Natural Beauty And Makeup Blog: Travelogue: A trip to the Las Vegas Of East- MACAU (Day1)

The year 2017 started on a good note but my husband and I couldn’t celebrate the New Year together. So when we got that chance to celebrate Lunar New Year here in Hong Kong, we couldn’t afford to miss it! Reasons were, of course, long weekends plus celebrating again a New Year (if that makes any sense, lol) 😜 Taiwan, Vietnam all these places came into my mind but Mr. husband had planned for something different already and made sure that I would not miss any entertainment either. Hurray😍

Travelogue: A trip to the Las Vegas Of East- MACAU (Day1) on Natural Beauty And Makeup Blog

Destination: Macau

Macau, the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of People’s Republic of China is an autonomous territory on the western side of the Pearl River Delta in East Asia. It is one of the places where you can feel the warmth blend of rich Portuguese and Chinese culture, be it in food, architecture or in lifestyle! Macau has already proved its mettle as Las Vegas of East; boasts of huge Casinos, unique cuisine as well as World Heritage Cultural Sites.

How to reach (The journey):

To get to this city there are multiple options: via flight, helicopter or ferry. You need to catch either a direct flight to Macau or can arrive at Hong Kong airport and avail ferry services to reach Macau.

For better reference, please click this link 😊

Turbojet and Cotaijet run ferry services from Hong Kong. We decided to opt for Turbojet ferry from Hong Kong Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal. After purchasing the tickets, we went through initial immigration check at the terminal. Husband has Hong Kong ID card and I showed my temporary ID card proof, so the entire process was much smooth. Just like Airport’s, here too for the super class and premium class passengers, the waiting lounges are there to take rest. Turbojet operates ferries at a frequency of every 15 minutes and takes approx. 50 minutes to reach Macau Ferry Terminal. It also serves you meals on the way which comprises of burger/sandwich, biscuits/cupcake and water. Overall, the service is quite good and enjoyable. Upon arrival at Macau Ferry Terminal, you need to pass through immigration check by showing your visa, passport and ID card if you have any. On the exit area, you will notice separate areas allotted for taxis and buses.

Turbojet Supercclass Tickets for Macau

Stay:

In Macau, there are plenty of staying options you can select from. Depending on your budget, select hotel, book online and do confirm with the hotel staff before arriving.

We selected to stay at hotel Harbourview which is located at the Fisherman’s Wharf nearby Macau Ferry Terminal. A luxurious hotel with high standards of service, what more we could ask for!

Harbourview Hotel, Macau

UPDATE 2020: To read the latest travel guides, tips and hotel reviews, kindly visit our new website Everything Enchanting. Check out our YouTubechannel (ana everythingenchanting) as well!

Sight Seeing:

We reached Macau by 9.30 am but since our hotel check-in was at 3 pm, we decided to visit the closest spots without wasting time. We had made our place check-list beforehand, so as per plan we started off towards Grand Prix Museum.

Macau Grand Prix Museum & Wine Museum

Grand Prix Museum:

The first Macau Grand Prix event was held in 1954 as a sports car event. In memory of the 40^th anniversary of Grand Prix Racing in Macau, in 1993 the museum was inaugurated. Grand Prix Museum is a motor racing museum and features formula cars and motorcycles, Grand Prix related photos, videos, cups, records of champions and much more.

Grand Prix Museum

The Macau Grand Prix racing event takes place every year in November month. Trust me, Grand Prix museum is undeniably a dream place for every F1 enthusiast!

Triumph TR2 welcomes you to Grand Prix Museum

Ford Model T, Grand Prix Museum

Grand Prix Museum, Macau

To be honest, I am not a racing fan kind of person, for me clicking in front of colourful bikes and cars matter a lot 😜 But that doesn’t mean I am not aware of Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna, if not other big players! However, my soulmate was enthralled by having a glimpse of his favourite machines 😊

Grand Prix Museum

Racing Bikes

The entry in this museum is free and is closed only on Tuesday. If you are interested in learning more about Macau Grand Prix and F1 cars/bikes, do include this museum in your itinerary.

Wine Museum:

Close to the Grand Prix Museum, in the same building, Wine museum is located. Museu Do Vinho or Wine museum was inaugurated on 25^th December 1995. The museum is relatively small and depicts the history of wine using maps, photos, videos etc.

Wine Museum

It also showcases different tools (modern/traditional) & techniques that were used while making wines.

Travelogue: A trip to the Las Vegas Of East- MACAU (Day1) on Natural Beauty And Makeup

Baskets full of grapes (not original!)

Wine Museum, Macau

The museum provides information about the importance of wine in Portuguese culture. It houses wines from different regions of Portugal, though the sample tasting counter is closed now!

Wine Museum, Macau

This is a self-guided museum, so walk your own and observe the things around you. I was amused to spot the mannequins which were dressed in ethnic Portuguese cultural costumes; obviously, history lies behind this too!

Wine Museum

Wine Museum, Macau

The museum will not take much time, we spent just half an hour. Drop by this place, if you are a wine fanatic & history lover!

Lotus Square:

Just opposite to the Grand Prix and Wine museum, located is Golden Lotus Square, one of the famous tourist attractions in Macau.

Lotus Square

Lotus square is an open square area where a large-sized statue of ‘Lotus flower in full bloom’ is situated. This sculpture is made of gilded bronze and weighs 6.5 tonnes, is 6 meters high, and the diameter of the flower is 3.6 meters at maximum. The major part is composed of a stem, petals and pistil- a total of 16 components. The base consists of 23 pieces of red granite in three layers and in the shape of lotus leaves. These signify the three main parts of the territory: Macao Peninsula, Taipa Island & Coloane Island (Wikipedia).

Lotus Flower In Full Bloom, Lotus Square

The lotus flower in full bloom symbolises the prosperity of Macau region. The sculpture was presented by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China in 1999 to mark the Macau Sovereignty transfer from Portugal to the PRC.

Lotus Square

To be honest, there is nothing much to do and see except clicking some good shots of this statue and some random selfies! Other than that this place is popular amongst skateboarders because of its abundance of ledges, kerb & stairs.

Lotus Square

During special festivals such as Christmas & Chinese New year, beautiful flowers are displayed here. Apart from that, the square also holds the flag raising ceremony (flags of both China & Macau) at 8 am every morning.

It is that time when we realised our mobile internet was not working and since it was New Year holiday, all the shops were closed! We read somewhere that Macau is not that big region and can be easily explored on foot. So my hubby who is an expert in navigating places got excited to locate Handover Gifts Museum thus we started roaming around the city like a nomad😉

Lunar New Year Special Dragon Dance

On the way, we witnessed the famous Dragon dance 😄 Seeing their colourful dresses and the traditional dance, I jumped with joy!

Dragon Dance

Handover Gifts Museum of Macau:

The Handover Gifts Museum is located next to Macao Cultural Center in Avenida Xian Xing Hai (NAPE). The museum was opened on 30th December 2004 and was built to celebrate the establishment of Macau Special Administrative Region.

Handover Gifts Museum Of Macau

The museum is a three story building – the first floor is the entrance, the second-floor houses handover gifts exhibition gallery and the third floor contains the auditorium. The entrance here is free and is closed on Monday.

Handover Gifts Museum Of Macau

The museum is decked up with exclusive handover gifts collection presented by the State Council of The People’s Republic of China, its country-wide provinces, municipalities and SAR Hong Kong.

Handover Gifts Museum Of Macau

The design of each gift piece is unique and symbolises their ethnic artistic style. The museum is quite calm & peaceful; look at the paintings whilst taking some rest 😉

Handover Gifts Museum Of Macau

I was amazed to see those exquisite artistic pieces, so CREATIVE! You can take numerous photos of these gifts as there is no restriction on photography. Definitely a place worth visiting 😊

Macau Museum of Arts & Cultural Center:

Just 3 minutes walk from Handover Gifts Museum, located is Macau Museum of Arts and Cultural Center. It is the largest cultural relic and the only art museum in Macau. Admission is free & closed on Monday.

Macau Museum Of Arts

To understand the development of history, culture and art of Macau, the Museum of Art is the best place to visit. The museum exhibits Chinese calligraphy & paintings, western paintings, photography, Chinese ceramics along with contemporary and modern artworks.

Macau Museum Of Arts

The 5-story building houses different exhibition galleries, exhibition halls, multimedia library, workshop, gifts shop as well as an auditorium. You can choose to access all the floors either by walking on the ramp or the elevator. I found ramp walk much better 😃

Macau Museum Of Arts

The museum is quite spacious and currently holds special exhibitions like Ink Wash of the Forbidden City- Paintings by Charles Chauderlot showcasing 81 ink wash paintings depicting the scenery of the Palace museum, Ad Lib- Konstantin Bessmertny- displaying 34 of Bessmertny’s recent paintings, sculptures, installations and mixed media, Artifacts of Excellence- Seal Carvings by Luo Shuzhong from the MAM collection, Perspective on the Soul- Flower Vessels from the Palace Museum presents over 100 precious vessels made for past emperors.

The Lego Model, Macau Museum Of Arts

Macau Museum Of Arts

Kindly refer to the below picture to get an idea of the museum map. By the way, these exhibitions are not permanent, they keep on changing!

Floor Plan, Macau Museum Of Arts

I was elated to get an opportunity to try out Chinese Opera Outfits 😊 There are galleries where photography is strictly prohibited; otherwise, you can take pictures of the rest of the artefacts.

Wearing Chinese Opera Outfit

Macau Museum of Arts

If you are into art and craft, and lover of history, this place perfectly fits the bill! Do not miss it out 😉

Just a hop from the art museum, situated is Macau Cultural Center founded in 1999. It hosts a variety of cultural performances like dance, opera, theatre and multimedia shows.

Macau Cultural Center

Don’t get confused with the Google map, it shows the building is quite far whereas the cultural center is just beside this art museum! Actually, here most of the tourist spots are situated in close proximity to each other, which is quite easy to navigate on foot. Just keep your eyes and ears open!

Before checking into our hotel, we settled for lunch-break at Indian Garden Restaurant which is near to the Macau Art Museum. They served us hot chicken biryani and some fresh juice; I loved their starter dish Imperial Onion Pakoda 😋

Imperial Onion Pakoda at Indian Garden Restaurant, Macau

Our next target was to visit Macau Science Center which is located at the Fisherman’s Wharf.

Macau Science Center:

The Science Center is situated alongside sea from where you can have a glimpse of Macau Bridge. Moreover, you will be amazed by the design of its exterior and why not! The silvery, conical-shaped building was designed by the world-renowned Chinese- American architect I.M.Pei, opened in December 2009.

Macau Science Center

Amazing Sea view from Macau Science Center

Macau Science Center

The aim of the Science Center is to promote and disseminate scientific knowledge among the future generations. The centre has a Planetarium, exhibition centre and the convention centre. There are 12 permanent galleries displaying different scientific and interesting interactive exhibits including Robotics, Genetics, and Space Science etc. The Planetarium is equipped with 3D projection facilities which cannot be missed! It is indeed the best place to visit for the children as well as grown-ups.

Macau Science Center

The center was crowded with kids along with their parents. At the base level, there are gift shops, restaurants and a nursery room. Overall, the Science Center is an amalgamation of Science, fiction, fun and Knowledge-oriented activities.

Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Center:

Do you crave for an adrenaline rush? Then this is the right place where you should hop straight, the moment you arrive in Macau. To quench your thirst for adventure, Macau Tower and Convention Center offers you some serious thrilling activities like Worlds’ Highest Bungy jump (233 meters), Sky jump, Tower Climb and Skywalk! Get ready you adventurous soul 😉

Macau Tower and Convention Center

Macau Tower

Place for Bungy/ Sky Jump

If adventure is not your thing, wait! There is a bundle of other entertainment options too like stepping into the glass observation deck to catch a splendid view of Macau Peninsula, get delicious dining experience at 360°Café or 180° Lounge & Grill as well as the Center also contains theatres, shopping malls which you can enjoy for sure.

Macau Tower and Convention Center

Macau Tower is one of the famous landmarks of the city and is one of the members of World Federation of Great Towers. On one side you will witness the pristine beauty of the sea whereas on the other the swift fall of adventure freaks from the tower’s (233m) outer rim, giving you goosebumps literally!

Sea view from Macau Tower and Convention Center

Breathtaking view from Macau Tower

Glass Floor!

We booked our tickets to go up to the top level of the tower. The indoor observation lounge is on the 58^th floor and outdoor lounge on 61. At first, we visited indoor glass observation deck and walked around this 360° viewing area, clicked zillion pictures! Then we moved to the topmost level, the outdoor observation deck from where we observed the spectacular panoramic view of the city, breathtakingly beautiful!

View from Outdoor Lounge

View from Glass Floor

Outdoor Lounge, Macau Tower

We also noticed on this floor, various teams and singles who were doing the jaw-dropping Skywalk and Bungy! Best time to visit this tower is definitely the evening time when the tower dazzles with lights and offers a mesmerising view of the city from the top!

Where memories are made!

We happened to visit other places too but got literally tired till that time. So returned to our hotel after having dinner at another Indian restaurant, Indian Spice 😊 Great food with awesome hospitality, all I can say about them.

Lunar New Year Decoration

Macau Tidbits:

Don’t forget to take your passports & retain the Macau Visa slip till the end of your stay.

Drivers, in fact, most of the local people don’t speak and understand English, so be ready to translate them in Chinese, using Google translator of course!

The roads are easy to navigate on foot. So before embarking on your sight-seeing tour, take snaps of the route maps (We found one near Handover gifts museum).

There are free shuttle services which you can definitely opt for travelling around the city. Hotels with casinos like Sands, The Venetian run free shuttles or you can avail taxis also, either way you need to speak Portuguese/ Chinese (Cantonese).

***GPS sucks here, I tell you! If feasible then download maps offline or take that Handy (Cell Phone) which your hotel provides!

There are a few Indian restaurants, but if you are a foodie explore local food. Don’t miss out on Macanese Egg Tarts, they are exceptionally yummm!

Best time to visit – November to January.

Roads: Surprisingly we spotted less traffic signal on the roads. Almost each road is one way. For pedestrians, there are footpaths and underground subways to cross the roads. The drivers are extremely sincere and give first priority to the pedestrians who are crossing the road. Did I mention, the roads are totally neat and clean? 5 on 5!

The currency of Macau is Macanese Pataca (MOP). 1 HKD= 1.03MOP. Remember, Patacas cannot be changed out of Macau so change the notes before leaving the country.

So this is how we spent our first day in Macau by covering most of the important tourist spots. I apologise for this lengthy post my friends, but I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it 😊.

UPDATE 2020: To read the latest travel guides, tips and hotel reviews, kindly visit our new website Everything Enchanting. Check out our YouTubechannel (ana everythingenchanting) as well!

Rest travel posts are coming soon! Until then, take care 😊