Macau: Beyond the Gambling Den (Part 1)

The most popular way to visit Macau is to take a day trip via Hong Kong, but in my opinion, that may NOT be the wisest option.

Macau, the land that is often mistaken as nothing but a large gambling den has so much more to offer that a mere few hours would not do the place enough justice.

What is so special about Macau, you ask? Hmm ... the hotels, the food, and the scenery (both by day and by night).

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16

My family and I decided to stay at Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 throughout our 4D/3N trip to Macau in December 2016. In all my years of travelling, I would say this was the most luxurious hotel I have ever lived in.

For one, it is not on every trip that I get to stay in a hotel that comes equipped with a TV in the toilet!

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16: See the flatscreen TV above the bath tub?

The beds were extremely comfy and high, and the room we stayed in overlooks the peninsular.

It is also not every day that I get to pamper and immerse myself in branded and expensive toiletries (L'Occitane), all thanks to the hotel.

L'Occitane toiletries courtesy of Sofitel Macau. Ignore the date. I finally took the photo months after the trip.

Guests of Sofitel get to choose between a view of the Macau Peninsular or the river. We chose the former which provided a side profile of the famous facade i.e. the ruins of St. Paul and the Guia Fortress. My uncle, on the other hand, spent his days gazing across the wide river, right from the toilet of his hotel room. =)

A view of Old Macau (as the peninsular is known) from Sofitel

Because it was near Christmas, the hotel was very beautifully decorated. It was too bad that our cameras could not fully capture the winter wonderland ambience of the lobby. These were the best shots I could take.

Sofitel Macau @ Christmas: Who else to oblige me as my favourite models but my parents?

As with many hotels in Macau, this hotel has its in-house casino, too. While I cannot comment on the gambling services, I can confidently say that the money changer provides good rates. Oh, and the casino brews very good chrysanthemum tea. So good, in fact, that we returned to the casino the following night just to drink its leong cha (herbal tea)!

The Nissan Legrand that took us all over Macau

I could go on and on describing the hotel, but Macau is not confined to Sofitel alone, so I will proceed to the next items on my list: PLACES TO VISIT and THINGS TO EAT.

It was the concierge at Sofitel that linked us to Mr. Elmar, a guide and chauffeur from the Philippines who took the 5 of us around in a Nissan Elgrand. We were charged by the hour and were able to plan our own route. In the end, we booked the MPV twice: once to experience Macau during the day, and the other to drink in the beauty of the lights at night. We had absolutely no regrets!

We covered the places mentioned in this particular blog entry within 4 hours. I will most likely post the night attractions in the next entry.

Lord Stow's Bakery in Taipa Village

A trip to Macau is not complete without a taste of its original Portuguese tarts. To be honest, I do not fancy egg tarts in general. And as a child, I despised it. For some strange reason, though, friends and family love buying me egg tarts and I do not have the heart to reject them... or their tarts, for the matter.

Having said all that, the tarts from Lord Stow's Bakery were heavenly. We went there on a random weekday morning, so there was no need to queue. The tarts were very fresh, not too sweet, and absolutely scrumptious! Yes, this is coming from someone who does not like egg tarts.

Epic Portuguese Tarts from Lord Stow's Bakery in Taipa Village

Warning:

Consuming ONE piece is never enough.

TWO is just right.

THREE would be an overdose.

You should taste it while it is still hot and fresh from the oven.

The Taipa Houses-Museum

Taipa Houses-Museum

Our next stop was at the Taipa Houses. One of us requested for a toilet break and the guide took us there. Unfortunately, I was blur enough to assume that it was a pure toilet break and did not even realise that the place was a tourist attraction ... Yes, I can be that clueless at times, especially when I am seated right at the back of the MPV and am oblivious to the conversation taking place in front.

Tai Lei Loi Kei:

A small, unassuming shop with delicious Pork Chop Buns

Tai Lei Loi Kei Pork Chop Bun

When my family invited my uncle to join us on a food trip to Macau, we were not kidding. Not long after we had the infamous Portuguese Tarts, we stopped by the roadside to get another signature delicacy from Taipa village - Tai Lei Loi Kei's Pork Chop Bun. We were still stuffed from the tarts, so we decided to pack some back to the hotel for lunch. It was tasty even though we only managed to consume it several hours later. You should not give this a miss as long as pork is part of your diet.

A-Ma Temple

This is often known as the gateway to Macau. History has it that this temple was built in honour of the goddess of seafarers, also known as A-ma. When the Portuguese first landed in that area, they asked the locals for the name of the place, to which the locals replied, "A-Ma Gao", which is literally translated to the "A-Ma district". The Portuguese then misunderstood and took on the name "ah ... Macao" and used it ever since. How absurd is that? =)

The first Koi Kei Bakery. Our experience was marred by just one particularly rude staff who was jealously guarding the samples and lacked basic manners.

The area surrounding A-Ma Temple

Macau Tower

Macau Tower

The Empire States Building, Eiffel Tower, Taipei 101, Burj Khalifa, and KLCC. Every destination has its iconic tower(s). Macau is not an exception. I was first introduced to Macau Tower when I watched a travel episode hosted by Janet Hsieh. The one thing that stood out then was its bungee jump. Imagine how thrilled I was when I was just in time to witness a live bungee jump right before my eyes!

The World's Highest Bungy at 233 meters

Penha Hill

If you are an avid TVB fan and have been following Ruco Chan's Burning Hands, you will certainly be thrilled to visit this next destination. Too bad we were there before the show was aired, so we had no clue that it was such a popular spot. At the top of the hill is a very photogenic church. And to top it off, we witnessed a couple posing for their wedding shots there.

A view of the garden and a couple taking wedding photos

Chapel of Our Lady of Penha and a view of the city from the top of Penha Hill

Guia Fortress

Guia Lighthouse

The night view of Macau peninsular as seen from the hotel room is surprisingly serene despite the numerous lights along the streets. One particular light in the distance shines the brightest and is active throughout the night, even when the entire city is fast asleep. It took us awhile to realise that the light was actually shining from the Guia Fortress / Lighthouse.

I am surely not the only soul who thinks that there is something unexplainably romantic about lighthouses. While it may seem somewhat redundant during the day, a lighthouse exudes its most spectacular charm against the sunset and the moonlight. I do not know if this lighthouse still offers guidance to travelers by air and by sea but I do know that it is lit up at night, and that the view from the lighthouse during the day is equally spectacular.

The view from Guia Lighthouse

The Ruins of St. Paul

If you missed this spot, you may as well say that you have never been to Macau before! It is indeed the most popular landmark of Macau.

The famous ruins stand majestically on top of the hill. Because of its popularity, you can expect the place to be crowded with tourists at any time of the day (or night). My parents had initially thought that they would have to forego the idea of visiting this great monument after looking at the number of steps but our guide (who was somewhat of a genius) took us on another route and dropped us off at the other side of the façade. In other words, we approached the ruins from the back instead of the front. (You can seriously consider this too if you are travelling with the elderly or friends with less mobility.) Of course it would have been more impressive for the sight of the ruins to greet you as you climb up from Senado Square, but coming from the back provides a rather different and interesting perspective too.

Ruins of St. Paul: Don't worry about photobombing. You won't be able to avoid it.

The structure had two enormous entrances: one for the church, and the other for the college before the building burnt down in 1835. All that is left today is the façade. If you think it looks impressive on TV, you will be in awe as you stand right in front of its gates.

I am both a Christian and a lecturer, so I tried imagining going to church and to work through its large doors. I cannot even begin to describe how it felt. We returned to the ruins one of the nights and even though the lighting almost made it look like the perfect venue for a horror movie, the place still left us in awe. As we sat for a long while right in front of its gates, we felt as if we were transported to a few hundred years back in time. The wind was soothing and we could have sat there the whole night long.

The Ruins of St. Paul at night

Senado Square

After more than 3 hours of travelling in and out of the MPV in the midday sun, we were exhausted but there was one last stop to make before we headed back to the hotel: Senado Square. This is where all the activity is. There were many shops and stalls selling practically everything, from branded apparels, health and beauty products, to all kinds of food. Because it was close to Christmas, the square was fully decorated with Christmas ornaments.

                                   

Dear couple, I am sorry for taking your photo but it was actually the Christmas deco that I was after ...

More photobombing

We returned to the same place later that night just to see how it would look then. The crowd was smaller at night (perhaps because most visitors prefer to go to the casinos at night) and in its own way, it was nicer to walk around. The sun was no longer scorching hot, and the air was cool. There were fewer vehicles around too, which makes the entire place feel more like a friendly, little pasar malam (night market).

St. Dominic's Church - by day and by night

A nativity scene that was put up close to Christmas

Do not underestimate this quiet lane at night. During the day, it is actually crowded with people and filled with the aroma of curry fish balls.

We were relieved to return to the hotel after visiting Senado Square. We did not think that we would have been able to cover that many areas, considering that my parents could neither walk too far nor too long. Travelling in the MPV (and with a guide) was indeed a blessing!

What about the casinos and all the night lights? Oh yes, we managed to cover those too but it'll probably take another few months before I am done with my blogging...

All in all, this was certainly NOT the Macau I had expected. Like most people, I had assumed it was a place only for gamblers. I am just glad that we had a chance to explore this place that is so often misunderstood.