get packing
get packing
where? macau how long? three nights how much? less than AU$1700
Eat street Ruo do Cunha.
Text and photography Kerry Heaney
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overing just 28.2 square
kilometres on the western bank of China’s Pearl River Delta, Macau is a much smaller, less frenetic version of Hong Kong, where the influence is romantic Portuguese rather than staid British. Built on a peninsula, the territory has grabbed extra space by linking the islands of Taipa and Coloane with bridges and a causeway. Its roads are littered with historic buildings, streets and squares dodging the shadow of increasing numbers of skyscrapers. Despite the concentration of development, Macau is a cultural, visual and edible feast waiting to be devoured. 30 get lost ISSUE 50
OUR TIPS FOR A THREE-NIGHT TRIP It’s a seamless 60-minute slide from Hong Kong’s International Airport to Macau via a high-speed ferry. It’s so easy you don’t even have to step outside the airport to find a train to take you to the ferry terminal. Once you reach Macau, hop on a free shuttle bus to your hotel and leave your bags. Set out in a taxi to explore the Historic Centre of Macau, where more than 20 locations on the UNESCO World Heritage List mark the assimilation of Chinese and Portuguese
cultures. Start in the wave-patterned mosaic Senado Square, which leads you through the streets to Macau’s most famous landmark, the Ruins of St Paul’s. The Italianate stone facade and grand staircase are all that remains of this seventeenth-century Jesuit church, which stands silhouetted against the sky. The adjacent Monte Fort dates from the same period and also contains the interactive Museum of Macau. Get some exercise and walk up to the seventeenth-century Guia Fortress. Built to help fend off Dutch invasions, it was the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese coastline and sits on the highest point on
get in the know Macau was the first and last Asian country to be a European colony, with the Portuguese ruling for more than four centuries until 1999.
the peninsula. The views are panoramic, but if the effort is too much, there’s always the cable car that runs from Macau’s largest public park, Flora Garden. Pop into the nearby Macau Grand Prix Museum, opened in 1993 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Macau Grand Prix, and see the shiny Formula 3 car that took the late Ayrton Senna to victory, as well as a considerable collection of winning cars, motorcycles and memorabilia. Bonus, it’s right next door to the Macau Wine Museum and, yes, there are tastings. Macau’s oldest and most famous Taoist place of worship, the A-Ma Temple, is dedicated to Matsu, the goddess of seafarers and fishermen. Not surprisingly, it’s next door to the ship-shaped Maritime Museum, celebrating Macau’s long relationship with the sea. The 388-metre-high Macau Tower not only offers sweeping views across the entire peninsula, but it’s also the only freestanding tower in the world dedicated to turning the sky into a playground. This hot spot for adrenaline junkies is where adventurers free fall at 200 kilometres an hour on the world’s highest bungee, stroll around the outer rim 233 metres up or climb to 338 metres to the top of the tower’s mast. Surrounded by old-style, pastel-coloured Chinese Coast houses, Macau’s biggest food street, Ruo do Cunha, can be found in Taipa Village. Restaurants serve favourite Chinese, Portuguese and Macanese delicacies and you should put flaky egg roll biscuits, serradura (sawdust pudding), durian ice-cream and a pork chop bun on your must-try list. Of course, you can’t leave Macau without tasting a warm Portuguese egg tart. Coloane is Macau’s version of the countryside, with green hills, sleepy villages and sandy beaches. It’s a relaxing haven where the restaurants specialise in seafood and the statue of the goddess A-Ma stands so high it can be seen in Hong Kong. Also at Coloane and easy to access by bus, the Giant Panda Pavilion is the place to see the black-and-white cuties frolic indoors and out. Feeding times, when the pandas are most active, are 10am and 2pm.
AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN Even if you don’t want to put your hardearneds on red or black, there’s no shortage of after-dark entertainment in Macau, and much of it is free. Outside the Wynn Macau Casino, the fountain show ‘performs’ every 15 minutes; inside the entrance a 24-carat gold Tree of Prosperity rises theatrically and changes colour every half hour. MGM has a cylindrical aquarium in its central plaza, while City of Dreams has the must-see House of
Dancing Water. This show, partially performed in an enormous pool, is an extravaganza of acrobatics and theatre.
SHOPPING Normally, we’re not ones for designer fashion, but since Macao is a free port, who are we to say no? Head to Avenue Almeida Ribeiro for Escada, Cartier and Lanvin. For bargainpriced cameras and duty-free cosmetics, shop at New Yaohan and Landmark department stores. Browse for antiques while strolling between Senado Square and the Ruins of St Paul’s and Taipa Village. Discover a slice of real local life inside the Red Market’s decostyle walls, where homemakers do their daily shop for fresh fish, poultry and produce.
COSTS ACCOMMODATION Harbourview Hotel Three nights, AU$135 a night harbourviewhotelmacau.com TOTAL = AU$405 (or AU$202.50 a person, twin-share) FOOD & DRINK Macau’s delicious cuisine will make you want to eat big, and luckily it won’t break your budget. A quick lunch costs about AU$8, while a threecourse meal in a mid-range restaurant costs AU$30. Allow extra to eat at one of Macau’s top restaurants, such as the three Michelin-starred Robuchon au Dôme. Three courses at lunch (dinner is substantially more expensive) will cost about AU$115 a person, but it’s an experience you won’t forget. TOTAL = AU$229
Macau’s skyline.
destination highlights An intriguing mix of China and Portugal, Macau’s cobblestone streets feature rows of red lanterns and blue-and-white Portuguese tiles, while Taoist temples butt up against Catholic churches. Giant hotels with extravagant malls, shopping arcades and casinos are plentiful and the reason why Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia. For food lovers, there’s a bounty of multicultural street food and Michelin stars. If you pick the right season, this is a walking city with plenty of trails to find your way around.
VITAL STATS TRANSPORT Return flights from Sydney to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific – AU$1,005 cathaypacific.com Return ferry transfer from airport to Macau – AU$86 turbojet.com.hk TOTAL = AU$1091 TOURS AND ACTIVITIES Macau Tower entry – AU$22 House of Dancing Water – AU$100 Giant Panda Pavilion – AU$1 TOTAL = AU$123
from AU$1645.50
Macau’s currency is the pataca (MOP), which is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar. Hong Kong dollars circulate freely in Macau so you don’t have to change to patacas. No visa is required for Australian and New Zealand passport holders.
WHEN TO GO Autumn and winter, especially mid-October to December, are the best times to visit when it’s cool – around 20ºC – and skies are clear.
TOP TIP This is a weekend destination for locals, so plan to visit mid-week and live the life with luxury accommodation at half price.
FURTHER READING * Prices are approximate and based on twin-share accommodation and the exchange rate at the time of writing.
get in the know The Venetian Macao is the largest casino in the world.
Macau’s official website has plenty of downloadable tips and tours. visitmacao.com.au ISSUE 50 get lost 31