{"id":1329,"date":"2012-07-28T21:26:55","date_gmt":"2012-07-29T03:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/boardingarea.com\/blogs\/verygoodpoints\/?p=1329"},"modified":"2012-07-28T21:26:55","modified_gmt":"2012-07-29T03:26:55","slug":"macau-trip-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Macau Trip Report"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of 3 weeks in Hong Kong (see Hong Kong Trip Report<\/a>) I headed over to Macau for a long weekend. \u00a0This was my first trip to Macau.<\/p>\n

Macau Trip Report<\/h2>\n

The end.<\/p>\n

I think that pretty much sums up my feelings about Macau. \u00a0However, I’ll share a little more about my time in Macau.<\/p>\n

History<\/h3>\n

Macau is a special administrative region (SAR) of China.\u00a0There are two special administrative regions in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong\u00a0and\u00a0Macau, which were former\u00a0British\u00a0and\u00a0Portuguese\u00a0territories, respectively. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta\u00a0and borders the\u00a0Guangdong province of China\u00a0to the north and faces the\u00a0South China Sea\u00a0on the east and the south. \u00a0The PRC’s\u00a0Central People’s Government\u00a0is responsible for the SARs\u00a0defense\u00a0and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own\u00a0legal system,\u00a0police force, monetary system, customs policy, and\u00a0immigration policy.<\/p>\n

Macau was settled by the Portuguese in the 16th Century and even today you can feel the Portuguese influence in the food, architecture and culture. \u00a0In 1999 China assumed formal sovereignty over Macau.<\/p>\n

The currency unit in Macau is the Pataca (abbreviated as MOP) and is usually about equal to the Hong Kong Dollar. Today, 1 MOP = .097 HKD. \u00a0And, in fact, in Macau you can use Hong Kong Dollars everywhere and receive a 1:1 exchange value.<\/p>\n

Macau has a humid, subtropical climate and receives a lot of rain driven by the monsoons. \u00a0Summer is very hot and wet and Winter is mild with less rain and humidity.<\/p>\n

Transportation<\/h3>\n

Getting to Macau is very easy. \u00a0There are several ferries that run from Hong Kong and mainland China to the Macau Ferry Terminal. \u00a0 From Hong Kong, you can catch a ferry from Hong Kong Island at the Shun Tak center, in Kowloon at the Ferry Terminal and at the Airport SkyPier. \u00a0Tickets are\u00a0inexpensive ($22 for coach fare and $44 for premium fare) but should be booked in advance to ensure passage as prime time ferries can sell out. \u00a0The two primary ferry vendors are TurboJet<\/a>\u00a0(which I took) and\u00a0CotaiJet<\/a>. \u00a0At the Macau Ferry Terminal, \u00a0you will find free bus transportation to all hotels in Macau. \u00a0Upon departing the terminal, find the down escalators that will allow you to cross under the street to the bus depot. \u00a0Buses to the large hotels leave about every 15 minutes and buses to the smaller hotels (like the Westin where I stayed) leave approximately every 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

Taxis are also a great way to get around Macau. \u00a0They are relatively inexpensive (compared to most cities) and most cab drivers speak enough English to get you around. \u00a0They all know the major hotels. \u00a0It is the law in Macau (and Hong Kong for that matter) that you must wear your seat belt in a cab. \u00a0You can be ticketed, as can the cabbie, if you’re caught not wearing one.<\/p>\n

What to do<\/h3>\n

The two main things to do in Macau are shopping and gambling. There are some cultural and local historical attractions, but the weather can command what you do in Macau. \u00a0On my trip, it was about 95+ degrees with feels like temps over 100. \u00a0The smog was\u00a0suffocating\u00a0on my first full day in Macau. \u00a0I had picked out a few things I wanted to see and after about an hour outside in the smog, found myself\u00a0coughing\u00a0and with teary eyes. \u00a0All I wanted to do was get back inside.<\/p>\n

I did go to the A-Ma Temple, the oldest Temple in Macau dating back to the 17th century. \u00a0The temple is beautiful and a great part of history. Worth a visit. \u00a0I wish it was cooler and I could have spent more time. \u00a0 After the temple, I went to the Coloane Village – an village that looks like time stood still. \u00a0The buildings are\u00a0reminder\u00a0of the Portuguese legacy left behind. \u00a0Spanish style buildings painted in yellows, light blues and pinks. The streets are narrow and filled with local merchants and restaurants. \u00a0The village square provides great photo ops and is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike. \u00a0Again, I wish it had been less smoggy and a bit cooler so that I could have spent more time exploring all of the alleys of the village.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A-Ma Temple<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Coloane Village Square<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Coloane Street<\/p><\/div>\n

The majority of tourists to Macau are from mainland China and there for the casinos and\u00a0extravagant\u00a0shopping outlets. \u00a0Each Casino, just like in Las Vegas, has a variety of entertainment options, restaurants and shops. \u00a0The exchange rate with the US dollar didn’t really make for any good bargains in the upscale malls. \u00a0However, if you happen to win big in the casinos you can find just about every high end designer\u00a0boutique\u00a0you’d ever want to splurge on.<\/p>\n

I spent some time on Sunday, during a rain storm, checking out the casinos. \u00a0The Cotai Strip, known as little Las Vegas in Macau, houses the The Venetian, the Four Seasons, The Conrad, The Holiday Inn and the soon to open, Sheraton Hotel. \u00a0The\u00a0Venetian\u00a0is a beautiful and elegant hotel\/casino\u00a0reminiscent\u00a0of the original Vegas location. \u00a0The Venetian features glass artist Dale Chihuly’s spectacular blown glass. \u00a0 Many of the casinos are connected to one another making it easy to get around. \u00a0The Venetian is connected to the Four Seasons which is very elegant. \u00a0 Across the street are the Conrad, Holiday Inn and Sheraton (opens late September 2012.) \u00a0The Conrad is very modern and has a huge spa and pool area. \u00a0 I didn’t wander into the Holiday Inn.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the Island is the MGM Grand, Wynn, the Sands and other smaller casinos. \u00a0\u00a0The MGM Grand is a more formal and modern hotel\/casino with a magnificent butterfly garden inside.\u00a0\u00a0The Wynn looks very modern, but I decided not to tour it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Venetian Entry<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Venetian<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Venetian Shopping<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Reception & Chihuly Glass Installation in MGM<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

MGM Grand Butterfly Garden<\/p><\/div>\n

Dining<\/h3>\n

Each hotel has its own restaurants – some are very high end and some are more casual. \u00a0I had a great meal at the MGM Grand Patisserie. They had delicious western-style sandwiches and more traditional Asian fare. \u00a0They are most known for their tea and desserts. The\u00a0Venetian\u00a0has a large food court where you can find every type of Asian food you could desire from\u00a0Singaporean\u00a0food to Vietnamese food to traditional Chinese. \u00a0 Upon the suggestion of fellow blogger, Gary Leff from View from the Wing<\/a>, I tried Fernando’s Portuguese restaurant which is located just down the beach from the Westin hotel. \u00a0It was very good and a great suggestion.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

MGM Grand Patisserie<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fernando's Portuguese Restaurant<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fernando's<\/p><\/div>\n

Overall<\/h3>\n

Three days was way too much time in Macau. \u00a0I would have probably been happy with one night\/two days in Macau. \u00a0Aside from gambling – which was fun for about an hour, and shopping – which I couldn’t really afford to do, there isn’t a lot to Macau. \u00a0If you just love Vegas and can spend days on end there, then you’ll love Macau. \u00a0If you get bored in Vegas, then you’ll find the same of Macau. \u00a0(It’s also important to note that Macau lacks the elaborate shows that Vegas offers and doesn’t have nearly the variety of dining options – or any celebrity chef which have taken over the Vegas food scene.)<\/p>\n

I personally wouldn’t head back to Macau because it isn’t the type of vacation that I like. \u00a0But if you’re into gambling, then Macau’s your place.<\/p>\n

Additional Photos<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Macau at Night<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

MGM Grand Butterfly<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Year of the Dragon - and some bling<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

High-end Shopping<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

High-end Shopping<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

High-end Shopping<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

High-end Shopping<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chihuly Glass Installation in MGM<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chihuly Glass Installation in MGM<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Welcome to Macau<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Macau Science Center<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the end of 3 weeks in Hong Kong (see Hong Kong Trip Report) I headed over to Macau for a long weekend. \u00a0This was my first trip to Macau. Macau Trip Report The end. I think that pretty much…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nMacau Trip Report - VeryGoodPoints<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Macau Trip Report - VeryGoodPoints\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"At the end of 3 weeks in Hong Kong (see Hong Kong Trip Report) I headed over to Macau for a long weekend. \u00a0This was my first trip to Macau. Macau Trip Report The end. I think that pretty much...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"http:\/\/boardingarea.com\/blogs\/verygoodpoints\/files\/2012\/07\/macau_amatemple-300x258.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@first2board\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@first2board\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"First2Board\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/\",\"name\":\"Macau Trip Report - VeryGoodPoints\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-07-29T03:26:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-07-29T03:26:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#\/schema\/person\/11811aec9aa59c274de6f41bcca32036\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Macau Trip Report\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/\",\"name\":\"VeryGoodPoints\",\"description\":\"Just Another First2Board Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#\/schema\/person\/11811aec9aa59c274de6f41bcca32036\",\"name\":\"First2Board\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/545481aa7c8fa44d3c4661258a2b5f49?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/545481aa7c8fa44d3c4661258a2b5f49?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"First2Board\"},\"url\":\"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Macau Trip Report - VeryGoodPoints","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Macau Trip Report - VeryGoodPoints","twitter_description":"At the end of 3 weeks in Hong Kong (see Hong Kong Trip Report) I headed over to Macau for a long weekend. \u00a0This was my first trip to Macau. Macau Trip Report The end. I think that pretty much...","twitter_image":"http:\/\/boardingarea.com\/blogs\/verygoodpoints\/files\/2012\/07\/macau_amatemple-300x258.jpg","twitter_creator":"@first2board","twitter_site":"@first2board","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"First2Board","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/","url":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/","name":"Macau Trip Report - VeryGoodPoints","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-07-29T03:26:55+00:00","dateModified":"2012-07-29T03:26:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#\/schema\/person\/11811aec9aa59c274de6f41bcca32036"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/2012\/07\/28\/macau-trip-report\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Macau Trip Report"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#website","url":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/","name":"VeryGoodPoints","description":"Just Another First2Board Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#\/schema\/person\/11811aec9aa59c274de6f41bcca32036","name":"First2Board","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/545481aa7c8fa44d3c4661258a2b5f49?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"http:\/\/2.gravatar.com\/avatar\/545481aa7c8fa44d3c4661258a2b5f49?s=96&r=g","caption":"First2Board"},"url":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39prY-lr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/verygoodpoints\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}