#20ThingsILoveAboutMacao

Talking about Macau, there are numerous places where we can have a great time. From busy avenues to peaceful temples, it has them all. Here is my top 20 pick.

1-Lord Stow’s Bakery

The first egg tart was invented at Lord Stow’s Bakery in Coloane and that continues to be the original outlet. However, the brand has opened several other outposts, including some outside of Macau.

Though the English baker Andrew Stow passed away, his cafe across from the original Bakery continues to serve the famous pastéis de nata that are so famous of Portugal. This location is quite removed from the rest of Macau, located at the very farthest tip of Coloane, it is an interesting place to come to for a bit of a nostalgic feel. Coloane is green and has a fishing village feel. Stay for breakfast at the calm bakery then have a stroll in the village.

2-Margaret’s Café e Nata

Opened by Stow’s ex-wife, Margaret’s Cafe e Nata offers more sophisticated options as well as the regular ones. The custard filling here is said to be creamier, runnier and sweeter and its location behind the Lisboa Hotel is a convenient stop in the crazy neon-filled area. Take one of the outdoor tables if available but expect queues and crowds.

3-Koi Kei Bakery

The third contender to the egg tart battle is Koi Kei Bakery, a humble nut stall turned largest confectionary chain in Macau. The variety here is the name of the game with over 300 types of products on sale, but you can also try the regular cookies or egg tarts if you want something more popular. If you want to try something more exotic, this is the place, sweet or sour or both. And you can also taste before purchasing.

4-Go on an eight-shaped ferris ride

The Eight Macau

Studio City is a luxury hotel at one end of the Cotai Strip that is themed around Hollywood and movies, as the name indicates. Here you can find all sorts of entertainment around movies and sci-fi but perhaps the most interesting of the Macau attractions is Golden Reel, an eight-shapes ferris wheel, the only one in the world, which you can ride for about fifteen minutes.

5-The Eight Ferris Wheel Macau

As cheesy as this may sounds, it is a worthwhile attraction in Macau because you get views from both sides, towards Old Macau and the river, as well as towards the Cotai Strip. The entire structure is quite impressive too. Built in silver and dark golden steel, encrusted inside the building and going around to the soundtrack from the movie Inception, it all felt quite futuristic and fun. You can also reserve your ticket online here so you don’t have to queue and wait (we spent 15min queuing).

6-Ride with Batman

Batman Dark Flight Studio City

This cool show at the Studio City Hotel, next to the Golden Reel ferris wheel, is where you can join Batman on a 3D fight across Gotham City in Batman Dark Flight. The show is quite cool, Universal Studios style, with 3D close ups, movement, your seat being shaken, etc. If you are dropping by the ferris wheel, then make sure to get the tickets that include also access to the show.

7-Tai Lei Loi Kei

South China’s most famous pork-chop bun is made here, at Tai Lei Loi, in Taipa Village, at a shop founded in 1960 as a street stall by the mother of the current owner. Slices of pork with crunchy buns are served daily from 2pm.

8-Get lost at The Venetian

The first casino to open on the Cotai Strip in Macau was the Venetian. If you have been to Las Vegas, you will recognise the same architecture and design. The Shoppes at the Grand Canal complex is filled with restaurants and shops, beyond the large casino gambling area and there are lots of things to do and plenty of shopping.

9-Go on a gondola ride

Gondola at the Venetian Macau

Also at The Venetian you can marvel at the large fountains, dancing to the tune of the music, or take a gondola ride along the canals complete with a singing gondolier and picture yourself against the famous backgrounds of St. Marc’s Square or the Ponte vecchio, you just need to be in the right frame of mind. Reserve your gondola ride online here. Even if it can sound a bit tacky, travel to Macau is about bringing out your inner child and just letting go.

10-Marvel at the art installations at the original Wynn Macau

Another one of the first casinos to open in Macau in 2006 was the Wynn, followed by a newer Wynn Palace property in Cotai which opened in 2016. The original Wynn is in Old Macau and is as flash as it gets in the area, so much so that you may be blinded by the amount of gold. But the hotel is also known for the many art pieces and installations, like an interesting Tree of Prosperity sculpture that is gold plated.

11-Dance with a fountain

Fountain at Wynn Macau

While the Wynn Palace in Cotai has a performing lake with a cable car, the Wynn in Old Macau has a performing lake that dances to the sound of music with lights and even flames to go with it, and is great fun. The show lasts about 3min or a song and is every 15min which means you can easily send an hour there dancing and then taking rest to go back at it. I enjoyed dancing on my own.

12-Take a free cable car ride above a performing lake

The Wynn Palace in Cotai is equally as golden as the original Wynn in Old Macau and it even has a Skycab cable car that you can ride for free as many times as you like and which takes guests from the ground level by the lake to the entrance in the first floor flying above the water.

13-Explore amazing floral displays

The Wynn Palace is every bit as exuberant as all the other luxury hotels in Macau then some. But its most unique feature are the floral displays that were created with floral designer Preston Bailey. These are so gorgeous and so perfect that I did not realise they were fresh flowers. Look out for the ferris wheel as well as for the carousel, both of which are magical.

14-Hác Sá Beach

Hac Sa Beach in Macao

Hác Sá Beach (Black Sand) is Macau’s most popular beach. The sand is blackish in colour which makes it less appealing, but it is actually quite clean. Summer months see lifeguards on duty and you can rent parasols for MOP$60 a day with a deposit. Here is my guide to the best beaches in Macau, if that’s how you’d like to spend a day of travel.

15-The House of Dancing Water Show

This incredible show in The City of Dreams was created by Cirque du Soleil extraordinaire Franco Dragone and takes place on a stage that goes from dry to completely underwater, with high dives, acrobats, swimming, gymnastics and theater. The House of Dancing Water is a stunning show and a must-see attraction in Macau, I can’t recommend it enough. So much so that on my second trip to Macau I went to see it again.

16-Go up the Eiffel Tower

The Parisian Eiffel Tower Macau

The Parisian is a major tourist spot in Macau. It is decorated and designed like the Versailles Palace, complete with performers dancing about in the hotel’s various halls and corridors, a dancing fountain, perfectly French bakeries and cafes and, of course, a replica of the Eiffel Tower you can go up to. From above you can have a panoramic view of the strip below and also a great perspective on the area, with all the ongoing developments.

17-Taipa Village

Taipa Village

If you are in Macau, take half a couple of hours to visit this picturesque part of the city. Taipa Village is not a man-made entertainment hub but rather a tourism concept aimed at promoting visitors to this heritage part of Macau that is otherwise only associated with Cotai’s gambling reputation.

18-Taipa Houses-Museum

The green pastel-coloured villas from the 1920s called Taipa House Museum were the summer residences of wealthy locals and are considered living museums showcasing the famous trades of the time. The area used to be surrounded by a swamp and is now preserved by the government. It is nice to stroll around but also to visit them inside.

19-See the Diamond show

The Fortune Diamond show at the Galaxy Hotel is a stunning display of music and lights at the Diamond Lobby inside the Galaxy hotel that happens every 20min. The Fortune Diamond is a large piece measuring 3m that sinks into a fountain for the show. The fountain is shaped like a roulette and the entire art piece is meant to symbolize prosperity, a common theme in Macau given its gambling focus.

20-Cheoc Van Swimming Pool

One of Macau’s best-kept secrets. With an entrance fee of only 20MOP, Cheoc Van swimming pool is a large public pool near the sea.

Take a swim , feel fresh, boost up your journey ahead!

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