Readers' travel tips: The island every traveller should visit in China

TIP OF THE WEEK: HEY, HEY HAINAN

I would like to recommend a visit to Hainan Island, located in the southernmost part of China and, of course, home to the famous and traditional Hainan chicken dish. I stayed in Haikou, which not a tourist town at all, and lived like a local for a while.

During my stay I enjoyed lao cha bao, (bread and tea) a traditional afternoon tea in the old part of Haikou where shops serve tea accompanied by a large variety of cakes.

The shops are frequented by mostly older men who, meet, chat and play vigorous and noisy rounds of mah-jong which abruptly finish at 5pm when tea serving stopping to make way for dinner.

Michael Copping, Oatley, NSW

THE B TEAM

Your comprehensive cover story on the ins and outs of Airbnb (Traveller on Sunday, May 7) covered just about everything but an important detail regarding payment. Customers should be aware – and Airbnb states this clearly on its website — that an instant booking requires payment of the full amount whether your booking is in two days' or two months' time. The money is not passed onto the host until after you have moved in and approved of the let.

Phil Rodwell, Redfern, NSW

Using Airbnb frequently on a recent trip to Europe was mostly very positive and overall a great experience for my partner and myself. As we were driving through Europe, we looked for accommodation with "parking on premises" listed as an amenity. This may have a different meaning in Europe, as it often meant parking our car on the street hundreds of metres from our accommodation.