CousinNick

The Venetian in Macau is bigger and nicer than the one in Vegas. But Wynn Macau is not as big or as nice as the Vegas branch.

The food court at Venetian Macau is a mindblowing experience. I never expected to find a Fatburger in China.

rkkwan

Of course, but the OP can also use the direct HKG-Macau service if the timing is right, without having to go to Sheung Wan.

rts123

I'm hoping to use the HKG-Macau ferry. I land at 1145, and there is a 1245 trip to Macau. Since I'll be traveling in F for once, I hope to have my luggage with me so I can hop right over to the ferry. If I miss the 1245, the next one isn't until 1400, so I might go catch one from Hong Kong in that case.

Not sure yet about a hotel. I was looking at the Holiday Inn since it's reliable and decently priced, but I'll keep my eyes open to see what the others are offering at the time.

rts123

Now I'm considering spending my first night at the Marriott Sky City by the airport instead of in Macau.

With a noon arrival at HKG and a quick check-in at the Marriott, that would give me the afternoon and evening to explore Ngong Ping, Tai O, etc, and the exercise will help me get rid of the jet lag. Since I had planned to do these later in my visit, this would save me a trip back to Lantau until I fly out of HKG.

I'll still go to Macau, but instead of spending the night I'll make it an afternoon/evening trip later in the week. That should give me time to see some of the sights and have some Macanese food and an egg tart - the casinos don't hold a lot of interest for me.

Am I overlooking anything obvious here? This gives me a little more time on Lantau and a little less in Macau, which seems fine to me. I also confess to liking airport hotels and the practically brand new Marriott seems worth a visit and a good base for exploring Lantau.

littleapple

We did the same thing. I could not find any good "miles" hotels in Macau, (they were all too far removed from the city center) but paid to stay at the Wynn and had a blast. Personally I didn't find a lot to do as I don't really enjoy casinos (Venetian was an experience though), but I enjoyed walking around and experiencing the Portuguese/Asian fusion (saw a restaurant called Bebidas y Comidas de Honolulu! - wouldn't have eaten here, but what a name!). Also, pay the extra few bucks (maybe $10 US extra??) to get the 1st class jet foil - it was easy, fast and fun. While in HK - don't forget to visit the back side of the island - I enjoyed how different it was form the downtown part.

rts123

^Thanks. I figure by doing this I can still get to Macau for an afternoon/evening, free up some time to see Stanley and/or Shek-O, etc, spend my first day & night seeing the sights on Lantau while collecting some Marriott points, and maybe have enough time to see one of the other outlying islands later in my visit.

rkkwan

With that limited time, I say skip Macau if you're not overnight there. Ferry tickets are not THAT cheap (r/t about US$40). At least for a full-day trip. I wouldn't do it for just an afternoon/evening.

And unless you can get the Sky City a lot cheaper than the JWMarriott, I wouldn't bother staying there for just one night, and have to switch hotel next day.

Staying all nights in the city, you can choose when you want to go to those attractions, and not limited to just your first day. You never know - it may be raining, the cable car may not run, etc...

rts123

rkkwan - your comment about weather, cable car issues, etc, is a good one. I checked out hotels again and although the JW is more than I wish to pay for my first night, the Renaissance Kowloon is reasonable. That would give me a full afternoon and all night to check out Kowloon before moving across the harbor. I'm sure there's enough there to keep me busy even if the weather is awful and that gives me more flexibility for my remaining 3 1/2 days there. Decisions, decisions......

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

I have just returned from a week in Hong Kong ( I also spent 2nights in Macau at the Wynn ( very nice indeed).

I will do a more detailed post on Macau and the Wynn in the next few days.

Regards

TBS