A Day Trip to Macau : Our DIY Macau Day Tour Experience
December 30, 2016
Macau is known to be one of the richest cities and largest gambling center in the world. Also dubbed as the Las Vegas of Asia, you can find almost all Casino's there from small to huge ones. Aside from the overwhelming casino's, Macau is also known for it's historical places which are attracting a lot of tourists.
Since Macau is only 55-minute to an hour away from Hong Kong (via ferry) we decided to allot our 3rd day to visit Macau on our 4-day Hong Kong trip. It was our first time travelling to Macau so we were quite excited, another stamp on our passports, but it wasn't stamped instead the immigration officer gave us an entry permit so we were quite disappointed :(
We knew that there will be a lot of tourist/locals in the ferry port so we went there around 8:00 AM. We had our breakfast first at the restaurant near our hotel. Good thing our hotel was only few walks away (around 10-15 minutes) from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry terminal. We wanted to be there as early as possible and luckily we were able to get the 9:15 AM trip. We immediately boarded on the CotaiJet Ferry. We bought the economy class ticket and the ferry was quite decent, spacious and air-conditioned, not bad for an economy-class.
We arrived at the Taipa Ferry Terminal around 10:00 AM and the foggy cold weather greeted us. The Venetian Hotel, City of Dreams and other well-known Casino's and hotels are located here and we wanted to see those first so we chose this route. We then head to the immigration booths. We were not asked to fill out an arrival card (coz i think we came from Hong Kong?), we just handed our passports to the immigration officers and they gave us an entry permit. At the exit area there were ladies from different casinos handing out brochures and discount coupons. Getting to your destination is not a problem because there are a lot of free shuttle services from different casinos/hotels waiting outside.
Our first stop was The Venetian Hotel and Casino so we hopped into the shuttle which took us directly there. The shuttle bus was big and air-conditioned, indeed these Hotel Casino's are really taking care of the tourists.
Almost 15 minutes away from the ferry-terminal, the driver dropped us at the main lobby and the huge and elegant structure of the hotel welcomed us. It was my first-time experience in a "super" luxurious hotel and The Venetian is no doubt one of it. There were many front desks and the interior was stunningly beautiful. I felt like I could easily get lost inside, lol. That was just the first one out of many hotels and casinos yet I was already overwhelmed. We spent some time roaming around and took some pictures. We also checked some nearby huge hotels.
We had our lunch at the Cotai Sands Central after more than an hour of roaming around.The mall was elegant and you can find almost all luxury brands in there (nakakalula!!).
After having lunch and rest for an hour, we went to our next destination, The City of Dreams. Some parts of the building are under construction so it was really not a good view outside but the inside look was totally different, huge and elegant interior designs, again I was overwhelmed, lol. After spending some time roaming inside we decided to go to our next destination, the Ruins of Saint Paul.
The Ruins of Saint Paul is one of the historical sites in Macau. I felt like our Macau experience won't be complete without visiting this place (aside from the Hotels and Casinos) so we included it in our must-see-places-in-Macau list. From The City of Dreams we hopped into there shuttle bus which took us directly to Macau (mainland) Ferry Terminal, then we took another shuttle van going to Metropole Hotel. There were only two of us (plus the driver) in the van so it somehow turned out to be a private tour around the City :).
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We reached Senado Square after few minutes walk from Metropole Hotel. Senado Square is a 3,700-square meter public plaza located at the historic center of Macau surrounded by different government and military establishments and catholic churches. This has been the center of Macau during the Portuguese occupation. Each buildings were brilliantly made and I can't help but to get overwhelmed as we walked along the black and white wave patterned mosaic ground with each building's amazing facade and it's as if silently watching the crowd.
There was some sort of an event in the area that day so the crowd was jam-packed. We followed the crowd as we went through the small streets which lead us to our destination, The Ruins of Saint Paul. It was such an amazing feeling - aside from the overcrowded area of course - seeing the huge facade of what was left of the Saint Paul Church, indeed a magnificent creation.
Saint Paul's Church was built from 1602 to 1640 by the Jesuits when Macau is still under Portuguese colonization (source: wikipedia). It took almost 40 years to complete the church and it is one of the largest churches in Asia that time. It was then became a military station after the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762. In 1835 a fire broke at the kitchen of the barracks destroying everything in it leaving only what you are seeing right now.
On the opposite side of the facade, you will see the remaining original structures of the church (remains of the foundation and other walls/stones) preserved and protected by a glass covering. There is also a museum that contains all the preserved church's artifacts and statues of some saints.
Next on our list was the Macau Museum. Well, this wasn't originally included in our list. After we took some photos in the Ruins of Saint Paul we walked on the park-like-hill right beside the ruins looking for a bench as our feet were so tired. Good thing we found one and after few minutes of rest we decided to climb the stairs of what is known as the Fortaleza do Monte which lead us to Macau Museum.
Fortaleza do Monte of Mount Fortress is an 8000 square meters area constructed to protect the properties of the Jesuits primarily from the pirates. It also served as a defense against possible invasion. There were 32 canons all over the fortress and 2 watchtowers. It is like Fort Santiago here in Manila.
Museu de Macau or Macau Museum is obviously a museum which presents the history of the city. We decided not to go inside the Museum and just took some photos outside. This area also offers a panoramic view of the entire city.
After spending some time in Mount Fortress, we decided to make our way back to the ferry terminal in Taipa. We followed the same route back to Metropole Hotel. This is the part where we were challenged and worried as we got lost in the city. Since there were free shuttle buses offered by the hotels, we decided to walk from Metropole Hotel to Wyn Hotel take their shuttle back to Taipa (it was quite a long walk). But things didn't go exactly as planned. I asked one of the hotel receptionists who happened to be a Pinoy, unfortunately, they offer free shuttle ride only to their clients. Either we play in the casino or eat in the restaurant inside the hotel.
It was getting late (around 4PM) and getting darker in Macau that day. We decided to look for a bus stop, another set of long walking. We tried asking some people of where is the nearest bus stop or how to go to Taipa but unfortunately they all don't speak English. A strong rain poured while we were looking for a bus stop. I was starting to panic as we might miss the ferry and we can't afford to stay a night in Macau (we're on a tight budget) and it wasn't really planned that way. The rain stopped and thankfully we passed by a bus stop and there were pinoys waiting for the bus, what a relief! They helped us and gave us instructions on how to go to Taipa Ferry Terminal. We reached the ferry terminal at around 5PM , the crowd was jam-packed but we managed to get a ticket back to Hong Kong.
Macau is indeed a magnificent place and one day isn't enough to explore it. Two days is I think enough to visit all wonderful places in Macau. I suggest that if you are visiting Macau from Hong Kong, allot your last 2 days to explore Macau and schedule your flight back to Manila or to your country from Macau instead of going back to Hong Kong. There were still a lot of places that we haven't visited as it was impossible to stuff it all in a day tour. Nevertheless, out of all the tiresome walking, challenges and adventure, we still enjoyed our Macau tour.
We knew that there will be a lot of tourist/locals in the ferry port so we went there around 8:00 AM. We had our breakfast first at the restaurant near our hotel. Good thing our hotel was only few walks away (around 10-15 minutes) from the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry terminal. We wanted to be there as early as possible and luckily we were able to get the 9:15 AM trip. We immediately boarded on the CotaiJet Ferry. We bought the economy class ticket and the ferry was quite decent, spacious and air-conditioned, not bad for an economy-class.
We arrived at the Taipa Ferry Terminal around 10:00 AM and the foggy cold weather greeted us. The Venetian Hotel, City of Dreams and other well-known Casino's and hotels are located here and we wanted to see those first so we chose this route. We then head to the immigration booths. We were not asked to fill out an arrival card (coz i think we came from Hong Kong?), we just handed our passports to the immigration officers and they gave us an entry permit. At the exit area there were ladies from different casinos handing out brochures and discount coupons. Getting to your destination is not a problem because there are a lot of free shuttle services from different casinos/hotels waiting outside.
Our first stop was The Venetian Hotel and Casino so we hopped into the shuttle which took us directly there. The shuttle bus was big and air-conditioned, indeed these Hotel Casino's are really taking care of the tourists.
We had our lunch at the Cotai Sands Central after more than an hour of roaming around.The mall was elegant and you can find almost all luxury brands in there (nakakalula!!).
After having lunch and rest for an hour, we went to our next destination, The City of Dreams. Some parts of the building are under construction so it was really not a good view outside but the inside look was totally different, huge and elegant interior designs, again I was overwhelmed, lol. After spending some time roaming inside we decided to go to our next destination, the Ruins of Saint Paul.
The Ruins of Saint Paul is one of the historical sites in Macau. I felt like our Macau experience won't be complete without visiting this place (aside from the Hotels and Casinos) so we included it in our must-see-places-in-Macau list. From The City of Dreams we hopped into there shuttle bus which took us directly to Macau (mainland) Ferry Terminal, then we took another shuttle van going to Metropole Hotel. There were only two of us (plus the driver) in the van so it somehow turned out to be a private tour around the City :).
We reached Senado Square after few minutes walk from Metropole Hotel. Senado Square is a 3,700-square meter public plaza located at the historic center of Macau surrounded by different government and military establishments and catholic churches. This has been the center of Macau during the Portuguese occupation. Each buildings were brilliantly made and I can't help but to get overwhelmed as we walked along the black and white wave patterned mosaic ground with each building's amazing facade and it's as if silently watching the crowd.
There was some sort of an event in the area that day so the crowd was jam-packed. We followed the crowd as we went through the small streets which lead us to our destination, The Ruins of Saint Paul. It was such an amazing feeling - aside from the overcrowded area of course - seeing the huge facade of what was left of the Saint Paul Church, indeed a magnificent creation.
Saint Paul's Church was built from 1602 to 1640 by the Jesuits when Macau is still under Portuguese colonization (source: wikipedia). It took almost 40 years to complete the church and it is one of the largest churches in Asia that time. It was then became a military station after the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1762. In 1835 a fire broke at the kitchen of the barracks destroying everything in it leaving only what you are seeing right now.
On the opposite side of the facade, you will see the remaining original structures of the church (remains of the foundation and other walls/stones) preserved and protected by a glass covering. There is also a museum that contains all the preserved church's artifacts and statues of some saints.
Fortaleza do Monte of Mount Fortress is an 8000 square meters area constructed to protect the properties of the Jesuits primarily from the pirates. It also served as a defense against possible invasion. There were 32 canons all over the fortress and 2 watchtowers. It is like Fort Santiago here in Manila.
Museu de Macau or Macau Museum is obviously a museum which presents the history of the city. We decided not to go inside the Museum and just took some photos outside. This area also offers a panoramic view of the entire city.
After spending some time in Mount Fortress, we decided to make our way back to the ferry terminal in Taipa. We followed the same route back to Metropole Hotel. This is the part where we were challenged and worried as we got lost in the city. Since there were free shuttle buses offered by the hotels, we decided to walk from Metropole Hotel to Wyn Hotel take their shuttle back to Taipa (it was quite a long walk). But things didn't go exactly as planned. I asked one of the hotel receptionists who happened to be a Pinoy, unfortunately, they offer free shuttle ride only to their clients. Either we play in the casino or eat in the restaurant inside the hotel.
It was getting late (around 4PM) and getting darker in Macau that day. We decided to look for a bus stop, another set of long walking. We tried asking some people of where is the nearest bus stop or how to go to Taipa but unfortunately they all don't speak English. A strong rain poured while we were looking for a bus stop. I was starting to panic as we might miss the ferry and we can't afford to stay a night in Macau (we're on a tight budget) and it wasn't really planned that way. The rain stopped and thankfully we passed by a bus stop and there were pinoys waiting for the bus, what a relief! They helped us and gave us instructions on how to go to Taipa Ferry Terminal. We reached the ferry terminal at around 5PM , the crowd was jam-packed but we managed to get a ticket back to Hong Kong.
Macau is indeed a magnificent place and one day isn't enough to explore it. Two days is I think enough to visit all wonderful places in Macau. I suggest that if you are visiting Macau from Hong Kong, allot your last 2 days to explore Macau and schedule your flight back to Manila or to your country from Macau instead of going back to Hong Kong. There were still a lot of places that we haven't visited as it was impossible to stuff it all in a day tour. Nevertheless, out of all the tiresome walking, challenges and adventure, we still enjoyed our Macau tour.
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