My Sanctuary of Thoughts.: Getting Around Macau

Tourists visiting Hong Kong often cross the border and pay a quick visit to Macau. Some just want to see the much raved Venetian Hotel and some just take a picture in front of the St. Paul Ruins. But, the charm of Macau can't be really summed up in a one day or overnight visit. One might be surprised that it's actually worth a longer and extended stay.

So aside from its casinos and vibrant night life, is there something else in store for you in Macau? Well, I say there is and there's more!

Sharing to you my top 5 stops in the so called "Sin City of Asia".

1. Venetian Hotel - Asians who are surrounded with beautiful beaches and natural scenery often dream of travelling to Europe to see magnificent architecture and beautiful expressions of the Arts. Europeans who live in a romantic and truly adorable cities often travel to Asia to experience the long stretch of white sand beaches. Well, that's the irony of life.

But, if you're like me who also dream of experiencing Europe but funds won't allow (for now), this is the closest European experience you can get. Aside from being a prime hotel and a venue of one of the largest casinos in the world, Venetian Macau is often visited by tourists for its beautiful scenery. Its ceilings are beautifully filled with medieval paintings. Its walls and hallways are designed to be a replica of the city of Venice.

Be extra romantic and try their gondola ride for 118 MOP or 669PHP for adults, 88 MOP or 499 PHP for kids and 472 MOP or 2672 PHP for a private Gondola. I was amazed to see that Filipino entertainers can't only be found in HongKong Disneyland, here in Venetian Macau most of the Gondoliers are also Filipinos.

with a Filipino Gondolier

2. City of Dreams - The City of Dreams is just in front of the Venetian Hotel. You just have to cross the street and viola!, you're there. It hosts 3 of the most grand hotels in Macau, Crown Towers, Grand Hyatt and Hard Rock Hotel. It is also a home to various shows that everyone can enjoy and watch.

My favorite spot in the City of Dreams is the Vquarium. This is a huge virtual acquarium where beautiful mermaids will suddenly appear. I looovvee mermaids!! I can literally watch them all day and the best thing about this is it's for free!

Aside from the Vquarium, there are also other famous shows here like Taboo -- the show of secret fantasies. Well, from the name itself, it's strictly for adults only. There is also the House of Dancing Water which is known to be the most expensive play in Macau staged in a state of the art theatre that can hold 3.7 million gallons of water or 5 Olympic sized swimming pool. No wonder the ticket price is gigantic too! The cheapest ticket costs 580 HK$ (P3,383) for adults and 410 HK$ (P2,391) for children and the seat is located at the farthest side of the theatre (kumbaga sa Araneta, gen ad lang to).

If House of the Dancing Water is too pricey for you, you can watch The Dragon's Treasure for only 50 MOP or 284 PHP for adults and 30 MOP or 171 PHP for children. This is a multimedia show that evolves in the story of the power of a dragon. If you have kids, they will surely enjoy this. Well, I did!

shower of golden coins at the end of the show as a sign of good luck and fortune

3. St. Paul Ruins - At the City of Dreams, there are free shuttles going to Central Hotel. Alight at Central Hotel and you can already walk to the Senado Square.

Aside from the Senado Square, you'll also pass through an alley of restaurants and souvenir shops before reaching the St. Paul Ruins. Koi Kei Bakery is one of the most visited stores here, they sell the most delicious egg roll I've ever tasted and they also give free taste and samples of their products so that tourists can easily choose from the diffrerent varieties of their cookies and bread. Another famous "pasalubong" from Macau that you can buy in the stores here is pork jerky. It's like a tocino in different flavors. They also offer free samples so you'll have an idea which flavor you like best.

different flavors of pork jerky

The St. Paul Ruins is one of the most famous tourist spots in Macau, its a Church dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle but was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon.

At the back of the facade lies a museum of different Christian relics.

4. Grand Lisboa Hotel - This gorgeous hotel is just a 15-20 minute walk away from the St. Paul Ruins. The Grand Lisboa has a unique architecture that's why it's easy to differentiate it from other buildings. It welcomes guests with a very elegant lobby and state of the art displays which probably worth a fortune.

photo courtesy of google

I also recommend that you try one of their restaurants. Beautiful ambience and great food in an affordable price.

5. Macau Tower - From Grand Lisboa, we took the cab going to Macau Tower. This taxi ride is the first ever transportation we paid. The advantage of going around Macau is it has different shuttles which take tourists from one place to another for free.

For travellers looking for extreme adventures, Macau Tower is the destination for you. Here you can do Bungy Jumping and Sky Jumping which is jumping from about 732 feet high above the ground. Skywalk X, walking on the rims in an open space, no handrails and with only a harness that will keep you from falling.

Aside from these extreme activities, tourist can go to 58th floor observation deck and enjoy a panoramic view of Macau. Entrance fee is 135 MOP or 764 PHP for adults and 70 MOP or 395PHP for children and senior citizens. After a long day of touring the city, this is the perfect place to take a rest while enjoying Macau's magnificent skyline.