Déjà Vu

Location: Macau 

Introduction:

Just a 1 hour Turbo Jet Ferry ride from Hong Kong is all it takes to reach Macau, a former Portuguese colony that is now under Chinese rule.  The European influence is evident in the older historic area where we stayed and there were several instances where we actually felt like we were in Europe. But, the real déjà vu moments came when we entered the modern casinos.  As we walked through the Wynn and Venetian complexes, we could’ve sworn we were in Vegas.  The Venetian Macau is the world’s largest casino and we’re told that Macau casinos take in 4-5 times the revenue of Las Vegas. One sign of that was that the Venetian Casino floor was packed on a Thursday afternoon feeling more like Vegas on a Saturday night. And, the game of choice is Baccarat.  We did spot a few Black Jack and Roulette tables in the Wynn but never saw a Craps table and while there were slots, it wasn’t crazy like Vegas. Similar to Hong Kong, there are plenty of high-end malls and shops. Macau is an interesting contrast of the old and the new and we’re glad that we had the opportunity to see what it’s all about.

Sites Visited:

Numerous Unesco listed sites such as Ruin’s of St. Paul’s, St. Dominic’s Church & Numerous Casinos & Shopping Malls (e.g., Grand Canal Shops @ the Venetian).

Accommodations:

We stayed at Sofitel @ Pointe 16 Hotel in the older part of town. It was conveniently located and we were able to walk to all of the historic landmarks and some of the casinos, including the Wynn. We also had a casino in our Hotel but never did do any gambling. Sofitel is a French chain, and thus the staff would greet us in French [Bonjour], adding to that European feel. The property was gorgeous and rivaled some of the nicer Vegas properties that we’ve stayed at.

Food & Drink:

We enjoyed our first dinner at a Portuguese restaurant named Boa Mesa (good) and the look and feel of the place felt just like restaurants that we’ve been to in Europe. We ended up eating 3 meals in the casinos as they had great ambiance and food that was more reasonably priced than we’re used to in Vegas and A.C. We were pleased to find bakeries everywhere that were open early in the morning.  Rich enjoyed an egg tart that Macau is known for and would welcome the chance to eat more of them. One of the common street foods that we found everywhere was what we’re calling “Street Jerky”. There were numerous meats and flavors stacked and sold in square sheets. We sampled some but didn’t buy a full sheet.

Shout Outs:

Anthony Bourdain for his “No Reservations” episode on Macau where we gained a lot of insight and interest in Macau.   http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/host-central/articles/tony-bourdains-guide-to-macau

For Your Amusement:

For safe measure, the local tourist office guide handwrote in Cantonese the name of the shuttle bus we needed to catch at the Venetian to get back to the island and stop near where we were staying.  So, we showed it to what we thought was an Asian staff person and she responded in perfect English that she couldn’t read the note as she didn’t understand the language. At least, we were prepared.

Highlights:Historic Portuguese Buildings & Architecture, Casino Crawl

Next Up: Taipei, Taiwan