Setting sail on the Maritime Silk Road

Coconut Princess is now the only cruise liner to reach the Xisha Islands. It has made more than 40 journeys, carrying 6,000 travelers to Xisha since its maiden voyage in April 2013.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The only way to reach the Xisha Islands aside from aboard Coconut Princess is on supply vessels.

"When I heard there's a cruise to the Xisha Islands, I immediately amended my plans to travel to Hainan," says Cai Cai, a native of Zhejiang's provincial capital Hangzhou who took the voyage a day after it was formally launched.

"My friends had visited the islands but traveled via uncomfortable supply vessels. They were seasick."

Coconut Princess has made more than 40 journeys, carrying 6,000 travelers to Xisha since its maiden voyage in April 2013. The vessel was a passenger ship that traveled between Guangdong province and Hainan before it was retrofitted as a cruise liner.

The cruise is more expensive and less modern than most. But its route's exclusivity tempts travelers to cough up cash for one of the 200 beds. High demand makes getting tickets tricky.

Several agencies offer bookings. It costs about 4,000 yuan ($640) for a bunk in an eight-person cabin and 12,000 yuan for a bed in a two-person deluxe cabin.

Cai called several travel agencies before securing a bed in a six-person cabin from China International Travel Service for 6,000 yuan for three nights. She feels it was worth it for a one-of-a-kind experience.

The Xisha group comprises one of Hainan's four major outlying island bodies. It hosts about 130 small coral islets and reefs about 180 nautical miles southeast of Hainan's main island.