Often considered the 'Las Vegas of the Far East', Macau is a hub of bright lights and entertainment. Simon Lovell recommends the unmissable highlights.
There's plenty to see and do in Macau - just a 55-minute ferry transfer from Hong Kong across the Zhujiang River estuary
It's best known as the Las Vegas of Asia, but there's more to this place than just gambling.
Here are seven things to do when you're there...
1. Make the biggest jump of your life
If you're going to do a bungee jump, you may as well do the tallest commercial one in the world and jump 233-metres off the Macau Tower - you'll be following in the slipstream of Lewis Hamilton, Kanye West, Warwick Davis and Karl Pilkington. Gasps from spectators watching from the observation tower just below accompany each thrill-seeking plummet. It's an unforgettable experience which is over all too quickly, although video and photos provide an excellent reminder. Jumps costs £335 from ajhackett.com/macau
2. Dine on Portuguese-inspired food
There are some fantastic restaurants in Macau. Although many people seek out the dim sum at restaurants like The Eight at the imposing Grand Lisboa hotel, where there is a strict dress code, I preferred the more intimate feel of smaller places, such as Antonio (antoniomacau.com) and Litoral (restaurante-litoral.com), which specialise in Macanese food and remind you of the country's Portuguese connections. The ameijoas (clams) and serradura (biscuit mousse) at the latter were a lunchtime treat which cost around £20, washed down with Sagres.
3. Drink it like Beckham
You won't go far wrong if you follow in the footsteps of David Beckham and head for Sky 21 Bar (skyconceptmacau.com/sky21). The USP of this trendy spot is the panoramic view of the city it provides. A cocktail and a beer will cost around £15 and if you rock up as the sun's going down, there are few better shows in town.
4. Watch wild (and wet) acrobatics
Ok - so the competition for good shows is high here. One of the best is the House of Dancing Water play at the plush City of Dreams complex (cityofdreamsmacau.com). The love story is played out on a stage which transforms into a pool, and features actors who perform a stunning display of acrobatics - even involving motorbikes. Tickets for the 90-minute show start at around £60 for adults and £40 for children.
5. Check out the architecture
The Historic Centre of Macau was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, and there is plenty to see. The iconic ruins of St Paul's church and the 17th century Mount Fortress are popular places, as is the A-Ma Temple. But it's worth heading off the beaten track too. You'll see plenty of Portuguese touches in the pastel shades and architecture, and it's easy to forget you're only a few miles from the bustling centre of the peninsula when you're watching fishermen in the quiet village of Coloane.
6. Sleep in a hotel with its own giant fish tank
The MGM Grand (mgm.mo/en) is arguably the grandest hotel of the lot in Macau - it was chosen for an episode of America's Next Top Model and also features an eye-catching 8.3-metre high cylindrical aquarium, which is home to thousands of fish. There's a VIP room for seriously high-stake gamblers. Rooms cost from £170 per night with breakfast.
7. Have a flutter - it's the done thing
Many of Macau's visitors are here for the casinos, with many making the short hop over from China, where betting is illegal. Baccarat and blackjack are both popular, and if you don't want to dabble, it's fine to watch the drama unfold. There's a good crowd at the Sofitel at Ponte 16 (ponte16.com.mo) - and with a beer and sandwich costing around £3.50, it's a cheap spectator sport. It may be one of the smaller fish in a very big pool - but that doesn't detract from the experience.
How to get there
Cathay Pacific flies direct to Hong Kong from London Heathrow (£719), Gatwick (£719) and Manchester (£729). All prices are for return economy fares. Visit cathaypacific.co.uk for the latest fare promotions. For further information about Macao, see visitmacao.co.uk.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here