Macau a Special Administrative Region of The People’s Republic of China has had quite a history. I first began to get to know this once sleepy fishing port just off the coast of Hong Kong, through my work with the American Company Las Vegas Sands.
The Venetian Macao
I do find Macau fascinating because of its development. There are those who do not approve of its transformation into the gambling capital of the world. This once isolated and politically irrelevant island has perhaps had the biggest modernisation of all the places in the world I have visited.
A quick look into Macau’s past will uncover a vibrant and colourful history which indicates it wasn’t all just quiet Portuguese fishing and yet to be reclaimed land. Gambling, prostitution and lawlessness had featured heavily in the Islands colourful past but perhaps we prefer to think of it as the sleepy Portuguese fishing villages?
13 FUN Things to do in Macau:
With a sense of humour!
1. Recreating the Titanic Bow pose on the ferry to Macau.
2. Singing Abba songs at Fernados.
3. Going to Lord Stow’s Bakery on your birthday and have every one of the 50 people queue ahead of you, step back and says ” go ahead it’s your birthday.”
4. Beating the other guests to the last dim sum on the Sheraton Grand Macao’s breakfast buffet.
5. Getting an invite to appear on the House of Dancing with Water show.
6. Fastest lap around the go-cart track – one of the most challenging tracks in Asia.
7. Riding all the metal exercise equipment in the park at Coloane Village whilst acting like a 5-year-old.
8. Joining a Red Fan Tai Chi group in CAMÕES Gardens Macau and as if you know what you are doing.
Getting there:
There are various options to get to Macau. We took the Cotai Water Jet from Hong Kong’s terminal in Sheung Wan to Macau’s Taipa Ferry Terminal.
Departures are every half an hour. It takes about one hour to get there and immigration and arrival are all super slick these days. The seats are like on an aeroplane, except it is easy to get up and wander around and buy snacks. You can also upgrade to a Cotai class with a snack included.
WREN’S TRAVEL TIP:
if in doubt with times- book a later time because you can always go on standby for earlier but if you miss your ticketed time you lose your money..
The ticket also gives you access to the complimentary shuttle service between Taipa Ferry Terminal and the Cotai Strip where our hotel was which made things simple.
It is an easy journey – don’t worry there are plenty of people on hand to help you once you arrive in Macau, especially if you are heading to one of the many hotels associated with the Casinos.
Just because we will probably be hungry from all this activity, let me introduce you to two of my favourite eateries (other than Fernandos – which is a must on any Macau trip.
Lord Stow’s Bakery:
No trip to Macau is complete without a trip to Coloane, a stroll along the waterfront and finishing up at Lord Stow’s bakery for a warm egg tart. Buy more than you think you want, I guarantee they will not last long!
If you are looking for a great little restaurant then here is my pick:
O SANTOS – Comida Portuguesa Restaurant:
Rua do Cunha No 20, Taipa, Macau
This restaurant has been consistently one of our favourite authentic Portuguese places to eat in Macau. It’s unpretentious, the owner is part of the charm, it’s well priced and a thoroughly good night out.
This is my Trip Advisor review from our last visit:
‘Any place where there is a queue out the door and when you walk in the walls are covered in football memorabilia has me almost before the first bite! Add in great staff who carefully suggest our food and wine choices which are all superb and you have a winner of an evening. We were able to book a table for 8 people and we ate upstairs. We were the last to leave the restaurant, and the fact that one of our party ended up inviting Mr O Santos to visit in Sydney summed up the evening – we felt like we’d had a special evening amongst people we would love to invite to share a meal with us in our home country!’
Further details at O Santas website here
I hope you have enjoyed our little wander in Macau today which is part of the Blogging from A-Z challenge Wren’s Worldwide Wanderings:
M is for Macau
Joi gin and thank you for your visit!
7 comments
Looks like a fun and interesting place to visit, Wren! Love those glass sculptures and the egg tart does look delicious. Good information for the traveler, too. x Karen
Thank you Karen – yes we always have a great time in Macau. It is an easy place to visit from Hong Kong and never a dull moment when you are there. They wanted to put Macau on the map but not just for gambling. It’s amazing what they can do with reclaimed land these days!
Thanks for stopping by.
Wren x
Wren,
Interesting adventure! The bakery is the first place DH would check out but he’d be disappointed if they didn’t have doughnuts, though. The egg custard tart looks a bit like flan.
A2Z Little Mermaid art sketch ‘Max’
This is a great list – and anything that helps visitors figure out stuff to do is so useful! I’ve never been to Macau but it certainly looks, and sounds like a vibrant place!
You always give good information.
The warm egg tart looks nice.
All the best Jan
It seems like the sleepy little towns are the ones that explode in activity when they become gambling destinations.
I don’t expect to end up in Macau any time soon, but if I do I’ll make sure to use your list of fun things to do:-)
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