Macao, Cotai Strip®: Within Walking Distance

From playing and shopping to the best seats in the house, here are 10 great insights into exploring the city, all near the Hotel.

Feb 27, 2012

By: Sara J. Welch

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The Venetian Macao beyond Four Seasons Hotel Macao at the Cotai Strip® at dusk

Macanese dessert: Fong Kei’s almond cakes

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The Venetian Macao is home to the world’s largest casino. The Money Wheel, a roulette game with pictures, is unique to the Venetian and the Sands. For those who like to play numbered roulette wheels, note that in Macau, these wheels have only one zero.

Photography Ian Trower/Alamy

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Zaia, a dancing/singing/acrobatic extravaganza from Cirque du Soleil, can be seen only in Macau, where it is housed permanently in a $100 million purpose-built theatre at the Venetian. The best seats are not necessarily the most expensive; sit at least 15 rows back to enjoy the full effect.

Photography courtesy Cirque du Soleil

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The Shoppes at Four Seasons is Macau’s first luxury mall, comprising more than 160 marquis brands. Try an unusual pedicure at Fish Spa, where tiny fish will gently nibble the dead skin from your feet. This spa was the first in Macau to offer this treatment, which originated in Turkey.

Photography Thinkstock

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With 10.5 million square feet of space, the Venetian Macao boasts an outdoor lagoon as well as three indoor canals, with 51 gondolas for hire. Float down the San Luca, Marco Polo or Grand Canal while your gondolier serenades you with Italian arias, and ponder the engineering genius required to construct these waterways.

Photography Best View Stock/Alamy

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Escape the noise and neon with a short walk to the Taipa Houses–Museum complex. Built in 1921 and restored in 1999, these five mint-green mansions showcase photos and other artefacts of well-to-do Macanese families. The surrounding grounds, popular for wedding photos, are the perfect vantage point for observing the Cotai Strip’s never-ending construction.

Photography Thinkstock

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Just up the hill from the Taipa Houses–Museum, the Church of Our Lady of Carmel is Taipa’s only Catholic church. The church, built in 1885, has meticulously maintained Carmel Gardens that feature fountains, stone benches and a vine-draped pergola.

Photography Lyndon Giffard Images/Alamy

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In Macau, souvenir shops don’t sell tchotchkes—they sell Macanese snacks so popular, tourists take them home as mementos. Some of the best “souvenirs” are found on or near Rua do Cunha (Cunha Street) in Taipa Village. Locals swear by Fong Kei’s almond cakes, Café Tai Lei Lo Kei’s pork chop buns and the “sawdust” pudding (like tiramisù) at Serrdura.

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The Portuguese, who ruled Macau for 442 years, left an indelible mark on its cuisine, and a standout among the territory’s myriad Portuguese restaurants is O’Manuel. Don’t be daunted by the lack of ambience; order a glass of vinho verde (green wine) and some codfish cakes or slices of pata negra ham. The owner, Manuel, often mans the grill himself.

Photography BrazilPhotos.com/Alamy

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Stroll the cobblestone streets of Old Taipa Village, one of the last places in Macau to see Portuguese colonial architecture. Amid the pastel buildings and wrought-iron street lamps, you’ll spot numerous shrines and temples. Check out the elaborate paintings inside the Pak Tai Temple, which is dedicated to a Taoist god.

Photography Thinkstock

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In Old Taipa, don’t miss the chance to dine at António. This intimate, blue-and-white-tiled restaurant serves up Portuguese classics like grilled sardines and codfish stew, and has earned back-to-back Michelin recommendations in just a few years of operation. Casa do António, its sister café up the block, is the perfect spot to sip a ginjinha (Portuguese sherry).

Photography Bon Appetit/Alamy

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After a fun-filled day out exploring the historic centre of Macau, take a limousine back to Four Seasons. Prepare for dinner at Zi Yat Heen followed by The House of Dancing Water show, performed by Franco Dragone.

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Locals head to Alfonso III near Largo do Senado for family-style Portuguese fare. And Fernando’s patio is a Coloane Island institution featuring brunches of homestyle Portuguese dishes washed down with sangria.

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The Macau Tower affords spectacular views over Macau and the bridges linking it with the islands of Taipa, Coloane, the Cotai Strip and mainland China. The observation deck also features the Skywalk X tour.

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Shopping in Style

Indulge yourself at The Shoppes at Four Seasons, home to more than 160 stores, or nearby Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Macau. New Yaohan is a department store selling men’s and ladies’ fashions and more.

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Located just west of Hong Kong on the Pearl River Delta, Macau was a Portuguese colony until 1999 and retains strong European influences. Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip® is the perfect place to begin exploring two distinct sides of the city: the Vegas-style casinos of the Strip and the pastel buildings of the old Portuguese neighbourhoods. Here are 10 things to see nearby.

Macao, Cotai Strip®: Within Walking Distance