Sunday, February 6, 2011

[2010.11.23] Day 3 in Hong Kong -- Sidetrip in Macau

It's Macau day for us in our itinerary. It's only an hour ferry ride away from Hong Kong so might as well visit the Las Vegas of Asia. I've been here already the last time I went in HK but I had limited time to explore Macau back then. By the way, don't forget to bring your travel documents because this is a separate country from Hong Kong.

There are two ferry terminals in Hong Kong going to Macau. If you're in Kowloon, you can board at China Ferry Terminal where NWFF uses this port. If you happen to live in HK Island, you can board at the ferry terminal in Shun Tak Center in Sheung Wan where Turbojet and Cotai Ferry uses this as their dock.

NWFF Fare Ticket Prices
HK to Macau - HKD 133
Macau to HK - HKD 175 (Night time sailing)

Turbojet Fare Ticket Prices

HK to Macau - HKD 134
Macau to HK - HKD 176 (Night time sailing)

*Sheung Wan MTR Exit D (3rd Flr Shun Tak centre)

NWFF schedule from Macau to HK is only up to 10:30pm. Since we want to make the most out of this trip, we opted to ride Turbojet (even if our hostel is located in Kowloon) which had 24 hours service.

As you arrive at Macau Terminal and if you happen to be a Filipino, there will surely be Filipinos there who would offer their services to tour you around Macau for HKD 50 per head. If you are in a tight schedule and it is your first time in Macau, their offer is actually okay and helpful. During my first time in Macau, my friends and I actually availed their services. Since this is my second time in Macau and I prepared for several months for this trip, we opted not to avail of this. Moreover, hotels there offer free shuttle services from the Terminal going to their hotels so you wouldn't need to pay much on the fares if you know where you're going.

We arrived in Macau before 9am. We rode the Grand Sintra Hotel shuttle bus (located just outside the ferry terminal, turn left from the arrivals gate and you'll see the free shuttles lined up there) and walked for around 5 minutes going to Senado. It is still quite early so Senado Square is almost empty. Shops mostly open at 10am. Fortunately, McDonald's is open! I ordered a set breakfast. And McDonalds in Macau, at least for the burger and hashbrown, is way better than the Philippines. The patties are made of real beef and not of extenders while the hashbrown is tastier.


My McDonald's breakfast. Mmmmm.

Walking around Senado Square is really nostalgic. I dreamed to stroll here ever since I saw Boys over Flowers Macau scenes. And finally I was there. On our way to the Ruins of St. Paul, there are Macau delicacies store side by side in Senado. The most famous is Pasteleria Koi Kei where they sell tons of various peanut candies, the most delicious Egg Tarts (it is a must try!), and the Jerkies!

Ruins of St. Paul, Macau
From the foot of the Ruins, we further went up until we reached the Macau Museum. Mind you, going up there isn't a stroll so brace yourself for some steep stairs along the way. Since it's already on top of a mountain (?), the view from Macau Museum is really nice. You can see 360 degrees view of Macau from there. I bet its prettier at night with all the lights from the hotels and casinos. We did not go in Macau Museum, by the way.

From Senado, we walked back to Grand Sintra Hotel to take the shuttle bus going to City of Dreams to watch The Bubble Show. Not much have changed since I went there last year. To watch the Bubble Show, you can just present the coupon you received from the Shuttle Bus, and claim your tickets at the counter. It's free of charge as long as you have the coupon. The show is about 15-20 minutes long.

From COD, we went to The Venetian. We still haven't ate our lunch yet and the oldies are getting cranky already. I am having a hard time looking for the food court with the sky dome so the oldies are even hungrier = hot headed. Finally, we just had our late lunch here and was not able to fully explore the place.

We arrived at Wynn Hotel just in time for the Tree of Prosperity Show. I was really in awe watching how the gold leaves turn into the different colors of the four seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall). After that, we proceeded to watch the Performance Lake Fountain Show. I super loved it and I am just like a kid enjoying the lights and water blending together.

Tree of Prosperity Show, Wynn Hotel
East Entrance
Show Times: 10:30am to 1:30am at 60mins interval

Performance Lake, Wynn Hotel
Outside the Hotel Main Entrance
6pm - 11:59pm with 15 minutes interval
*I suggest you watch this at night to experience the beautiful lights!

Tree of Prosperity: Autumn

Tree of Prosperity: Spring




Apparently, my lot already want to go home so we weren't able to go to Grand Praca at MGM Grand. :(
Our tickets bound to HK is still at 10:00pm thinking that we are going to explore Macau more. So we were chance passengers and thankfully, we were able to get seats at around 8:00pm.


No comments:

Post a Comment