As is the case with Vegas, when one mentions ‘Macau’, most often, people tend to think of the flashy, dazzling lights emanating from the many casinos in Macau. So, obviously, we start off the list with exactly that!
There are plenty of casinos in Macau, and many of them are so beautiful that the gambling isn’t even the main attraction. The most popular ones include the Grand Lisboa, The Venetian Casino, and Galaxy among others. In fact, the Grand Lisboa is an iconic structure of the city, being one of the oldest and most long-standing hotels in Macau. You will often find many tourists stopping in front to take pictures, which for me, is pretty weird for a casino! But when the lights go on at night, it’s easy to see why this is a thing! And because most major casinos in Macau are located in hotels, there are many free shuttle bus services between the ferry terminals (Outer Harbour and Taipa) and the casino hotels. There also specialised shuttle buses between the aforementioned casinos as well.
So do take advantage of the free shuttle buses to visit the many beautiful (this is a strange way to describe a casino but meh) casinos and for those who are feeling lucky, well, go right on ahead! Just remember to challenge lady luck responsibly! (i.e. have enough money to make it home, at the very least!)
Speaking of the Venetian Hotel & Casino, there’s a reason why it’s called the Venetian. How do I put this into words? There’s a shopping mall inside the hotel that is modelled after the city of Venice. The ‘streets’ are made of smooth cobblestone, the ceiling is painted to look like the afternoon sky, the buildings have a strong Renaissance era feel to them and did I mention they have a canal? Yes, an actual canal, with flowing water and gondola rides with a crooning boatman and everything!
The place itself isn’t some pea-sized mall either. It’s a full-sized shopping paradise filled with a variety of speciality shops and restaurants. From snacks and classy meals for two, to well-known casual sportswear and even luxury designer brands! I spent close to an hour in the mall, not looking for anything particular to buy, and still enjoyed the atmosphere there.
You could also get lost pretty easily in this almost city-sized mall, so do take note of the many guide maps available throughout the mall and make sure to take plenty of photos! The place looks so realistic that a few…ahem…touchups…can go a long way in fooling people into thinking you were somewhere else entirely!
Now, it goes without saying, cities with casinos are often known as cities of entertainment. Macau goes the extra mile to live up to its ‘Vegas of Asia’ nickname and often puts on some incredible shows and performances not unlike the ones in Vegas!
From singing and dancing performance, to magic shows and opera, you could easily fill an entire day with the many different types of performances you can find around the city! For example, there’s the light show in the foyer of the Galaxy Hotel, which never fails to leave me completely in awe.
Here’s a funny story, I was wandering around the Wynn Hotel (not far from the Grand Lisboa) when I had my back to the huge pond which sits opposite the hotel entrance (more on that later on in the article) I think it was around 7.30pm when the music suddenly stopped and a couple of pyrotechnics went off all of a sudden around the pond. I turned, and I was greeted by a rather mystical performance of water art (I just butchered the technical term of the performance, I’m sure), the sight of which is shown in the photo above. Just goes to show, you never know what to expect when in Macau and a ‘performance’ could break out anywhere at any time.
Senado Square is perhaps Macau’s most recognisable public spaces/centres. It is filled with many shops, heritage sites, restaurants and various snack and souvenir vendors. The streets inside Senado Square are a little narrower than usual and the paths are more maze-like but still easily navigable. You can window shop, stop by and sample same good dried meat at various shops, linger at a café and soak up the atmosphere and so much more.
The main square is also decorated accordingly based on the current festival of the month/season and it’s simply a rather photogenic place ideal for great shots. The food there is also excellent, with many shops even boasting decade/century-long history and tradition!
