This was Day 1 of my first out of the country trip with my family. I laid out a number of destinations. We start with Venetian Macau Hotel, visit the historical side of Macau and tour the other popular hotels. We failed to manage time so we ended doing some hotel hopping in Macau.

When in Macau, don't ever miss the grandest Venetian Hotel. This was my third time to be here. I have no regrets except that over time, I noticed that tourists are already flocking the hotel. We visited on a weekday and was expecting a lesser crowd. The volume of people was still manageable. This was way better than my previous trip when Venetian Hotel felt like Divisoria or a mall wide sale in SM Megamall. Haha 

Despite projecting a high end image, Venetian still offers some affordable items. Starting with the food court that has extensive choices. It's one of my favorite places in Venetian, setting aside the difficulty of looking for a vacant table and seat. Shops are not too high end as well. They have Uniqlo, H&M, Giordano, some local brands and a Duty Free shop. Added to this Venetian's own souvenir shop that provides some interesting but a little expensive items. 

It is easy to get lost at the Venetian Hotel. The circular floor layout is a little confusing. As proof to this, we were surprised that we already entered another hotel after hours of exploring The Venetian. This is one of the biggest surprises for me. I can't figure out how The Venetian was connected with the other hotels of The Cotai Strip.  It felt like magic for me!!! We were able to reach other hotels without exiting The Venetian. Hahaha I began to realize this when I started seeing shops of high end brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, and my dream brand, Valentino. For the longest time, I was able to personally feel the Valentino Garavani Rockstud Ballerina. What's more surprising, it wasn't as expensive as I was expecting. It made me discover that some local resellers /shoppers are overpricing this luxury brand. But then again, I still can't afford it. Hahaha

After hours of walking, we landed on Parisian Macau. This is one of the newest ventures in Macau. Everyone was routing for their perfect shot in the replica of the Eiffel Tower. I didn't get my perfect shot. But seeing it in person was already mesmerizing. What more if I see the actual tower in France? (a girl can always dream hahaha) All these hotels in Macau have their unique and amazing architecture. The Parisian Macau exceeded my expectations. It has its own definition of captivating. The garden, facade, and the reception area compensated our efforts and money from the ferry trip in Hong Kong. 

It was a great pleasure to tour my family here. Even though I've seen the place thrice already, it always feel different when traveling with the family. Though admittedly, I'm still not done with Macau. I still have places to see. But I have no regrets at all. Crossing my fingers, I knew there will be opportunities. For now, I have to work hard, save more and face reality. 

• November 28, 2016
• Macau

Back at the Las Vegas of Asia

This was Day 1 of my first out of the country trip with my family. I laid out a number of destinations. We start with Venetian Macau Hotel, visit the historical side of Macau and tour the other popular hotels. We failed to manage time so we ended doing some hotel hopping in Macau.

When in Macau, don't ever miss the grandest Venetian Hotel. This was my third time to be here. I have no regrets except that over time, I noticed that tourists are already flocking the hotel. We visited on a weekday and was expecting a lesser crowd. The volume of people was still manageable. This was way better than my previous trip when Venetian Hotel felt like Divisoria or a mall wide sale in SM Megamall. Haha 

Despite projecting a high end image, Venetian still offers some affordable items. Starting with the food court that has extensive choices. It's one of my favorite places in Venetian, setting aside the difficulty of looking for a vacant table and seat. Shops are not too high end as well. They have Uniqlo, H&M, Giordano, some local brands and a Duty Free shop. Added to this Venetian's own souvenir shop that provides some interesting but a little expensive items. 

It is easy to get lost at the Venetian Hotel. The circular floor layout is a little confusing. As proof to this, we were surprised that we already entered another hotel after hours of exploring The Venetian. This is one of the biggest surprises for me. I can't figure out how The Venetian was connected with the other hotels of The Cotai Strip.  It felt like magic for me!!! We were able to reach other hotels without exiting The Venetian. Hahaha I began to realize this when I started seeing shops of high end brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, and my dream brand, Valentino. For the longest time, I was able to personally feel the Valentino Garavani Rockstud Ballerina. What's more surprising, it wasn't as expensive as I was expecting. It made me discover that some local resellers /shoppers are overpricing this luxury brand. But then again, I still can't afford it. Hahaha

After hours of walking, we landed on Parisian Macau. This is one of the newest ventures in Macau. Everyone was routing for their perfect shot in the replica of the Eiffel Tower. I didn't get my perfect shot. But seeing it in person was already mesmerizing. What more if I see the actual tower in France? (a girl can always dream hahaha) All these hotels in Macau have their unique and amazing architecture. The Parisian Macau exceeded my expectations. It has its own definition of captivating. The garden, facade, and the reception area compensated our efforts and money from the ferry trip in Hong Kong. 

It was a great pleasure to tour my family here. Even though I've seen the place thrice already, it always feel different when traveling with the family. Though admittedly, I'm still not done with Macau. I still have places to see. But I have no regrets at all. Crossing my fingers, I knew there will be opportunities. For now, I have to work hard, save more and face reality. 

Read More

My dearest Macau! I already had the opportunity to see and appreciate your magnificence twice. On those two instances, I was unfortunately hit by some bad luck. Three years ago, the real intention was to see Hong Kong and make a side trip to Macau. Given the limited time, I was able to see the more popular sights, The Venetian Hotel, St. Paul Ruins and the Senado Square. On my last trip, the original plan was to stay in Macau and make a side trip to Hong Kong. Because of some problems with late booking of accommodation, plans changed. Macau was again considered as another side trip. I was fine with it. I knew that we will be able to achieve everything with a good itinerary. I did my share. I planned our trip to Venetian Hotel, Coloane Island, Old Taipa Village and Fisherman's Wharf. My idea was to have a balanced trip, where history meets modernity. Sadly, everything remained as plans. What I failed to realize, I was in a group. I wasn't traveling with people who share my objectives. Like Singapore, I still have "closure" issues with Macau. I'm not yet done with you Macau! :) Give me more time, money and opportunities, I will see you again.

Despite the little frustration, here are the few captures I made.

We went to The Venetian to leave our luggage. I read from a few bloggers that Venetian Hotel offers free Baggage Services. Turns out, we need to pay HKD 10 for every piece of bag / luggage to avail the concierge services. I'm not sure for hotel guests. It's most likely free already.

We had lunch at The Venetian and explored the shops. A few tips for those who have plans of exploring The Venetian. Avoid weekends and long weekends. Everyone seem to be there. It may be quite a hassle to explore the place with children or companions below 21 years old. They have strict age limit requirement to gain access to the Casino. The Casino could have been helpful in providing shortcuts and easier access points to the different parts of the Grand Canal Shoppes.

I was able to convince everyone to cross the street and check out Galaxy Hotel. I'm not sure, but I believe Macau doesn't have their own train system yet. Regardless, they compensate with an effective bus transport system and better traffic condition.

We just sat for a while and left. They were tired. I was constrained by everyone's aching feet.

We crossed the street again to explore the Old Taipa Village. Thanks to one blogger who wrote about the overpass and walkalator from The Galaxy and Venetian to the Old Taipa Village.

I knew that the roads lead to more beautiful pieces of history waiting to be seen. Unfortunately, no good chance for me. We only landed to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

So much places I missed. It was just a few more walks away. Even the ecological garden was scrapped out of the plans. One of our travel companions wanted to arrive early in the airport. 

This has to be my last. Last time to say that I missed everything. Last time to splurge for some disappointments. Macau, please allow me to see you again.

Moving from Hong Kong to Macau and vice versa is easy.  The ferries serve as the main public transport. You can check out this post from Hotels Combined for more details. 

• May 22, 2015
• Macau

The Underrated Macau

My dearest Macau! I already had the opportunity to see and appreciate your magnificence twice. On those two instances, I was unfortunately hit by some bad luck. Three years ago, the real intention was to see Hong Kong and make a side trip to Macau. Given the limited time, I was able to see the more popular sights, The Venetian Hotel, St. Paul Ruins and the Senado Square. On my last trip, the original plan was to stay in Macau and make a side trip to Hong Kong. Because of some problems with late booking of accommodation, plans changed. Macau was again considered as another side trip. I was fine with it. I knew that we will be able to achieve everything with a good itinerary. I did my share. I planned our trip to Venetian Hotel, Coloane Island, Old Taipa Village and Fisherman's Wharf. My idea was to have a balanced trip, where history meets modernity. Sadly, everything remained as plans. What I failed to realize, I was in a group. I wasn't traveling with people who share my objectives. Like Singapore, I still have "closure" issues with Macau. I'm not yet done with you Macau! :) Give me more time, money and opportunities, I will see you again.

Despite the little frustration, here are the few captures I made.

We went to The Venetian to leave our luggage. I read from a few bloggers that Venetian Hotel offers free Baggage Services. Turns out, we need to pay HKD 10 for every piece of bag / luggage to avail the concierge services. I'm not sure for hotel guests. It's most likely free already.

We had lunch at The Venetian and explored the shops. A few tips for those who have plans of exploring The Venetian. Avoid weekends and long weekends. Everyone seem to be there. It may be quite a hassle to explore the place with children or companions below 21 years old. They have strict age limit requirement to gain access to the Casino. The Casino could have been helpful in providing shortcuts and easier access points to the different parts of the Grand Canal Shoppes.

I was able to convince everyone to cross the street and check out Galaxy Hotel. I'm not sure, but I believe Macau doesn't have their own train system yet. Regardless, they compensate with an effective bus transport system and better traffic condition.

We just sat for a while and left. They were tired. I was constrained by everyone's aching feet.

We crossed the street again to explore the Old Taipa Village. Thanks to one blogger who wrote about the overpass and walkalator from The Galaxy and Venetian to the Old Taipa Village.

I knew that the roads lead to more beautiful pieces of history waiting to be seen. Unfortunately, no good chance for me. We only landed to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

So much places I missed. It was just a few more walks away. Even the ecological garden was scrapped out of the plans. One of our travel companions wanted to arrive early in the airport. 

This has to be my last. Last time to say that I missed everything. Last time to splurge for some disappointments. Macau, please allow me to see you again.

Moving from Hong Kong to Macau and vice versa is easy.  The ferries serve as the main public transport. You can check out this post from Hotels Combined for more details. 

Read More

My first day in Hong Kong was almost a blast. I already enjoyed the few places we have visited.With less than 4 hours of sleep and aching legs, we went to our second destination. Welcome to the Las Vegas of Asia: Macau!

Macau is under the special administrative region of China, similar to Hong Kong. Being a special administrative region means having a degree of autonomy, separate political system, and its own capitalist economy. Macau used to be a colony of Portugal, while Hong Kong was under the Great Britain. Having been influenced by these two European countries, the systems and the economy of these two regions are somehow different from China.

If you are visiting Hong Kong, I highly suggest a day in your itinerary for Macau. It's a must see place for an Asian tour.

So how do you reach Macau from Hong Kong? Take the MTR or the train

 

 Take the Ferry from Hong Kong to Macau

Don't forget to bring your passport when traveling to Macau from Hong Kong. As I have mentioned, it's considered as another territory.

I fell in love with the road and bridges in Macau. Everything looks so wide, clean, organized and most of all, no trace of traffic.

You can see the best and the grandest hotels in Asia in Macau. For my Asian friends who cannot afford a plane ticket to Vegas, Macau can serve as the next best substitute.

Hotel hopping is the one of the main activities you can do in Macau. As soon as you move out of the Ferry Port, free shuttle buses to the different hotels are provided. You can take your pick among Hard Rock Hotel, MGM Grand Hotel, Regency Hotel, Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau and the famous Venetian Macau Resort and Hotel.

We chose to explore the Venetian Macau Resort and Hotel.

I was totally mesmerized. Venetian is so far the grandest hotel I've ever seen.

Here are more jaw dropping pictures from the hotel

The Venetian in Macau was modeled from its sister branch in Las Vegas. Both are owned by Las Vegas Sands Corporation together with The Palazzo and Sands Casino Resort in US. It boasts more than 40 floors, 3,000 suites, 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables. Staying at The Venetian is obviously as expensive as gold. If you have the luxury of financial resources, I would recommend a stay here. However, for budget travelers like us, exploring The Venetian for a day would be enough. Except for the suites, visitors are allowed to explore the magnificence of the place.

Aside from sight seeing, you can also enjoy shopping at The Venetian. The shopping area is called as The Grand Canal Shoppes where you can find branded to signature items such as Zara, Mango, Lacoste, Esprit, Giordano, Adidas, Fila, Bossini, Victoria's Secret, Nine West  and the Nuance Watson Duty Free. You can find the complete list of shops here.    

You can also try a gondola ride to achieve that total Italian experience.

In case you get hungry, The Grand Canal Shoppes offers a relatively cheaper choices in their food court.

 

The painted clouds, lamp posts and the Italian inspired structures made me want to stay here forever. 

After satisfying our eyes with the great Venetian, we went out and explored the real city of Macau. A day to explore Macau may not be enough especially if you have to figure out directions and locations. Our last stop was the ruins of St. Paul Cathedral.

The ruins of St. Paul serves as the facade of the Church of Mater Dei built between 1602 to 1640. The place was destroyed by fire in 1835 leaving the facade as its mains surviving structure. Ever since the place was listed in UNESCO's world heritage sites, it has become a major tourist destination.

A view of the city from the cathedral

After taking pictures of the Cathedral, don't forget to try the egg tart, Chinese ham and other local delicacies downtown.

That's it for my Macau trip!

This is only Day 2 of my Asian tour. On my third post, I will share my experience about the land of happiness and fantasy.

P.S.
Gabby of The Late Young Family gave me this badge

Thank you Gabby!

The badge originated from Germany and it is given to "up and coming" blogs who have less than 200 followers. According to Gabby, Liebster is a German word which means dearest or beloved.

I am passing this badge to five other blog friends who deserve it. They are

1. Amanda of Life Since Then ~

2. Yadira's Crafty Adventures

3.  Jen of Sadie Inspired

4. Jenn of Memoirs of a Sassy Girl

5. Kelley Highway

• March 25, 2012
• life

Travel Diaries: A Taste of Las Vegas in Asia

My first day in Hong Kong was almost a blast. I already enjoyed the few places we have visited.With less than 4 hours of sleep and aching legs, we went to our second destination. Welcome to the Las Vegas of Asia: Macau!

Macau is under the special administrative region of China, similar to Hong Kong. Being a special administrative region means having a degree of autonomy, separate political system, and its own capitalist economy. Macau used to be a colony of Portugal, while Hong Kong was under the Great Britain. Having been influenced by these two European countries, the systems and the economy of these two regions are somehow different from China.

If you are visiting Hong Kong, I highly suggest a day in your itinerary for Macau. It's a must see place for an Asian tour.

So how do you reach Macau from Hong Kong? Take the MTR or the train

 

 Take the Ferry from Hong Kong to Macau

Don't forget to bring your passport when traveling to Macau from Hong Kong. As I have mentioned, it's considered as another territory.

I fell in love with the road and bridges in Macau. Everything looks so wide, clean, organized and most of all, no trace of traffic.

You can see the best and the grandest hotels in Asia in Macau. For my Asian friends who cannot afford a plane ticket to Vegas, Macau can serve as the next best substitute.

Hotel hopping is the one of the main activities you can do in Macau. As soon as you move out of the Ferry Port, free shuttle buses to the different hotels are provided. You can take your pick among Hard Rock Hotel, MGM Grand Hotel, Regency Hotel, Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau and the famous Venetian Macau Resort and Hotel.

We chose to explore the Venetian Macau Resort and Hotel.

I was totally mesmerized. Venetian is so far the grandest hotel I've ever seen.

Here are more jaw dropping pictures from the hotel

The Venetian in Macau was modeled from its sister branch in Las Vegas. Both are owned by Las Vegas Sands Corporation together with The Palazzo and Sands Casino Resort in US. It boasts more than 40 floors, 3,000 suites, 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables. Staying at The Venetian is obviously as expensive as gold. If you have the luxury of financial resources, I would recommend a stay here. However, for budget travelers like us, exploring The Venetian for a day would be enough. Except for the suites, visitors are allowed to explore the magnificence of the place.

Aside from sight seeing, you can also enjoy shopping at The Venetian. The shopping area is called as The Grand Canal Shoppes where you can find branded to signature items such as Zara, Mango, Lacoste, Esprit, Giordano, Adidas, Fila, Bossini, Victoria's Secret, Nine West  and the Nuance Watson Duty Free. You can find the complete list of shops here.    

You can also try a gondola ride to achieve that total Italian experience.

In case you get hungry, The Grand Canal Shoppes offers a relatively cheaper choices in their food court.

 

The painted clouds, lamp posts and the Italian inspired structures made me want to stay here forever. 

After satisfying our eyes with the great Venetian, we went out and explored the real city of Macau. A day to explore Macau may not be enough especially if you have to figure out directions and locations. Our last stop was the ruins of St. Paul Cathedral.

The ruins of St. Paul serves as the facade of the Church of Mater Dei built between 1602 to 1640. The place was destroyed by fire in 1835 leaving the facade as its mains surviving structure. Ever since the place was listed in UNESCO's world heritage sites, it has become a major tourist destination.

A view of the city from the cathedral

After taking pictures of the Cathedral, don't forget to try the egg tart, Chinese ham and other local delicacies downtown.

That's it for my Macau trip!

This is only Day 2 of my Asian tour. On my third post, I will share my experience about the land of happiness and fantasy.

P.S.
Gabby of The Late Young Family gave me this badge

Thank you Gabby!

The badge originated from Germany and it is given to "up and coming" blogs who have less than 200 followers. According to Gabby, Liebster is a German word which means dearest or beloved.

I am passing this badge to five other blog friends who deserve it. They are

1. Amanda of Life Since Then ~

2. Yadira's Crafty Adventures

3.  Jen of Sadie Inspired

4. Jenn of Memoirs of a Sassy Girl

5. Kelley Highway

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