For us, Macau was what you’d call a “wicked gambler’s hell,” with rumors about the Chinese Mafia that were wilder than any Hollywood flick. When the Portuguese handed the keys over to China in 1999, it was like: Doors wide open for all the gambling fanatics! The Chinese opened up the gaming licenses internationally, and suddenly Mainland Chinese (under supervision, of course) were allowed to enter. That was the starting pistol for the gold rush, building new hotels. The excavators building hotels were racing as if they had a permanent Red Bull drip in their tanks.
🗼 Europe-Flash in 3 hours
And how it took off! The betting stakes practically exploded. In its heyday, Macau had 5 to 7 times more gaming revenue than its big brother, Las Vegas! Starting in 2007, the US giants (Sands, MGM, Wynn) also showed up with their Las Vegas-style megastores. But heads up: in 2014, China “cleaned house”! The Mafia ties were cut, and a few casino kings got to continue their bets in jail. Since then, Macau has been tamed and family-friendly. Western tourists are pretty rare here, though. But hey, if you want to see half of Europe in 3 hours, this is the place: From the Big Ben to the Piazza San Marco right over to the Eiffel Tower – all in one spot!
🤩 View of the Eiffel Tower
We took the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau (1 hour, €21). Alternatively, there’s the insane, new 55 km long bridge, the longest in the world. We skipped visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris this year, but here? Boom! Bullseye! Even though we booked the cheapest room (€100/night) at the “London Grand,” we got an upgrade to a suite on the 16th floor. And what was included? The view of the Eiffel Tower and a ticket to the top! Tonight, we dined properly British: Fish and Chips and Beef Wellington, plus a fancy cocktail. Very British, indeed!
🥟 Macao Old Town
The flashy, new theme hotels are a bit outside. But in Macau’s Old Town, you can still feel the spirit of the colonial era: Narrow streets, European houses, and those heavenly Pasteis de Nata (the custard tarts!) everywhere. The ruin of the burned-down church is very cool—a great photo stop. And then: the legendary LISBOA Casino! Here, we found that nearly extinct charm of the Chinese gamblers: Tight, smoky, bustling, Baccarat tables everywhere, and a wild ringing of the slot machines. Towering above it is the golden, new LISBOA Hotel (built in 2007) – tacky-show-off architecture at its finest!
🤷♀️ Won – Experience
For lunch, we had fantastic, filled dough balls and more Pasteis de Nata (you can never have enough!). They also sell this dried meat everywhere—the translator seemed to be having an existential crisis with it (see the pic). And YES, we did gamble. And WON! – Experience! (That’s worth something, right?)
💸 China light II
Google and co. work here too – a bit like “China light II,” so to speak. Mainland Chinese are allowed to enter upon application. Macau also kept its own currency, the Pataca. Gambling is only allowed in Macao, in the rest of China is totaly forbidden.