Well welcome to a nondescript hotel room somewhere in Asia.
Today we're going to be talking Macau travel tips because we recently traveled there on
a day trip from Hong Kong and actually we've also been there.
We went there maybe like 3 years ago.
Yeah.
And we stayed overnight.
So we thought why not share some of the tips, some of the things we've learned for anywhere
out there planning a trip there.
And because we've done both of those types of trips we think we can offer something for
just about everyone.
So yeah, you can do it by day from Hong Kong and you can also stay overnight too.
So as usual we've got our notes in front of us on the computer so you're going to see
us staring down but that is just so we give you accurate information and we're not making
stuff up.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So how a lot of people describe Macau (澳門 - 澳门) is they call it the Vegas of China.
But you know what that is not really fair because Macao actually generates seven times
the amount of revenue as the strip on Vegas.
Cha chingy chang.
So if anything Vegas should be called you know the it should be the Vegas should be
the Macau of the United States.
America!
Yeah.
All of America.
So that is how much gambling is a part of Macau (澳門 - 澳门).
But Macao (澳門 - 澳门) is also way more than just gambling.
It also has a lot of colonial history and you can really see that when you're walking
around in the Old Town.
It is just very Portuguese.
Like buildings, the floor tiles, even the cuisine.
So even if you're not in to gambling it is really worth visiting.
Right.
And there is also a lot of really fascinating street foods as well.
That is called Macanese cuisine.
It is a combination of Portuguese and Southern Chinese with a lot of Southeast Asian ingredients.
Oh la lah.
Quite fascinating stuff.
So the local currency is the Macau Pataca.
I had no idea so I was calling it Macau dollars or Macanese dollar the whole time I was there
which is pretty embarrassing.
That is.
Anyway the exchange is $1 USD = 8 MOP Patacas.
Yeah, and it is basically almost identical to the Hong Kong Dollar.
And that leads into our next point where if you're coming from Hong Kong you can use Hong
Kong Dollars in Macau (澳門 - 澳门).
Yes.
It is widely accepted.
Yep.
But here is the catch.
If you do take out the Macau Patacas.
If you have quite a bit of them you're going to want to especially exchange your coins
before you go back to Hong Kong because those coins are not accepted in Hong Kong.
Yeah.
So yeah, it is kind of a bit of a double standard.
I'm not sure why that is but yeah if you do have Hong Kong extra Hong Kong dollars do
bring them in and spend them in Macau.
It is possible to do that.
So our next point is transportation.
How do you get to Macau (澳門 - 澳门) and there are actually lots of different ways.
Right.
I would say probably the most popular if you're coming from Hong Kong would be the ferry.
Right.
And you can take the ferry from Hong Kong Island, Kowloon or from Hong Kong International
Airport.
Yeah, so you have those different options and so that is arriving from the let's say
arriving from Hong Kong but you can also arrive from Mainland China.
There are buses from like Guangzhou and other places.
Shenzhen.
Different types of places.
They also have ferries too.
Uh huh.
And then of course there is the airport.
And something to keep in mind even if you're going to visit Hong Kong not just Macau is
that uh the Macau airport has some really good budget flights.
Yes.
So you may actually be able to fly into Macau cheaper than Hong Kong.
So if you're thinking of flying into Hong Kong especially somewhere from Southeast Asia
consider also Macau (澳門 - 澳门).
Because you may get a much better deal.
I remember the one time we flew in from Chiang Mai we got a really good price from Air Asia.
So yeah, do consider that.
And you know what?
Speaking of flights we should also mention you can come to Macau by helicopter.
Haha.
Fancy.
Yeah, if you want to arrive like a boss.
If you want to arrive in style.
I think it is like about $500 dollars one way.
Yeah, it is about $500 US dollars but it is only 16 minutes from Hong Kong.
So if you're in a rush and you want to start gambling you know take the helicopter and
you'll be there in no time.
So speaking of the ferry you're going to save a little bit of money if you go on a weekday
as opposed to the weekend.
It is just slightly cheaper.
Um, you're looking at around just over $20 US dollars for an economy class.
Yeah.
And that is perfectly adequate.
I mean uh it is only an hour ride so and there is departures leaving every like.
Very frequently.
Yeah.
Like 15 to 30 minutes.
Right.
And you can go anytime of day.
You can leave really early in the morning and you can come back late at night.
Or vice versa.
So it is really easy.
We've always just shown up and bought our ticket.
Um, like right from the stands.
Right when we wanted to go and that is probably fine on weekdays but if there is like a really
big event going on in Macau or it is on a weekend during a busy time of year I'd recommend
booking in advance and you can do that on the TurboJET's website.
I've also once booked it online.
It was really easy.
They accept credit cards and stuff like that.
Of course.
Super easy.
So next let's talk about accommodations in Macau and we've got to tell you just like
Hong Kong it is not cheap.
I would go as far as saying that it can be more expensive than staying in Hong Kong.
Yeah, it is.
Hong Kong does have budget options.
You can stay in dorms.
In Macau that is basically nonexistent.
Yeah.
Uh, I remember even the first time I visited Macau which is before I met you they didn't
really have many dorm options or hostel options and that is true even to today.
And I guess when most people are going over there to gamble um yeah.
They've got the cash.
They've got money.
And there isn't even a lot of very good mid-range options to be honest.
Yeah.
So there are some sort of more like dingy hotels which are not located by the casinos
not located by the main attractions.
And you can probably find something for under $100 US dollars but don't expect a lot at
that price which is kind of why we recommend doing it by day.
If you're visiting Macau more for the culture and the food then you can definitely make
a day trip from Hong Kong.
But if you do want to gamble and do some of the more entertainment.
The shows at night and stuff then you probably will just have to cough up the money stay
in a casino or like famous hotel and pay a bit more.
And we have notes on that here.
So a 2 to 3 star is going to be between $88 to 160 USD and if you're looking for 4 to
5 stars a $150 all the way up to $600 US bucks.
So yeah, bring your money.
Hahaha.
So there are AirBNB options.
We noticed some places where you can get a shared room for $40 to $60 dollars a night.
So that is actually not bad.
Well not a shared room.
Like your own private room in someone's house.
Right.
But you won't have the whole apartment to yourself.
Yeah, sorry.
That is what I meant.
And I noticed that those places weren't like right in the core the city.
So again more on the outskirts.
And if you're wanting to get your own place you're looking at $80 to $200 dollars plus.
Yeah.
So yeah, again not very cheap.
Um but it is available.
So next up let's talking about transportation around Macau (澳門 - 澳门).
And one thing we really enjoy is that all of the casinos and hotels offer free shuttles
from the terminal because obviously they want to lure guests.
Like come gamble at our place.
Yep.
So they offer free transportation which is great for visitor's on a budget I would say.
It really is.
So you can literally arrive at one of the ferry terminals and then hop on one of these
free shuttle buses and they will take you to all of the major casinos and also to some
major attractions as well.
Yeah.
So it is actually a really good way to get around the city and it is absolutely free.
So you can that is our favorite way to get around Macao.
Hands down.
So aside from free transportation also just walk around Macau on foot.
I mean a lot of places once you arrive in a certain area like if you're in Taipa or
you're near Senado Square or Saint Paul's Ruins for example.
A lot of the places that you can just reach by foot and it is just a really pleasant way
to just walk around in Macau.
So it is very pedestrian friendly and we definitely recommend it.
That being said we would not recommend walking from the strip where all of the casinos are
all the way to Senado Square because you're not going to make it.
Take a bus to get there.
And then you can walk around once you're there.
That would be really pushing it.
Yes.
Haha.
Uh, another option is you can take also public buses which are fairly cheap and also taxis.
So a taxi shouldn't cost more than about $5 US dollars for short rides and yeah if you're
in a hurry that would probably be your best bet because you do sometimes have to wait
around for the shuttle buses.
They leave at designated times for example.
And if something is too far to walk then consider taking the taxi or one of the public buses.
So for all of you budget travelers out there next up we're going to talk about free attractions
you can visit around Macau.
And number 1 I would say the area around Senado Square which is kind of like the main plaza
the main square.
You have lots of Portuguese architecture and tiles.
Yeah.
You can get some street food while you're there.
Yeah, it is nearby a lot of other major attractions and it is just a very central area and it
is a great place to people watch as well.
Yeah, and once you're at Senado Square you can walk all the way to the ruins of Saint
Paul which is basically the facade of a church.
Like the building is no longer there so all you see is the facade and the stepz leading
up to it.
But I would say that is a pretty cool walk from those two points.
It is a major landmark and you're going to see tonnes of people taking photos there.
It is quite photogenic and it is also you pass from Senado Square all the way to the
ruins that you're going to see probably where you can most of your street food too.
Yes, free samples of food guys.
Food!
That was another one of our free things.
Yeah, a lot of these stores they lure people in by offering free samples.
You can get free samples of almond cookies, free samples of like the pork jerky with glazed
honey.
So yeah there is a lot of different free samples so hit those up before you actually purchase
something.
So obviously another free attraction are all of the hotels and casinos and I mean some
of them are themed.
You have the Venetian which looks just like Venice and you have the Parisian which looks
just like Paris.
So if you enjoy that kind of thing you can go hotel and casino hopping.
Yeah, and some of them are really cool inside.
And the nice thing is that all of the shopping area and all of the entertainment area is
free to anyone in the public.
It is only the casino part where you have to be gambling in order to go in to.
You can't just wander around in there.
So aside from Senado Square another really cool place where you can see a lot of Portuguese
architecture and visit some museums is Taipa.
And it is also a great place to get street food.
That is where we tried are Macanese egg tarts and a few other delicious things.
Pork chop buns.
Yes.
So that is a great place to wander around.
So we've already talked about free attractions in Macau.
Now we're going to move on to things that you're probably going to want to pay for.
So first up we have Macau Tower.
Yeah, and I mean you're going to get a great view of Macau from there.
All the casinos all of the different islands.
So yeah, definitely go up it.
This is actually a confession time.
This is something we haven't done before but yeah if you're in to towers and getting really
good views then definitely check it out.
And you know what, I'm pretty sure you can go bungee jumping.
Yes, you can.
It is something we've never really researched.
No.
Because we have no interest.
We're both terrified of heights so that is not something we'd do but if you have a little
more courage than us consider it.
So the price to go up Macau tower is 130 Pataca MOP and it is obviously a little bit cheaper
if you're a child or a senior citizen.
So this next attraction that you're going to want to pay for is a mouthful.
So I'm going to read it to you.
It is called City of Dreams House of Dancing Water Spectacular.
RIght.
And basically it is a nightly show.
Kind of like a performance so if you like entertainment that is something you can do.
Yeah, this is located on the strip where all the casinos are.
RIght, and again that is something we haven't done but it is very very highly rated.
But this one is quite pricey.
So in terms of prices it is going to cost you 580 Hong Kong Dollars which is about $75
US dollars per ticket.
And of course we couldn't talk about Macau without mentioning gambling.
So so many people go there to gamble and if you're so inclined you can spend as little
or as much as you want.
You can drop huge wads of cash in Macau (澳門 - 澳门) and if you want to gamble there
is no shortage of places that will take your money.
And there is probably no limit to how much you can bet.
Yeah, exactly.
So next up we're going to talk about different foods you can try in Macau.
And we actually made an entire video dedicated to Macanese street food so you can check that
out if you're interested.
If you're a bit of a foodie.
There are just tonnes of options.
Like we ate like seven or eight different things.
So there is just tonnes of things to try.
And we ate really well.
So I would say one of my favorites was the egg tarts.
The Portuguese egg tarts.
Those were so tasty.
Oh my gosh.
So crispy.
Those.
Flaky.
Those were so good.
Those liked rivaled the egg tarts you find in Portugal.
The original ones.
What are they Pasteis de Nata?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They were so good.
Those are fantastic and they're also really cheap.
So another really popular one to have that we highly recommend is the pork chop bun.
It is basically like just like a pork chop in a bun.
And the outside of the bun is crispy and then it is really doughy inside.
Yeah, it is toasted.
Yeah, it is toasted.
It is just really good.
Trust me.
Try that one.
Just make sure you don't like bite into the bone like Sam did.
Oh my gosh.
Because the pork chop obviously has the chop in there.
I didn't see the bone and I bit in to it really hard and I thought of my gosh did I just chip
a tooth.
I was wondering am I actually going to be able to enjoy Macau or not or do I have to
go to a make an emergency dentist appointment.
Okay, so next up, and this is for the more adventurous people, try the durian ice cream.
Aw!
Oh my gosh.
It smells bad.
I love durian you hate it.
So if you already know you hate durian then obviously don't try it.
Stay away.
But if you've never tried try the durian ice cream it is really good.
And the next one I want to talk about is basically the sweet pork jerky that you can find.
These are just the thin strips that are cut up with scissors and put into a bag.
They are really good.
It is really soft.
It is so different from North American jerky or also Biltong which is something I've tried
from South Africa.
It is really soft jerky.
It is really sweet.
It makes a great snack.
And another thing I really enjoyed trying was the almond cookies.
Oh yeah.
And those for some reason just make me think of Christmas.
They're like little small bite sized cookies and they're very dry.
Yeah, so if you're going to try a whole bunch you probably want to enjoy them with tea or
some kind of beverage.
Yeah, maybe bubble tea.
We enjoyed ours with bubble tea.
Mmmm.
Oh yeah.
And if you guy by some shops you can actually see them making almond cookies which is fascinating.
So I would recommend buying them from one of the shops that is making them right in
front of you.
You know it is fresh.
You know it is good.
And another thing you can try in Macau is Portuguese wine.
We didn't get to do this.
Oh, I highly regret not doing that.
Yeah.
We just didn't have time.
I love wine so I would have loved to try the Portuguese wine.
Apparently, it is really affordable and really good quality too.
Next time.
Now moving on to things we loved about Macau.
Yeah, so these are all of things we really liked about Macau and what made it an attractive
place to visit.
So number 1 would be the free hotels and casinos you can just wander around and I mean you've
got these grand buildings.
Yeah.
So it is kind of like woah!
If you're there just for shopping and entertainment you could literally make that the focus of
your entire trip.
There is just so many different casinos and hotels to visit.
And every time we go back there is a new one.
There is like a new building.
They build fast in Macao.
Oh.
I have to say.
They sure do.
Yeah, anyways another thing we enjoyed was the street food.
Which we've mentioned a few times already.
That was really good.
Oh my gosh the Macanese street food is amazing.
And one of the advantages of snacking on street food all day long as opposed to going to sit
down restaurants is that it really helps you manage your time.
You can see and do a lot more when you're just like picking up these little bites.
Having something quick to eat and then moving on to the next thing.
And it is a lot more affordable than going out for a fancy meal.
Yes.
In Macau (澳門 - 澳门) because I have a feeling that would not be affordable.
No, it could get pricey really quick.
And yeah, all of the Macanese street food is really cheap.
Like everything was under $5 US dollars.
Some things were under $1.
So really cheap.
Really delicious.
Highly recommend it.
So another thing we really like is all of the Portuguese architecture and ruins that
you can find throughout the city.
It is just fascinating to see that type of architecture in you know a part of the world
where you normally wouldn't associate that with.
Yeah.
It just gives a some people come obviously to Macau to gamble and to do other things
like that but you can also be a culture vulture and enjoy the Portuguese architecture.
Culture vulture.
And other things.
So another point to add is that this is such an easy day trip.
Like it is just so convenient to hop on a ferry and you're there.
Right.
So the ease of travel is another really alluring thing about Macau (澳門 - 澳门).
It is very attractive and if you want to do the way we did it we woke up really early
in Hong Kong we went to the ferry terminal bought our ticket, quickly went through immigration.
Do remember to bring your passport.
Yes.
You are going from one special administrative region to another.
From Hong Kong to Macau so don't forget to do that.
But yeah, you can go buy your ticket on the spot.
We were on the baot within like what 30 minutes.
And then it an hour to Macau (澳門 - 澳门).
Immigration was a breeze there and so like by I don't know by 8 or 9 we were like already
rolling.
We were sightseeing.
We were sightseeing, exploring Macau.
So yeah and then you can come back again late at night.
And that makes for a great really busy day.
I find that when you have some time scarcity like that you just maximize your time.
Yeah, you really run around.
We did.
And we saw a lot and yeah check out our video to see what we did in just one day.
And one final point about things we loved about Macau would have to be the free transportation
provided by the hotels and casinos.
Thank you!
Thank you hotels and casinos.
Even though we didn't really spend money.
I know we took like three different shuttles.
Yeah, oh what was it the Wynn Hotel.
We went from the Wynn Hotel back to the ferry.
We were the only people on that shuttle.
And they drove us.
It was a private ride.
It was awesome.
So yeah, do take advantage of the free transportation.
These casinos and hotels they have tonnes of money so you don't have to feel guilty
about it.
Alright, moving on to the things we hated about Macau.
Basically the things we disliked about Macau (澳門 - 澳门).
And the first thing that comes up is the accommodations.
The lack of budget and mid-range accommodations.
It really out prices a lot of travelers and visitors.
But obviously the city is making a lot of money so I don't see that changing anytime
soon.
And I don't see there being a lot of budget accommodations both now and in the future.
So another thing that we kind of hated about Macau is that let's say by mid afternoon a
lot of the major attractions like Senado Square, Saint Paul's Ruins it is just packed with
people.
Super crowded.
Oversaturated.
Yeah, it is a little bit overwhelming.
So the way that you can get around that is to visit these earlier in the morning.
Yeah.
Um, especially if you're staying in Macao (澳門 - 澳门).
We didn't have that option because we got to these around the mid-afternoon but it was
a little bit overwhelming.
Yeah, there was a point where we weren't actually moving.
We were just standing there in a crowd like kind of getting pushed and shoved.
So that wasn't so pleasant.
I guess that is one of the downsides.
Right.
So to like we said to get around that visit during off hours.
And the last thing that I didn't really enjoy was the ferry ride coming back.
It was totally fine on the way there but on the way back it was super choppy.
And like the boat was bouncing up and down and that is when I understood why they have
seat belts on the seats on the ferry.
It is because like you're getting some serious air.
And it is like uhh.
To be honest that doesn't bother me as much.
Like I don't get as seasick.
And one tip we can offer is to try to get a seat on the second level.
That is never as choppy as on the first level.
Yeah.
So yeah, try to get your seat on the second level especially if you mind the choppy waters
and if you get seasick easily.
Yeah, so I would say those are all of our travel tips for Macau.
I hope you found them useful and we wish you a wonderful trip.
If you're traveling there soon.
Absolutely.
Do visit Macau it is definitely worth at least one visit there at one point in your life.
Bye.
Bye.
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