Three-Day Getaway to Macau

Our 3 day/2 night itinerary:

Day 1
Arrive at 6:30pm
-Dinner buffet at Cafe Esplanada at the Wynn
Day 2
-Senado Square
-Ruins of St. Paul
-Macau Museum
-Guia Hill
-Afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental
-Casinos (Wynn, Sands, Babylon)
-Fisherman's Wharf
-New Yoahman Shopping Mall
Day 3
-A Lorcha
-A Ma Temple
-Maritime Museum
-Depart for HK 5:15pm

Quick Tips:

I'm chinese and I can speak a little bit of Cantonese and can't read but a few characters. Most of the staff at the ferry terminal spoke Cantonese and a few words of English. But no one knew what the English name of the hotel was, only the Chinese name. Seeing that maybe some people speak Portuguese and we could figure some words out because my husband speaks Spanish, we thought we would give it a try. It worked like a charm in Italy since the languages were close enough. Didn't work so well here. They kinda stare at you funny. If you get a chance, I highly recommend finding a printout with the chinese name of the location that you need to go to.

Show me the Money!
Macua is quite a unique place. It was a Portuguese colony that was handed back to China in 1999 but remains a SAR (Special Administrative Region). So what does that mean? It has its own monetary system (MOP). As if that wasn't confusing enough, the Hong Kong dollar carries almost the same value as the MOP so is used interchangeably. If you are visiting from Hong Kong, there is no need change your money again. All places will accept HK money. The casinos and tourist destinations will actually give you change only in HK money. For the vendor stands, some will give you a mix of HK, MOP, and RMB the currency used in mainland China. However, not all places do accept RMB so be careful what you get, and check your change. Request for MOP or HK. They didn't take my HK coin at one vendor so I don't know if it's an isolated incidence or if you can't use that here.

Tourist Information:
Internet connection, maps, and tours can be found in the tourist office in Senado Square.

Best Way To Get Around:

Wheels on the bus go round and round!
After coming from a week stay in Hong Kong and getting used to the ability of walking around everywhere and the ease of use of the public transporation system, we thought we could just walk everywhere. Macau isn't that big right? Well wrong, sort of. There were places that you could get to on foot, however, it's not as pedestrian friendly as Hong Kong. You'll notice more highways and lots more people on vespas. Some places we were able to reach to on foot, while others we tried but failed miserably. However, taxis were abound and cheap. There is quite an extensive bus system but every thing is either in Chinese characters or Portuguese. If you care to figure it out, it's but a mere MOP.50 to ride the bus.

I paid $84 a night for this hotel and used www.asiarooms.com which I highly recommend for booking all travel. They were, by far, the cheapest at half the price compared to orbitz, and expedia. This was such a great deal.

The hotel is located in the downtown area and is very close to the famous Hotel Lisboa. From the ferry terminal, they offer free shuttle bus service to most of the casinos. The bus will take you to Hotel Lisboa, to Hotel Sintra, then to the New Yaohan shopping mall, and then back to the ferry terminal.

We knew we were close enough to the Lisboa Hotel that we could walk so just take any shuttle to that. I used a picture in the Lonely Planet Guide to Hong Kong and Macau and pointed at the Hotel Lisboa. Don't ask me what the Chinese name for that Hotel is. I've forgotten already. The Emperor's Hotel is right next door and those shuttles were clearly labeled and marked so take one of those.
So enough about getting there.

We got a room with two single beds which is very common in Asia as compared to the oversized two double beds. The room came with two complimentary bottles of water, and a really nice electric water thermos that keeps water boiling hot with all the fixings for coffee, and tea. It was really nice to come home every night and relax with a cup of tea. It was very convenient to have all the light controls attached to the nightstand. We took an 1pm late check out and that didn't seem to be a problem. Downstairs in the lobby is a interactive touch screen city guide terminal which provided some information.

The location made it very convenient to walk to other hotels like the Wynn as well as other attractions. (Please see rest of journal)

Bottom Line: I gave it 4 stars for price, great location, and good service. I only reserve 5 stars for places like the Mandarin Oriental for the impeccable service, decor, amenities, etc. However, being the cost conscious traveller that I am, I will probably never stay there.

My uncle, who is a local of Macau, recommended this place for authentic Portuguese food. It was also on the top 5 restaurants to visit in the Lonely Planet guide to Hong Kong and Macau so we thought this place must be good.

For dinner if you don't have reservations, don't even think about coming as my uncle says. We went for lunch on a Saturday with no reservations around 1pm and were told to come back at 2pm. So just leave your name and your cell phone number if you have one. They are open from 12:30pm to 3pm for lunch and reopens for dinner at 6:30pm. English is spoken well so give them a ring and make a reservation to save yourself the wait time.

The decor inside is more like a little European cafe. We had the seafood soup which was excellent, not too creamy and filled with shrimp and crab meat. We had Portuguese chorizo sausage and shrimp cakes as appetizers which were all delectable. For main entrées we shared family style. They are quite famous for their African Chicken (spicy) and their oxtail stew. These are definitely worth a try. We also had the seafood rice which is a perfect dish for seafood lovers. Rice in a sauce with mussels, crab, and shrimp. Most appetizers are US$5-10 and the main entrées are US$9-13

Bottom Line: The food was excellent and all dishes that we tried were impeccable. Put this on your list of places to visit if you intend to go to the A-Ma temple and the Maritime museum right next door.

We were hungry and in search of authentic Macaunese or Portuguese food. This is not the place to get it but if you are hungry, and want a buffet, and to try a variety of cuisines, then you should try this place. We came here on a Thursday night, and this place was deserted. There were maybe handful of people at 9:30pm. The place closes around 10:30pm. There is an a la carte menu as well as the buffet. It is MOP$250 for the buffet and includes your choice of coffee or tea. Surprisingly, my favorite dish was the cauliflower mousse with salmon caviar. The buffet included:

Seafood - Raw Oysters, raw clams, Scottish smoked salmon, lox, shrimp
Appetizers - Imported cheeses, cous-cous, two kinds of steamed fish, seared ahi tuna salad, prosciutto and melon salad, Chinese, BBQ meat such as duck, suckling pig, pork. Sashimi including octopus, salmon, red snapper. Pumpkin soup, beef and tofu soup.
Main - Chicken curry with naan and roti, fried rice, steamed Chinese vegetables, e-fu noodles, prime rib, lamb chops.
Dessert - chocolate fondue, blue berry cake, cheese cake, hazelnut cake, chocolate decadent.

Bottom Line: I gave this place 3 stars because the Wynn in Las Vegas is by far my favorite buffet. For the same price as the Las Vegas buffet, the buffet in Macau was sub par compared to its US version. Some of the hot items were only warm in temperature. Service was excellent.

We wanted to get a bite to eat on our way to Fisherman's Wharf. We stopped by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and went to the second floor to their cafe lounge area. We originally wanted to have the afternoon tea, but later opted for an a la carte offering of local cuisine with the help of very good recommendations by their wait staff. We ordered the trio of satay (beef, chicken, and shrimp), fried cod fish and dough balls with tartar sauce, and toasted cheese, tomato, and proscuitto sandwich (my personal favorite). This was ample food for two. It was a great place to rest our tired feet and chat about the day in a quiet atmosphere.

Bottom line: A great way to sample the local cuisine. Skip the afternoon tea, and share 3 appetizers for half the price. MOP$240 for two people.

I would put this museum second on my list after the Macau Museum. Although small, the displays were both creative and uniquely done. I'm not much of a boat and model ship person, but my favorite display was the story of the A Ma temple. There is a small 20 seat area with audio commentary as you watch a revolving diorama unfold the story behind the temple. You can complete this museum in about 1-2 hours.

Cost: MOP$10

Getting Here: 20-minute walk from down town or a quick 5-minute cab ride (MOP$18)

Bottom Line: Its worth a quick visit if you plan on being near this end of town to see the A Ma temple and the A Lorcha restaurant.

Sail Away!
Catching a ferry from Hong Kong is quite easy. TurboJet operates hydrofoils every 15-30 minutes, 7 days a week and offers trips less frequently into the wee hours of the morning up to 6am (www.www.turbojet.com.hk).  We left from the Ferry Terminal in Central. However, you can catch a ferry from the Kowloon side to Macau in Tsim Sha Tsui. Take the MTR to Sheung Wan, the west most point on the blue line in Hong Kong. Go up to the third floor of the Shun Tak Centre to the ticket window to the left. You do not need to purchase the tickets in advance. On the weekends and during holidays it will get quite crowded so you might want to buy a round trip ticket. It won't save you any money just time.

Tickets come in Economy and First class HK$142/$244 each way. First class tickets sit on the seats on the upper deck and are allowed to disembark first. You can purchase a ticket and if you are early you can try to make it on standby for earlier trips if you wish. Day tickets are cheaper than evening (after 5:30pm) tickets. Weekday tickets are cheaper than weekend tickets. Make sure you give yourself enough time to also pass through immigration before boarding. You will go through customs twice: leaving Hong Kong, and entering Macau. 10-15 minutes before your sailing time, there will be a line by the gate for you to get your reserved seat number in the form of a little sticker they place on your ticket. If you are traveling in a party and wish to sit together then, I suggest you send one person to get your assigned seats.

The trip takes about 1 hour. There is a TV screen showing either some advertisements or some TV show (America's funniest pets). They sell drinks, sandwiches, ramen noodle, and other snacks on the short one hour flight. If you are prone to sea sick you may want to take some medication as the boat gets a bit rocky.

As a resident of the Bay Area in California, we frequent Las Vegas on the weekends. The clanging of the slot machines, the scantily clad cocktail waitresses, and long buffet lines were not to be found anywhere here in Macau. Over the past two years, Macau has changed quite drastically since the lifting of the monopoly on the casinos and allowing foreign investors to build their own. The Sands and the Wynn have been the newest foreign addition. The Venetian is set to open in late 2007.

We took a stroll through the Wynn hotel, a smaller version of the Las Vegas with its own dancing fountains out front featuring a miniature show similar to the Bellagio in Vegas. In the casinos in Macau, the gambling section is separated from the rest of the hotel by security checkpoints. They aren't as sensitive as the ones in the airport so there is no need to remove shoes, belts, and empty pockets. A quick bag check will suffice. There are no slot machines that make the typical noises that fill the air of Vegas casinos. The well endowed Vegas cocktail waitresses ready to take your drink order are replaced with older fully clothed and covered women pushing carts with free bottled water, ice tea, and milk tea. Asian people don't really drink much. They are there just to do business: Gamble. The flavor of games is also quite different. They have single zero roulette. Baccarat is also very popular. A dice game called Sic-Bo involving three dice is also quite the draw. As hard as we looked, there was no Texas Hold'em Poker to be found. . . anywhere.

They clearly don't have ESPN. Some games have a virtual dealer with several computer stations where each gambler can sit and bet at their leisure. Both Hong Kong and Macau have also made a conscious effort to make public places non-smoking. In some casinos, they have a non-smoking gambling area. Half a dozen new casinos are planned to be built in the next two years near the new fishermans' wharf area. The buffet craze hasn't caught on either. Some casinos have a semi-buffet which include a salad bar, a selection of a main entrée from three choices and a dessert. The Wynn has a toned down version of their Vegas buffet in Café Esplanada.

Two things that you must try while you are here:

1) Portuguese Egg Tart - This is very similar to the egg tart found in Hong Kong in the bakeries and at dim sum except for one difference, they have swirls of black on them from the brown sugar that has caramelized on the top. Most street vendors will sell them for around MOP$6 - $6.50. Portuguese bakeries sell them at higher prices MOP$10 and are not as fresh.

2) Pork Chop Bun - indigenous to Macau, this is a great snack item found in the street vendors for about MOP$10. It's just a steamed bun with a few slices of a seasoned pork slices and less of a chop.

Other food items:
Soft Peanut Brittle with saltine crackers MOP$3. This old man was selling it out of a cart in the Senate Square. It was a stick with a peanut flavored melted sugar sandwiched in between two crackers. It was quite yummy.

While walking along the streets, there are always old ladies trying to get you to sample the items in their store, especially the many flavors of beek jerky. Feel free to sample it's perfectly safe, but the women are a bit persistent. -