MACAU IN A DAY

Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. Located across the Pearl River estuary from Hong Kong, until 1999 Macau was an overseas territory of Portugal. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong Kong, which is about 64 kilometers to the east, and it is also bordered by Guangdong of Mainland China to the north and the South China Sea to the east and south. With an estimated population of around 636,200 living in an area of 30.3 km², it is the most densely populated region in the world. 

As the first and last European colony in Asia, Macau has more visible colonial history than Hong Kong. Walking through the old city you could convince yourself you were in Europe - if the streets were devoid of people and Chinese-language signage. The Portuguese population continues to maintain a tiny presence, but almost all of the population is native Chinese. 

Most people visit Macau to gamble, eat cheap seafood, and shop without crowds. Macau is a fascinating place to just walk around as the place is packed with churches, temples, fortresses and other old buildings bearing an interesting mix of Portuguese and Chinese characteristics. Besides buildings, there are also hundreds of narrow alleyways forming a maze in the old part of Macau where the people of Macau carry out businesses and work.

Macau was geographically divided into three regions: the peninsula and two islands. However, reclamation of the area between Coloane and Taipa has created the fourth region of Cotai (name of combination of the two islands). 

St. Dominic Church was built by Dominican priests in 1587, this church still dominates the small square just north of the Largo do Senado. The church was restored in 1997 and now houses the “Treasure of Sacred Art” displays upstairs, a collection of chalices, paintings and statues.

There are three bridges that connect the main peninsula to the Cotai Strip and the two islands of Taipa and Coloane. There are shuttles that go from The Sands (in the main peninsula) to the Venetian (in Cotai) and back for free. You can walk to almost anywhere from The Sands.

The opening of the Venetian Macao-Resort in 2007 upped the ante for even Vegas-style casino in Macau. With 10.5 million square feet of space of gambling, shopping, eating, and sleeping, it is twice the size of its sister company in Las Vegas. The faux-Renaissance decoration, built-in canals plied by crooning gondolas, live carnival acts, and upscale luxury brands are sheer spectacle, with more than a touch of pretension.

The Venetian casinos light up the night sky

 

The Venetian's lavish interior

City of Dreams (COD) is Macau’s integrated resort located in the middle of three hotels, namely Crown, Hard Rock and Grand Hyatt, COD combines entertainment, high-end shopping and international dining. The City of Dreams is a giant casino with high end fashion shops, a free video 'bubble' show, three hotels and the world's most expensive theatre show. The 'House of Dancing Water' cost US$250 million and the stage holds five Olympic swimming pools worth of water.   

Hotel Lisboa, Macau’s infamous landmark, with its distinctive, labyrinthine interior architecture, now stands in the shadow of its Grand Lisboa sister. The two are connected by a bridge and share facilities. The original casino and the 12-storey round hotel tower were built in 1970 by Stanley Ho, Teddy Yip, Yip Hon and Henry Fok. A 270-room extension was added in 1991 for a total of 927 rooms. As of 2006, yet another extension, the Grand Lisboa, is being built next to the current complex. Therefore a total of 2,362 rooms are in place in Hotel Lisboa as of 2010. This expansion is being done partly in competition with the newly opened Wynn Macau, located right next to the original Casino Lisboa.

Shopping in Senado Square

The City of Dreams offers "The House of Dancing Water," a water-based show about a princess whose kingdom is wrested away by her evil stepmother. The show is the only one of its kind in Asia, the main event taking place in a pool whose depth rises and falls according to the scene.

Macau downtown at night

Harborfront entertainment complex with hotels, casinos, rides, shops and restaurants

Senado Square, Macau’s hub for centuries, is lined with neoclassical-style colonial buildings painted bright pastels. Only pedestrians are allowed on its shiny black-and-white tiles, and the alleys off it are packed with restaurants and shops.

 

The Largo do Senado, at the heart of old Macau. The square, with black-and-white mosaic stones laid in wave pattern and a lively spurting fountain, is lined with a fine array of restored colonial building. Start your walk on this grand plaza, walk through the square, past the McDonald’s and up to the right. Head past St. Dominic’s Church onto Rua de Sao, then left up the hill onto the façade of the Ruins of St. Paul.

At Wynn's Hotel, listen for theme songs as you watch the Wynn’s outdoor Performance Lake dazzle you with flames and fountain jets of whipping water, which entrance gamblers and tourists every 15 minutes from 11 am to midnight. Opened beginning in 2006, the hotel’s expansive, brightly lit gaming room, fine dining, buffet meals, luxury shops, deluxe spa, and trendy suites make it one of the more family-friendly resorts to visit. The hotel is located at the southern end of Macau Peninsula, just near Hotel Lisboa.

Ruins of Sao Paolo, the church façade is a symbol of Macau. Only the magnificent façade, with its intricate carvings and bronze statues, remains from the original Church of Mater Dei, built between 1602 and 1640 and destroyed by fire in 1835. The government began restoration work in 1991, which was completed in 1995.

  

The tiered façade is richly embellished with carvings and statues. The triangular section at the top holds a bronze dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Directly below, in an alcove in the second tier, implements of crucifixion flank the Infant Jesus, while angels carry a cross and a scourging pillar. The third tier holds a large statue of Our Lady of Assumption surrounded by angels celebrating her ascension to Heaven. The fourth tier contains statues of four Jesuit notables.

Ruins of St. Paul’s Basilica is a ghostly and imposing structure, looming over the old city, is rightly one of the most popular sight in Macau. When it was first completed, St. Paul’s was hailed as the greatest monument to Christianity in Asia. 

At the Ruins of St. Paul overlooking the old city of Macau, at far end is the Grand Lisboa

Downtown Macau Peninsula

at TurboJet ferry

Ferries from Hong Kong's Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island operate 24 hours a day at frequencies of every 15-30 minutes by day and hourly at night. In Macau, they dock at the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal. The cheapest one-way ticket from Hong Kong is about HK$177 (P1,062) and the trip takes one hour. Ferries are operated by TurboJet. Another frequent ferry service is operated by Cotai Jet directly to Taipa from Hong Kong, and there are free shuttle buses to The Venetian from the Ferry Terminal, for quick and easy access to Taipa and Coloane. The main ferry terminal in Macau is the Macau Ferry Terminal (Terminal Maritimo) at the Outer Harbour (Porto Exterior). This is a busy terminal handling most of the sea traffic between Macau and Hong Kong as well as the Chinese ports of Shekou and Shenzhen International Airport. 

Macau is a small place with ever more roads and bridges and an efficient public transport. Getting around the peninsula itself is often best done on foot, but for longer journeys, especially to the Cotai Strip of casinos, there are buses and taxis. Upon arrival at the main ferry terminal, there are free public buses to different hotels and casinos. Tourist guides, some of them Filipinos, abound in the ferry terminal to guide tourist getting around Macau for a fee. But if you have travel books, tourist guides are not necessary.

Precautions:

• You should beware of pickpockets, especially in crowded areas like tourist attractions and the border stations. Pickpockets usually come in a group and use one person to distract people while the others work.
• Be wary of harassment from street prostitutes and hawkers handing out leaflets/flyers.
• After arriving in Macau at the ferry terminal, beware of touts offering cheap rides into town. If you accept their offers, expect to be taken first to shops, which offer the touts commission. Stay safe, and take time to find out suitable public transport routes, or take a proper taxi.