By Naz Lim
With the weather warming up, it’s time to get beach ready! Try Shenzhen in Guangdong province if you’re looking for a Sanya alternative. The beaches here are nicer than those near Shanghai, with white sand, blue waves, and warmer weather.
Shenzhen, Guangdong
Shenzhen (深圳) is in the province of Guangdong and sits on the coast facing Hong Kong. The city has spent the last few years improving the coastline and making it more beach and holiday-friendly, so if you want some excellent Cantonese cuisine with you on the beach, consider Shenzhen as your next holiday destination. The popular beach area with new hotels popping up is Dameisha (大梅沙). I visited this area with my 2-year-old and husband for the October holidays in 2022.
How to get there
Shenzhen is a 2 – 3 hour flight from Shanghai or a 6 – 12 hour high-speed train. Dameisha seaside park is on the outskirts of Shenzhen in the Yantian district (盐田区), about 32 kilometers from the center of Shenzhen city. We rented our car and drove to this beach area, which took about 1 hour. Alternatively, a bus (M191路) or metro line 8 will take you to the Dameisha beach area. Public transport takes about 1 – 2 hours.
Accommodation
There are many hotels overlooking the beach. We chose to stay at Kingkey Palace Hotel Shenzhen, which has room prices starting from 880 RMB/night on Ctrip. The hotel rooms were clean, spacious, and kid-friendly. We got a crib in our room for our daughter to sleep in. The lobby had Lego tables to keep the kids occupied during check-in. The hotel also organized free activities for the kids in the lobby or upstairs in a conference room, such as painting and mask decorating. The outdoor pool also did a daily bubble/foam party in the morning before the sun got too hot.
Rooms at the Kingkey Palace Hotel Shenzhen
Things to do
Dameisha beach is public and across the road from the Kingkey Palace hotel. It’s quite a long shoreline, and they’ve built a nice beach boardwalk to enjoy a leisurely stroll to see sand sculptures or the DAMEISHA sign (which lights up at night). There are also a few lookout points and many restaurants and cafes to enjoy.
Dameisha beach
If you want more privacy, the Kingkey Palace Hotel is affiliated with the Intercontinental Shenzhen Dameisha Resort, which has a private beach. Kingkey Palace Hotel offers a shuttle bus to Intercontinental’s private beach every 20 minutes. Since the beach is for hotel guests, it was clean and not crowded. There wasn’t much shade, so bring your umbrella, load up on sunblock/sunscreen, or get one of the few sun lounges under an umbrella. Overlooking this beach is a pool for Intercontinental guests only.
The private beach outside the InterContinental Shenzhen Dameisha Resort
If you prefer a pool rather than the beach, the Kingkey Palace hotel has indoor and outdoor pools. Outdoor, there are shallow and deep pools. The shallow pool was suitable for kids, and it included two water slides, two rain showers, and a water cannon. Next to the outdoor pools was a padded floor playground. The pools and playground are for hotel guests only; a swipe card is needed to enter. Next to the playground was a 7-Eleven convenience store, which was great for buying a cold drink or ice cream. The indoor pool, gym, and hotel arcade were open, and my daughter loved this place (Vegas for kids!). Use Alipay to pay for coins, and the kids will drain your wallet at this arcade (even though it’s not that big).
Outdoor swimming pools and playground at Kingkey Palace Hotel
Indoor arcade at Kingkey Palace Hotel
For food, the Kingkey Palace Hotel offers a Western and Chinese buffet Breakfast (included with our room), a Japanese restaurant, and an a la carte Chinese restaurant. If you want something other than hotel food, venture outside; many restaurants are across the street. Being seaside, all the restaurants served seafood dishes. This area is also famous for fried pigeons, so make sure to order one or two.
Overall, Dameisha was a nice, family-friendly beach stay. The weather was great, the beaches were clean, and the waves were refreshing. Also, next to our hotel was an outdoor outlet mall. So if you want some retail therapy on your break from the beach, consider Dameisha Shenzhen as your next holiday destination!
(Information published is accurate at the time of writing. Photos obtained personally, Ctrip or Dianping.)
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