Great Chinese Food, European Buildings and Vegas Hotel in one?! (Macau)

Member Name: pinkshopper

Product:	Macau
Date:	15/01/09 (17 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 24 hours city, cheap and great food & transport. Unusual mixed of cultures.

Disadvantages: English might still be diffcult to communicate with Locals

This prehaps is a little insight into Macau as I'm no traveller, I'm actually born there and have lived there until I was 16. I still go back every year to visit my friends and family. I'm suprise how much it has changed, to become better I should say.

I'm sure the main tourist site can be found on guide books etc. My view/advice is just what I know from going there so often. First of all, to get there is a bit of a trek, even though there is an 'international' airport in Macau. Most European airlines only flight direct to Hong Kong which is the closest you could get to Macau by flight or alternative route will be Guangzhou in the south of China and from there you can get coach to eithe Macau or Hong Kong. I normally choose to flight to Hong Kong as you can get better fares with better carriers. Once you arrived in Hong Kong, there are now two options.
1) to Macau via the Sky Pier at the airport- There is now a ferry services inside the airport (before even going through customs and passport check!), once you landed, there are lots of sky pier staff asking if anyone want to get the ferry to Macau direct and they will get you tickets and arrange to collect your check-in luggage from the luggage belt will bring you to the waiting area for the next direct ferry to get to Macau.
2) to exit airport and change to airport express train to Central and change one stop to Sheung Wan and then get the Turbo jet to macau via the Hong Kong and Macau terminal.

Of course Option 1 is highly recommended as it save lots of time and hassle by changing during transport after a long flight, the only downside is that it is not frequently run so if you missed one, you might need to wait a long while or choose the 2nd option instead.

There are lots of hidden treasures in Macau and it is mainly to do with food, because of the mixed Portuguese and Chinese culture, there are lots of lovely portuguese restaurant especially in Taipa (which is a little island away from the main town and much more slower pace). Near the Taipa market, there is a famous food stall that sells famous Pork chop buns/noodles, people travel miles to sample that, make sure you try it yourself if you can stand the queues. Portuguese custard tart is another favourites among the locals.

Apart from the usual tourist attractions, all the Las-Vegas chain resort is a must see! Since the main economy is to do with casinom the whole town is full of them. Thus, the name 'Oriental Las Vegas' Having been to Vegas myself, I must say the Venetian and Wynn are as good as the original one. There are some good shows in Venetian where they host boxing, NBA basketball match and Cirque de Soleil as well.

I think Macau has been such a special destination because it is still little known but yet have so much east meets west culture and sites to offer that make it a special place to be if you're travelling nearby. It is also conveinent to walk everywhere because of the size of this gem and a good way to see the local markets etc.

Summary: A little gem with warm climate, mixed cultures and a great stopover