Holiday Inn Sands Cotai Central

For our Macau Trip, we stayed at Holiday Inn Sands Cotai Central. The Sands Cotai Central Resort is conveniently located at the heart of Cotai Strip. Cotai is probably one of the most visited parts of Macau as the strip of renowned casino-hotels are located here, thus, derived the name "Cotai Strip". Venetian Hotel, Four Seasons, City of Dreams and Galaxy Macau, to name a few, are the famous hotels that can be found here.

Aside from the variety of entertainment, dining options and 2 casinos, The Sands Cotai Central Resort is also the home of three international hotels namely Conrad Macau, Sheraton Macau and Holiday Inn Macau.

Holiday Inn Macau is said to be the largest Holiday Inn in the world as it offers more than 1200 rooms and suites.

In partnership with Dreamworks, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda are found in their lobby.

This is already our second day that's why our room is already messy.

Passport. Upon check in, you'll be given a passport that you will present in their in-house restaurants for the complimentary breakfast. At the time of our visit, they have free gift for the hotel guests. We got Shrek!!

 

Same choices of breakfast for three days. But, it's delicious so we don't mind.

Shrek and Po parade inside Cotai Sands Resort.

 

The most convenient part of staying in this hotel is the location. Upon stepping out of the comforts of your room, you'll be greeted with this elegant vibe outdoors.

Honey enjoying the view

Overall, it was an amazing experience and would love to stay again in other Holiday Inns in the future.

 

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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.

Another well spent vacation full of new discoveries. So, go on, Experience Macau!

 

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Getting Around the Fine City

Singapore, a member of the four Asian Tigers, is notable for their rapid rise in economy and impressive GDP. According to Wikipedia, Singapore is one of the countries with most number of millionaire residents. It is said that 1 in every 6 households is a millionaire. It is also one of the least corrupt countries in the world.
As a tourist who is visiting Singapore for the first time, I can see that their wealthy way of life is evident in all parts of the city. They have convenient transport system, clean surroundings, effective security, high end shopping malls and ingeniously built skyscrapers. It is amazing how a small country like Singapore can be so competitive when it comes to industrilization and tourism.

On our first day in Singapore, we hopped the bus and headed to our city tour.
First thing on our list is to see the Merlion, Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands.

The merlion is the national symbol of Singapore, a mythical creature with a head of the lion and a body of a fish. It describes Singapore as a lion city and a fishing village. The merlion is never alone as there are many tourists/locals striking creative poses with him, night and day, rain or shine.

The Marina Bay Sands, an elegant intergrated resort, is a host to high end shopping centres, museum, large theatres, a five star hotel with more than a thousand rooms and suites, world's largest casino and a sky park. The big flatform at the top connecting the three buildings is the Marina Bay Sands Sky Park which has a 150m infinity pool! Wow, imagine swimming at the top with a 360 view of Singapore's CBD. Well, it'll be a grand experience with a grand price.

We rode the river taxi to get into the other side and have a closer look of MBS.

We crossed the Helix Bridge to get into the Singapore Flyer. Grabe lang ang sosyal lang ng pedestrian na to!

Singapore Flyer. Through my research, I was surprised to find out that the Singapore Flyer is the tallest ferris wheel in the world, taller than the famous London Eye. Their air conditioned capsule can hold 28 persons at a time.

Ticket price is 33 sgd per person but we were able to book it online for 30 sgd. A ticket is good for one 360 turn of the Singapore Flyer which will lasts for at least 30 minutes. They also sell special tickets for a romantic dinner with a butler inside the capsule.

stunning view inside the Singapore Flyer

emote emote din pag may time..

After our ride, we filled our hungry stomachs with delicious and very affordable local cuisines found in the alley of hawkers at the ground floor of Singapore Flyer.
The best thing about discovering rich cities is opening your mind about the idea that with the right discipline what is possible with other countries can also one day happen in our own.


My Personal Tidbits of Travel Tips

- Getting lost is a part of the journey but you'll save time and effort if you already know where are you going and how to get there. Plan your trip by logging in to gotheresg.com.

This is a website where you can type the place where you're coming from to your point of destination and they will tell you how to get there by taxi, bus and mrt including the price.

- Try booking for a hotel thru booking.com. They have cheaper rates and they have free cancellation in case of change in plans. Before making your reservation, compare the offered rates of the hotel of your choice in their official website, agoda.com and booking.com.

A hotel that offers free wifi is a big help not only for updates in fb and instagram but also for surfing other infos that may be essential in your trip.

- Singapore is an expensive city but you can also get the most out of your SG dollars by eating at the hawker food stalls where you can buy chicken rice for 3-5 SGD and other food as low as 2 SGD. Cheap souvenirs can be purchased in Chinatown. For cheap chocolates and authentic jewelleries, try visiting the Mustafa Mall. I promise you, you will never leave this store empty handed.

- If you plan to commute throughout your stay, make sure to purchase the EZ Pass card that costs 14 SGD. This card can be used as a payment in the mrt, bus and 7-11 stores.

- Always bring your I.D. and your passport wherever you go.

- Singapore is a fine city, literally and figuratively. There are many things that are not allowed in Sngapore. Some of these are littering and spitting on the ground. Once caught, you'll be fined with at least a thousand SGD. Don't ever try violating some rules because there are cctvs all over the city.

You might also like:
How to travel to Singapore for Less
Fun Day in Universal Studio and Sentosa
Lego Land, Let's Go!

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