Are the gambling resorts in Macao worth a visit?
And let me be clear - I am really not into gambling at all. Still, I made the trip to both gambling capitals of the world, the Western capital of Las Vegas and the bigger Eastern capital of Macao.
You just have to see the Macao Venetian Resort just because its sheer size. My personal guess is that it is triple the size than its sister in Nevada. Bigger channels, more gondolas and many times the number of rooms.
The whole gambling industry is seven times larger than in Las Vegas and most of the hotels on the strip have a bigger and more impressive sister in the special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. If you are not a big gambler, don’t worry about that. You can spend the whole day in one of the casino resorts alone. The Chinese are heavily into gambling. From Mahjong playing on the streets in Mainland China to luxurious resorts in Macao, gambling is one of the top recreational activities.
There is no main thorough fair like the Las Vegas strip - yet - but that doesn’t seem practical because the resorts are so big that they have their own highway exit. And the huge shopping malls compensate for the strip.
There’s no shop or brand you can imagine that doesn’t have an outlet in the casino malls. And there’s not only the brands you know in the Western hemisphere, but also cool Asian brands like Uniqlo or Takashimaya., both from Japan.
Recently, Uniqlo has establish a few flagship stores in big European cities. You will really like the basics from Uniqlo, but that is worth another story.
And the food courts offer a variety of different food from really everywhere on this planet. Have you had your favorite Madagascan BBQ lately? In Macao you will! Another big plus are the reasonable prices in the food courts, if you travel on a budget.
Macao consists of the peninsula with the old town bordering the People’s Republic of China several island as well as newly reclaimed land. The casino resorts are located on the Cotai Strip. You can easily get return trips by bus to the resorts from the two ferry terminals, Macao airport and the old town. The trips are free. Every resort has a bus terminal that takes you back to your favorite destination. Check out the time table in advance.
I would suggest to spend half a day in one of the bigger resorts if you are not into gambling, preferably in the afternoon after spending the first half of the day in the old town.
