Looking for some thoughts and recomendations from experts

My wife and I are going to be staying in Macau for 4 nights (Sunday thru Thursday) in April. We were to Macau once before a long time ago on our honeymoon, at that time the only western casino was the Sands, and we stayed at the Westin (very romantic but out of the way). During our trip we made sure to take in all of the historical sights, but didn%26#39;t have time for much else.

Now we are wanting to do one day of shopping in ZhuHai at the underground mall (thanks to everyone who provided us with info on the forum about this alreay). But will have three other days to spend in Macau. We are staying at the Holiday Inn this time, hopefully it is a little closer to the action? Any advice on local eateries, Dim Sum, Seafood places to try, any neighbourhood shopping markets, or any advice on shopping at all? Are there any tea houses worth trying?

We have a good budget and can cab it anywhere we need to. Are there any tours that opperate in Macau worth doing? We also like to wander busy streets in evening, is there any particular part of town that has an evening scene? Lastly, where are the hidden gems in the historic downtown, or other parts of Macau?

Looking for some thoughts and recomendations from experts

Hi, glad you%26#39;re taking time to see Macau at a more relaxed speed than most do :-) Yes, Holiday Inn is right in the thick of things, but it gets mixed reviews. Have you checked out the Sintra? it%26#39;s in the same price range and is even more central.

If you type ';restaurants'; or ';food'; in the search box near the top of this page you will come up with plenty of ideas for breakfast, lunch, tea and supper. For Portuguese food, the brightest star among many is A Lorcha. You can start a real ding-dong argument if you ask your hotel front desk staff to name the best dim sum place ... my own favorite is Ka Nin Wah, on the side street behind Av. Horta e Costa McDonalds.

THE neighbourhood shopping area is in the back streets between Three Lamps and Red Market, mostly on the south side of Horta e Costa, but this area is pretty much shut by 7pm. Taipa and Coloane villages are good places for a walk in the evenings, as is the sea front promenade accessed by footbridgefrom the water reservoir and extending nearly to the Gongbei border crossing. For working class local, the Fai Chi Kei market area (by the dog track) stays open later than most.

Did you visit St Augustine%26#39;s Square last time? It%26#39;s just up the hill behind the Senado building, but hardly any tourists go there. I also like Lou Lim Ioc and Camoes Gardens, turning right instead of left at the sea front in Coloane and walking over the hill to the traditional boat building yards (I don%26#39;t know if they have any business in the current economic climate), or turning left through the more built-up area and then walking out past the temple and around to Cheok Van beach - hard to believe such a quiet place exists in Macau!

Hope this gives you a few ideas to start with.

Looking for some thoughts and recomendations from experts

Hi jjocko, firstly,will second the advice on dim sum at Ka Nin Wah,dim sum is from 0730am-1130am;thereafter they also serve usual Chinese food.

landmark- Kun Iam temple,then when you alight,turn left,and further up is a lane,and if you look to your right,you will see Big M sign,and this restaurant is close by over here.

Once after dinner over here,we stroll around this area,managed to do some shopping in a cosmestics/perfume chain store-SaSa,then proceeded to have our dessert of Serradura at Serrdura outlet;diagonally across from Kun Iam temple.

As for tea houses,well there is culture club,along San Ma Lo;otherwise I stick to my cafes for my favourite ';bica';(Portuguese coffee).

As for evening scene-well catch the neon lights of Grand Lisboa/Hotel Lisboa,and of course the clubbing scene at NAPE(landmark-Kun Iam statue).

My hidden gem,in respect of food will be Espaco Lisboa in Coloane(Rua Das Gaivotas)- tip:- find bicycle repair shop.

As advised,though oisaan did mention once,about the uphill walk,is the walk up to St Augustine Square-where i find it away from tourists;just sitting down on a bench and just soaking up the atmosphere,admiring and appreciating the heritage buildings over here.

Welcome back to Macau.

Maybe this time,you may want to visit A Ma Cultural Village in Coloane.

Domestic China Airfare - Buy now or wait?

I have been informed it is best to purchase domestic airfare in China about 8 wks or less for best prices.

I am looking at Xian to Chengdu airfare.

On ctrip.com = Right now for July 3, 2009, purchase can be made for almost 50% off - regular full fare 630CNY can be purhased for 320CNY.

Is it possible that this fare could go even lower as closer to actual departure date?

Or should I purchase now? Any disadvantages?

Appreciate any comments. Thanks.

Domestic China Airfare - Buy now or wait?

Opps I think you may have put in 2 posts with the same question. I answered on your other post:)

Domestic China Airfare - Buy now or wait?

Oops - had an error in posting - didn%26#39;t think it went thru - thanks!

That%26#39;s okay. I%26#39;ve had a few of those too. I call it a stutter;) Never mind - you might get more answers LOL.

Fare from Macau Airport to Macau Ferry Terminal?

Hi,

I got to know that AP1 bus from the Macau Airport will go to Macau Ferry Terminal. Do they allow luggage? My wife and I have 2 trolley luggage bag and a hand luggage bag. Does it fit in the bus?

If not I guess I have to take a taxi. How much is the fare?

Thanks.

Fare from Macau Airport to Macau Ferry Terminal?

there is a rack on the AP1 bus and I think you can put all your lugguage bags there.

The taxi fee from airport to macau ferry terminal cost around 40~ 50 MOP, plus 3-5 MOP lugguage fee per lugguage.

Fare from Macau Airport to Macau Ferry Terminal?

Hi Leongwk15, yes,the API(fare:- MOP4.20) allow luggage.

As for taxi fare from airport to Macau ferry terminal ,it should average at MOP60.00,where there is MOP5 surcharge for taxi from airport,and MOP3 for each piece of luggage in the boot.

Suggest change for some HKD in Malaysia,then upon arrival in Macau airport,change some HKD for Macau patacas to pay for taxi (bus) and also ferry to HK(though for ferry,you can also pay with Visa/Mastercard,billed in MOP.

Yes, the AP1 buses have luggage racks. Note that drivers are supposed to charge MOP/HKD3 for each bag larger than standard cabin baggage size, but some drivers turn a blind eye. A tgood idea to change a small amount of HKD to MOP as this will give you some small change, and bus fares go direct into a coin box, the drivers do not give change.

Shenzhen or Zhuhai via Macau

Hi,

Need some advice, my initial plan was to go Luo Wu in Shenzhen for some shopping via Hk on my arrival on Sunday . Actually I will be coming straight from Macau into HK, check into hotel, then to Shenzhen for some shopping. But was wondering should I just go straight to Zhuhai on arrival in Macau, get my shopping done and then hop on to a ferry to TST-HK in the evening from Zhuhai.

I gather the things I can get in Shenzhen should be the same in Zhuhai.

Is Zhuhai a better option in terms of time taken?

Should I miss the ferry from Zhuhai, is it better for me to stay a night in Zhuhai or make my way from Macau? is the immigration clearance gonna be bad in the night?

Thanks for all your help.

Shenzhen or Zhuhai via Macau

Luohu and Zhuhai are very different shopping experiences, even though the products are pretty much the same (but Zhuhai doesn%26#39;t have the tailoring services). Luohu is really manically ';renao'; - a much larger shopping centre, touts, spruikers, aggressive salesmen ... Zhuhai is much more laid back, so it depends on your own style, which you would prefer. Zhuhai would certainly save you time.

Late evening crowds at the Gongbei checkpoint are horrendous, and anyway it is cheaper to stay in Zhuhai, so if you miss the last ferry across to HK by all means stay there rather than crossing back into Macau.

Shenzhen or Zhuhai via Macau

What do you want to buy? Zhuhai does not have a fabric market nor does it sell clothes in ';western sizes';. Fashion clothing for the young, handbags, accessories %26amp; shoes are the specialities in the Gong Bei Underground Plaza. As Oisaan points out it is a much more pleasant shopping experiences than LuoHu. To be fair, LuoHu was hard hit by the visa crackdown of July-Octover and the vendors are making up for lost business in a big way.

Hi Oisaan and Zhuhai2007,

Thanks for all that info, Zhuhai definitely look more to my taste, not looking into textile or fabric/tailoring. More interested in getting t-shirt/ polo shirt and the likes you mentioned.

I just have other questions, from the Macau airport website, I noticed that I can go directly to Zhuhai using the Express Link: macau-airport.gov.mo/en/v01/01_express.php

Do you have more info on this service like how long would it takes to reach Gongbei and the fare? Also noticed that the earliest schedule is 1200hrs while I will be arriving Macau at 0945hrs, is it better for me to wait for this Express Link bus than for me to clear custom at Macau/Zhuhai-Gongbei border(understand that the queue is horrendous on a Sunday). In your opinion, which will get me to Gongbei underground Mall earliest as I do not want to waste any time because I have hotel booking in HK and need to get to HK from Zhuhai that same day.

My hotel is actually Hotel Benito in TST-HK so China Ferry Terminal will be easier for me but the last ferry fro Zhuhai Jiuzhou Ferry terminal is 1730hrs which is kind of rush, they have later schedule for the Shuen Wan, if I%26#39;m to take the ferry to Shuen Wan, is it difficult for me to get to TST? From my research, I need to take the MTR to Central and change to the one to TST, am I right?

From Gongbei to the Jiuzhou Terminal, I understand I can get a cab and it take about 10mins, just wondering if the ferry terminal is anywhere near the Wanzai Seafood Street, if time permits might want to have seafood there just for the experience as well as the cost is cheap.

Sorry for asking so many question and thanks for all the help.

Hi,yes,if you take the ferry and arrive into Shun Tak Centre,Sheung Wan,then you take a MTR from Sheung Wan to Central MTR station to interchange onto Tsuen Wan line,to alight at Tsim Sha Tsui station,then from here,proceed to Exit B2 for Cameron Road,on which Hotel Benito is situated.

all the best in your other trip planning-I leave it to the best hands of my friends-zhuhai and oisaan.

As for Leitaria I Son,which is located in Senado Square;well,once you arrive at Senado Square-where the fountain is,you will notice right across the fountain,a yellow lime exterior facade building,which also houses the macau information centre,next to this building is a rose pink exterior facade building-well, Leitaria I Son is located on the ground floor of this rose pink exterior facade building.

To reach Senado Square from Sintra,once you exit from the hotel lobby,turn left,and walking straight,you will reach Av. Do Infante D.Henrique,at this point,take a left,and you will be on ';San Ma Lo%26#39;(Av. de Almeida Ribeiro),and Senado Square is on your right.

tip:- where you reach AV.Do Infante D.Henrique,and if you continue crossing the road in straight direction,you will see a small little lane on your left,which is the access to Margaret de Nata cafe(Egg tart).

Wanzai seafood street is in the complete opposite direction from Juizhou port however it is one of the access points from Macau. A possibility would be to take a taxi from the airport to the inner harbour (Pier 14); take the Wanzai Ferry ($10 - goes every 30 minutes except for a 2 hour lunch break!!); have lunch at Wanzai Seafood Street and then get a taxi to GongBei. Assume you will be travelling very light at this point!!

From GongBei there is a free shuttle bus to the ferry port but I%26#39;m not sure whether you must already have a ticket to use it. (I%26#39;ve tried to find out but my Chinese is not good enough).

Easy enough to catch the MTR to TST from Sheung Wan, again assuming you are travelling light. Last Ferry is at 9:30pm.

Even with all the crowds, it would be quicker to make your own way from Macau airport to Zhuhai than to wait for the ExpressLink, and as Zhuhai2007 points out, you can save even more time by going via Wanzai instead of Gongbei.

I also assume you will be travelling light? If so, no problem at all to take the MTR from Sheung Wan on HK island over to Kowloon side.

If not travelling light, you will be VERY tired by the end of the day!

Hi,

Thanks a lot for all your kind and valuable info, really provided me a better idea of how to plan my trip. Heartfelt appreciation to you all.

Please bear with me as I have some more questions.

From Macau airport to Pier 14(for ferry to Wanzai/Zhuhai), duration and est fare by taxi, any bus to take and travelling time? What time do the seafood restaurants open? Will I be too early?

Thank you very much Zhuhai2007 for taking the trouble to enquire for me regarding the free shuttle to Jiuzhou Port. Where do I board this shuttle from Gongbei Mall, I could probably check it out personally when I%26#39;m there as I can speak Chinese.

Are taxis easily available and safe? Are they metered? For my ferry to HK via Jiuzhou Port, do I need advance booking? Can I just get ticket easily or is it gonna be bad like Macau-HK on a Sunday?

Thanks a lot Mikiaratravel for providing me the detailed directional info for Macau, really useful for the Macau stretch of my trip.

And many thanks to Oisaan for always providing so much valauable info and assistance.

You all have been a great help and I%26#39;m so grateful. Thanks again.

Yeah my husband and I will be travelling light with just a backpack each, getting lots of stuff there and raring to go this Sunday.

I sometimes ';use'; the Venetian shuttle buses as a cheap option, but they can be a hassle as you have to go from the airport to the Venetian and then walk through the casino to the back door to get the bus to the ferry pier. A taxi shouldn%26#39;t cost more than $50 and take about 20 minutes. I don%26#39;t know if the Sofitel has a shuttle from the airport (the pier is right beside the Sofitel).

Assuming you get to the pier by 11am you can take the 11:15 ferry and be in perfect time for lunch.

To pier 14 from the main ferry terminal in Macau, around MOP/HKD/RMB40 for a taxi, and 15 minutes or so (if there%26#39;s one of the frequent traffic snarls on San Ma Lo it could be quicker to walk the rest of the way).

Buses 3A or 5 run this route, fare MOP/HKD3.20, time 20 - 30 minutes.

Note that taxi drivers are very happy to accept RMB, but buses do not accept, although they have no problem with HKD. Bus drivers do not give change, but it%26#39;s OK if 2 people put their fare in jointly.

Limited time in Macau

heyya guys! i have only 1 day in macau.

26/03/09

7.40 pm Arrive at Macau Airport

8.30 pm Check-in at hotel. Emperor Hotel Macau

(any good dinner to recommend around this location?)

9.30 pm Walk from Grand Lisboa to Wynn macau. Catch Tree Prosperity show %26amp; fountain show at Wynn.

27/03/09

(Next day... Not too sure where should i start)

9am Breakfast at the hotel

9.30am

-Ruins of st. paul

-monte fortress

-lou kau mansion

12pm

-Senado square, go to Leitaria I Son for milk puddings, pork chop buns %26amp; maybe french toast for lunch.

-guia chapel %26amp; lighthouse (worth visiting?)

3pm

-macau tower convention

-nam van lake (cybernetic fountain)

-A ma temple

6pm Dinner at ALorcha

7.30pm

-macau fisherman%26#39;s wharf (worth visiting?) to sands macau. Any special shows to watch at Sands?

OR

-Venetian hotel @ taipa

9pm Get our luggage at Emperor Hotel and head to Zhuhai via Gongbei custom.

How do i get to Areia Preta, would like to try Pig liver congee.

From emperor hotel to zhuhai, should i take a cab or bus?

Is there any other places worth visting which i have left out?

Limited time in Macau

Wow, you have a busy schedule. I doubt you can complete all of that on schedule. A few comments:

1. It will probably take at least 30 minutes to get through immigration and another 30 to get to the hotel. I wouldn%26#39;t count on being able to have dinner in time for the show at Wynn.

2. Having dinner AND a show before 9pm on the second day would also be pushing it. Fishermans%26#39; wharf doesn%26#39;t have much to see. You can easily miss it. The Venetian will take about 40-60 minutes in travelling (both ways) - also missable in such a short time frame (unless you go there on Day 1 instead of Wynn).

3. Cab will be the quickest way to the Portas de Cerco/Gong Bei border crossing. It should only cost 50-60 MoP.

Limited time in Macau

I agree with Zhuhai2007%26#39;s comments about the heavy evening schedules, and also about missing Fishermen%26#39;s Wharf (unless you are interested in high-end shopping in shops of various European architectural styles).

If the weather is clear, by all means go up Macau Tower, but if there%26#39;s fog or low cloud there will be no view whatever.

Areia Preta is not so easy to find your way around with limited time - I suggest you ask the local front desk staff at your hotel where to find a good bowl of the pig liver congee - Macau people are passionate about food, so you might even start an argument ;-) - then they can either direct you to their recommended place or write the name for a taxi driver (if you don%26#39;t speak Mandarin).

I think the Emperor Hotel has its own shuttle bus running to the Cerco-Gongbei checkpoint, but of course check with them.

There are still quite a few places to visit in Macau, so if you enjoy this time here you can start planning your second trip!

bebo

Acrobatics show

Hi,

Do I just take a taxi to the Chaoyang theatre and buy tickets there?

Or should I buy the tickets ahead of time via hotel or tour agencies? I noticed that there are tickets offered by tour groups which also include transport to the theatre.

thanks

Acrobatics show

Have a look at www.thechinaguide.com you can buy discount tickets in advance they meet you at the theatre and you pay for them there. They also give you taxi instructions

Acrobatics show

I am not so sure about those discount offers. Until now I have only seen advertising to it and references to sites. But no any reliable feedback on it.

Depending on the season and time of day, it is better to buy a ticket in advance. Especially the shows early in the evening can be sold out. You can buy them in advance at the theater itself.

Maybe you can do that if you go somewhere (or return) and make a stop there.

As said, the discount things might work as well. so if someone has experience with it, let it know.

Hi bjticket

do you mean 1/2 of the posted prices on the website? How can I get 1/2 price tickets? sounds very good.

thanks.

You can go there by taxi to buy tickets,of cause,if the hotel service charge the tickets price including trsoportation serive,that will be great!

bebo

Anything else to do in Macau other than casinos?

Hi

My partner %26amp; i will be in Macau over the 2009/10 New Years period. Is there anything else to see/do in Macau other than gamble? Do the casinos/hotel hae attractions within them like in Vegas? I understand the ruins of st paul%26#39;s %26amp; Senado square (?) are worth seeing - anythign else?

Anything else to do in Macau other than casinos?

G%26#39;dday, Yorka. There%26#39;s plenty to do in Macau apart from casinos - I lived there more than 5 years and never went into one (although I did have a look around the Venetian when it first opened - that was enough). There are more than 20 UNESCO heritage sites, plenty of bargain shopping (clothing, antiques/curios, jewellery) and local markets to browse through - the shops won%26#39;t close for western new year, and it%26#39;s a foodies%26#39; paradise. Cirque du Soleil has a show running at the Venetian, there%26#39;s a gokart track, horse and greyhound racing, and more. Have a look at cn.macautourism.gov.mo for more ideas.