Sanya sunset times: 6:30-7:00pm in summer, 5:50-6:20pm in winter. Best arrival: 30-45 minutes before sunset (to claim a spot and shoot golden hour). At 18°N, the sun drops straight into the sea with no mountain obstruction — Sanya is one of the few Chinese coastal cities where you can capture a "egg yolk" sunset.
10 photo spots: ① Coconut Dream Corridor (Sanya Bay, the classic; arrive 5:00pm to claim a front-row spot); ② Mangrove Tree Resort rooftop bar (buy one drink to access; high angle, great view); ③ Next to the "Tianya" rock at Tianya Haijiao (sunset + carving composition); ④ Side-rear of the sea Guanyin at Nanshan Temple (sunset silhouette off Guanyin); ⑤ Sunrise Rock on Wuzhizhou Island (different from land sunsets, but requires an overnight stay); ⑥ Atlantis Sanya beach in Haitang Bay (5-star beach, few tourists); ⑦ Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park observation deck (overlooking the whole bay); ⑧ Guanyin Mountain at Dadonghai (lesser-known spot, closest to downtown); ⑨ Phoenix Island (skyline + sunset); ⑩ Lighthouse at Yazhou Ancient City (vintage + sunset combo).
Shooting tips: ① Use phone 1.5x-2x lens to avoid wide-angle distortion; ② If the sky is overexposed, dial exposure compensation -1 to -2 stops; ③ Bring a tripod for long-exposure glassy-water shots; ④ Sunset + silhouettes (portraits, coconut trees, carvings) work best; ⑤ Don't give up on cloudy days — the afterglow is often more spectacular than on clear days; ⑥ Hainan weather shifts fast — check the satellite image an hour before to judge whether it's worth going out.