Off-season Beihai is back, highly recommended!

Lunar New Year came early this year, leaving a longer post-holiday period. After some research, I decided on Guangxi, visiting Nanning, Beihai, and Chongzuo. Guilin was on the itinerary, but a cold snap made it less appealing, so I skipped it. Overall, the trip was great, and the off-season had its perks. Here's a detailed account of my second stop, Beihai. The high-speed train from Nanning to Beihai is super convenient, just over an hour. Beihai felt noticeably warmer, several degrees higher than Nanning. From the Beihai train station, a rideshare to my hotel was incredibly cheap, only around CNY 10. I booked an oceanfront room with a balcony at Qiaogang Beach for under CNY 300 a night, including breakfast—what a steal! Now, why not stay near Silver Beach? Hotels and guesthouses there are set back from the beach itself. Silver Beach Park, while free, is fenced with limited access points. If your accommodation isn't close to an entrance, getting to the beach can be a hassle. Qiaogang Beach has a few hotels right on the sand, offering oceanfront rooms. Mine was one of them, with a balcony directly facing the sea—the cover photo was taken right from there. Besides the beachfront rooms, Qiaogang Beach's biggest advantage is its tranquility—it's blissfully uncrowded! The sand is fine and soft, perfect for beachcombing. The amenities are good too, with plenty of affordable restaurants near the beach entrance. A CNY 94 seafood meal for two included a huge plate of salt and pepper mantis shrimp, steamed scallops with vermicelli, cuttlefish cakes, stir-fried clams, greens, and a pitcher of passion fruit juice. It was amazing, exceeding all expectations. Off-season Weizhou Island was also fantastic. My guesthouse room near the Xijiao Pier was spacious, with a nice view and a reasonable price of under CNY 300 per night. I rented an e-bike and toured the island, visiting Crocodile Mountain, Dishuidanping, the Catholic Church, Shell Beach, and Colorful Beach—every spot was worth exploring. The seafood dinners for two on Nanwan Commercial Street were excellent. If you know your seafood, you can buy it fresh at the market and have a restaurant cook it for you—convenient and budget-friendly. Of course, the off-season has its downsides. The weather wasn't ideal; it was overcast almost every day in Beihai. The coastal scenery loses some of its magic without sunshine.