tianya (the edge of heaven), the other with haijiao (corner of the sea).

"Our tour guide explained that whatever you do, make sure to leave some leeway when composing a photo here," Jing Huizi, 26, told the Global Times after spending her honeymoon in Sanya two weeks ago. "If you simultaneously take a photo with both the tianya and haijiao stones, then it means that everything will come to an end. For example, sweethearts will fall out of love, or possibly an undertaking will end. It's very inauspicious."

Danzhou: Party Central

For those looking to avoid the risk of ruined romance (and undertakings), they can instead visit Hainan's ninth annual Joy Festival, held for the first time in Danzhou city. Event organizers hope to draw even more tourists to the island with an opening ceremony, parade, large-scale party and fireworks celebration. Many famous singers will attend the opening ceremony, including Song Zuying, Chen Chusheng and Yuquan.

The opening ceremony will feature over 10 types of drum performances, including elephant foot drums from Yunnan Province (animal lovers, relax – they merely look like elephant feet), dragon drums from Hainan Province, steel drums from Africa and Scottish snare drums.

In addition, a large performance party will be held in Danzhou Culture Park at 8 pm on November 18, when 210 singers will sing call-and-response style for an audience of 800.

Get Your Eat On

It's a busy month in Hainan. Another event, the 2009 China Tourist Food and Culture Festival, will run from November 15 to 18 in Haikou City, showcasing 80 fixed stands selling famous Chinese snacks. Don't miss trying local specialties like Hainan Island (a steamed minced meat cake shaped like, you guessed it, Hainan), the Dragon People (three kinds of brochette: beef, chicken and mutton), Welcome to the End of the Earth (a four-part platter: Wenchang chicken, Jiaji duck, Hele crab and Dongshan sheep), Exciting Hainan (live shrimps cooked on hot stones) and a dish called Wind of the Coco, Rhyme of the Sea. Though you may know it, more simply, as Hainan coconut rice.

Round trip air tickets from Beijing to Sanya, from November 16 to November 20, range in price from 2,070 yuan to 3,900 yuan (based on comparisons between elong. net and qunar.com).

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