Macau Hotel Reviews
We spent half a day only in Macau. Must see areas are the colonial centre around Largo de Senado - see the old colonial buildings and squares. Very picturesque and well preserved. Also the “Ruinas de Sao Paulo” – the derelict church, destroyed by fire in 1835 and today symbolising Macau.
The Italian restaurant at the Lisboa is an extravagant dining spot. They have very good value - for a luxurious splurge - executive lunches. The Chinese garden is a pleasant spot for a read before wandering for a Macanese coffee into a coffee shop. Maritime museum is fun on a wet day!
Walking will be the best way to get around in Macau. It''s just five mins walk from the jetty, 10 mins from Senado Square and around the hotel, you can find various types of food (where one of the best Macaunese restaurant is just behind the hotel). In Senado square, one must try "Wong Chi Kei" restaurant for Canton noodles and another small restaurant before "Wong Chi Kei" for deserts such as boiled cow''s milk. Very good.
We live in Hong Kong so we are able to travel to Macau frequently, but this is the first time we have stayed overnight. The Westin Hotel has a wonderful shuttle service that leaves on the 1/2 hour from the ferry pier and from the hotel which is quite convenient. You can then take a taxi or walk to anywhere else you want to go. If it''s hot, take a taxi to your main destination and then walk around. It''s really inexpensive. Take your time in Macau and see all the sights, especially the fort and nearby ancient church ruins. It''s a great place to wander. If you stay at the Westin (or are out that way), you can walk on the beach to Fernando''s, a 15 minute journey (or take a short taxi ride). Fernando''s is a great (famous) Portuguese restaurant If you take taxi''s in Macau and don''t speak the language, a map with pictures helps. They are free at the ferry terminal and airport. Showing the driver pictures of the location is much better than trying to give street names (we have found).
Many interesting places to visit for a first time visitor. One impressive place to visit is the A-Ma temple on Coloane. Time was too short to visit all the places. Self drive is a good idea once familiar with the traffic.
Macau overall is a great place. The bus service is excellent and a great way to get around and see the islands inexexpensively. The Maritime Museum is superb. A helpful note. At the Macau Museum / Fortress it would be helpful to people who have bad legs to have better signs as to how to get the Fortress. The current signs means you have to climb stairs. But you can do it via the Macau Museum escalator as well. There is no sign telling you this.
Restaurants in the Sands Casino are excellent. However, because of very poor signage, they are underutilised. Portuguese food and wine is de rigueur in Macau. Try A Lorcha, the Hyatt hotel, the Sands Casino and the Litoral - all excellent. On a clear day visit the Macau Tower - superb views of the Pearl river estuary, Zhu Hai etc. It is almost impossible to avoid casinos, but if you want to, visit Hak Sha beach and the Westin hotel and tour the very many historical sites. Old Macau is being swamped by the new, so hurry.
Low cost and efficient public transport ($2.50 (HKD/patacas) agood way to sight see aound Macau, but beware, most buses do circular routes rather than staight back and forth. Also beware, the locals regard the Hong Kong dollar and the Macau Pataca as interchangeable so you can miss out by paying for your meals in HK$ and getting your change in patacas! i guess everyione is entitled to make a living, though! Enjoyed the 5 day stay exploring the back street shops and visiting thePortugese colonial sites.
Paradise for the gamblers: it''s casino everywhere in Macau! Despite the handover of Macau back to China, the Portuguese culture is still felt with Portuguese food, wine, road names, etc. It''s a small place and one will be able to cover the major tourist attractions within a day. Among the places I visited are: Ruins of St. Paul, Macau Tower, A-Ma Temple, Lotus Square, Leal Senado Square. For the engineers, there are 3 link bridges to admire. Overall, its quite a fascinating place.
Travel on the peninsula has to be by taxi (congestion is always the down side to Macau but go to Taipa and Coloane by bus). Fernando''s by the beach at Hac Sac is fabulous and A Lorcha food is wonderful but be warned the portions are huge.
There are two ferry services operated by two separate companies. One is the traditional ferry called "The First Ferry", the other is the faster Jetfoil. I travelled by the First Ferry because I am a leisure traveller and also it is very comfortable and smooth. It is also cheaper. The Jetfoil is more popular and costs slightly more.
The parks are pleasant and weather is conducive for walks in April. It''s a great place to find bargains for branded clothes that are run-off-mill or a little off quality checks at the back alleys, small shops and markets. Portugese food is authentic and relatively reasonable too. We found the servings of rice really huge making it very affordable to eat one serving for two. Try the pastries too they''re really fresh and yummy. However, the place is a bit tiny, 3 days is sufficient plus time for the casinos too!
Macau is a small enclave that is changing faster than the eye can see. In the five years since we last visited it has almost doubled in width and height. It has gone from sleepy colonial outpost to vegas on the pearl river in a matter of years. Although much remains of the portuguese presence such as colonial architecture, food and street names, much has also been lost in the head long rush to catch up with their ex-colonial rivals hong kong. Probably the main thing that has been lost besides the beach front is peace. The echo of mini buses and motorbikes now seems to reverberate around the narrow lanes for 24 hours a day. The best alternative to the traffic is to either escape to the peaceful surrounds of a temple or duck into the many coffee shops that can be found on almost every street. If there is one thing the macanese could teach the hong kong chinese it is the art of making coffee. The varieties are endless and the strength is a welcome boost to tired limbs worn out from tramping cobblestones and hills. At least some things have not changed in the new Macau.
Macau is an enchanting little ex-Portuguese colony where East meets West. Stroll through Senado square and down to the tip of the peninsula for a tour of the asian Portugal. Everyhting is within walking distance (if you like walking!). Wonder at the flashing floating casinos and the incense filled temples. View the city from Monte Fort and eat delicious Cantonese/Portuguese fusion food. Try Pavillions supermarket (Avenida de Praia Grande) for delicious cheeses and wines and The Landmark hotel''s bakery (Avenida de Amizade) for hot crusty breads.
Taipa Island - can be skipped without regrets, ugly buildings. Go right on to Coloane - a nice outing, especially when combined with Lord Stow egg tarts fresh from the oven, washed down with lovely natural yoghurt.
Splendid, low key, fine French restaurant worthy of recommendation: "La Bonne Heure", Travessa de S. Domingos, no. 12AB (tel: 331209).
To get the complimentary bus to the hotel, go out of the ferry terminal, and walk left. You will see the bus stops for all the different hotels there. The driver did not ask for hotel vouchers (!) we just got on. Be careful of private drivers that approach you offering to send you to the hotel - one driver quoted us $50! Taxis are plentiful and cheap, we took them from the Sands casino to the Macau tower, also to the A-ma temple from the Senado Square. Cost about HKD$10-$14.<br><br> We particularly enjoyed the Museum of Macau near St Paul''s church with really excellent interactive displays and the Maritime Museum. Casinos, as others have mentioned, are a bit of a disappointment - smoky and crowded, with very little entertainment for non-gamblers. We saw a lot of signs advertising new casinos coming up. The new Sands casino was nicer than the Lisboa, we felt, bigger, newer and more slot machines. The casinos are also not really near to each other (not like the Strip in Las Vegas), so you can''t really walk from one to another. The Macau tower is a good place to spend an hour or two. A shopping area (quite small) is above the tower entrance at the basement. The skywalk is really good, if you don''t mind heights. Saw the participants really enjoying themselves, even though it was a cold day outside.
Across the street from Emperor located in front of the Kuan Yin statue are many nice restaurants with great food for reasonable prices. Oxtail stew is a MUST TRY for me. Located near Lisboa Casino in a side alley is The best Portugese Tart in Macau (Margarets'' Cafe).
We were only here for one day and night so did not see overly much. We visited the Lisboa hotel and Casino and also the Landmark hotel and Casino which were within walking distance together with some very nice chinese style shopping streets and local eateries. Also tried Paia grande restaurant about 5 mins by taxi to try the local specials and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The hotel offers a free shuttle bus service to ferry terminal every 30 min. If you arrive at airport change your money not at the bank at the baggage claim. The bank after the security area gives a better change for your money. From airport don´t be scared to take the airport bus number "AP1". It costs only 3.30Macau dollar. When you change money ask the staff to give you small money for the bus, the driver cannot change. The ride from airport to the hotel takes approximately 20min. When you see the hotel/casino "Lisboa" two stations later you must go out. Here also the Holiday Inn is located. You go same way as the bus drive and after 200m you arrive at hotel. For sightseeing you also take the bus/one trip 2.50 Macau dollar. A map of Macau you get at tourist information at airport (closed on midday!) or from reception. The staff can tell you which bus you can take for what you want to see. For shopping you can look for clothes. They are cheap. But sales assistant cannot speak english and not helpful if you have a question for size etc. Electronic items you better buy in Hongkong. I think cheaper and more selection. If you don´t know there to go you look in the yellow pages in your room. For sightseeing 1 day is not enough. Better you plan 2 or 3 days for this. Eating is everywhere clean, cheap and delicious. You can get european, asian and american food.