By Patrick O'Donnell and Brian White

Hainan has been dubbed the "Hawaii of China" for its warm water, tropical weather and beautiful beaches. For surfers living in China, a trip here is a must. For others just looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, Hainan is the place to go. Two American student interns from China.org.cn flew to Hainan to surf and live the dream.

Getting to Hainan from Beijing is not difficult. There are flights from both Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Nanyuan Airport. After scouring the Internet and visiting a travel agency, we eventually found round-trip tickets to Sanya for 1920 yuan (around US$280) in Ctrip.com. We flew out of Nanyuan Airport on a Thursday afternoon and would stay until Monday evening. Nanyuan is a small airport in Beijing that is chiefly for military use. Getting there in the late afternoon proved to be no trouble.

It should be noted that high tourist season on Hainan is during the winter, as people from around the world come to the island to escape winter. Our trip was in July, so the prices we give here may be higher from November to May.

Surfing being the primary goal of the trip, we decided to go to Sanya, a city on the southern tip of the island. According to Surfinghainan.com, a Website about surfing on the island, the summer waves are best around Dadonghai Bay, located within the city. Before leaving for our trip, we booked a room at the Blue Sky International Youth Hostel, located about a five-minute walk from the bay.

We arranged to be picked up from the airport by the hostel, which charged 60 yuan for the 20-minute trip. For a room with two beds, a bathroom and a shower, we paid 150 yuan (about US$20) total a night. Despite the foreboding rules and regulations sheet we had to sign, the staff was cheerful, helpful and spoke good English. Our room had air conditioning, which we were told to set no lower than 25 degrees. The beds had soft mattresses, a nice change for those used to the harder beds more common on the mainland.

Since Hainan is a tropical island, the heat and humidity can be stifling. Also expect the occasional rain shower. Something else visitors will notice is the Russian that is on almost every sign. Hainan is a popular vacation spot for those looking to escape those long northern European winters. Even during July, a fair amount of Russians were vacationing on the island.