Macau ~ Impulsive Getaway ~ 15-16 April 2011

Once upon a time there were two friends who thoughtlessly jumped in a ferry to Macau… the end. (Kidding!)

We have always talked about going to Macau but sadly there was always something that hinders us from pushing through. However last April we just went for it. It was so impromptu that we didn’t have any extra clothes or a place to stay in – Bex is to blame! We were working late that night and realized we didn’t have to work the next day…

Jcel: “Let’s go to Macau!”

Bex: (without thinking) “Okay, let’s! Tonight!”

… and so we went. We were both so giddy with excitement and adrenaline rush that we didn’t really care what was going to happen or whether we have any place to stay in. It was only half way to Macau where Jcel started panicking. She had this inkling feeling that the hotels won’t take us in this late. But Bex kept saying it all part of this “impulsive adventure” we were about to embark so she went along with it.

Day 1 (or Night because we got there around 9pm)

• First stop – Lisboa. Checked to see if they have rooms but said that they are fully booked. Boo! – BTW, Jcel was creeped out on how their reception area was filled with Dragon statues… actually; they were more like gargoyles ready to attack you. There were ancient vases and other antiques plus the ceiling was painted in GOLD! It was not a good sight.
• Then we tried Metropolitan, Sands and Holiday Inn – all rejected us. –
• As we were walking, thinking what to do, we came across a travel agency, so we decided to go in to ask for help but as we enter, we noticed that there was nobody there and so we started taking hotel pamphlets. Then an old man suddenly arrived and we asked him if he could help us get a hotel for the night but he just ignored us. For the second time, we approached him again and asked him for a hotel. He then looked at us (In a creepy way BTW) and ignored us again. FREAK! Lol and so we decided to leave.  
• After what seems like eternity of walking around, we had an idea to call every hotel on the pamphlets we took from the agency, after 2 rejections, we called up The Landmark Hotel and what a blessing it was, finally they took us in. Thank God, it was already 11pm and we were almost considering sleeping in the park that night, honest!
• As soon as we got to our room, first thing we did was order room service. We were starving! It tasted good at first but as we were getting full we started dissing the food one by one. Probably rank it at 5/10.
• At around 1am we went out and played a few slot machines and so we did. We went to the elevator, pressed the floor to the casino and it opened up to this gianormous Pharaoh! Jcel had to be literally pulled out of the elevator! In the end, she got out and managed to take pictures with the huge Pharaoh. Bex got lucky with the slot machines and left with a bucket of coins! Jcel lost, pfft!
• After the casino, we went to The Cave bar and had a few drinks and THEN we called it a day.

Day 2

• We forced ourselves to wake up at 9am because we have complimentary breakfast and didn’t want to miss it. We were the only person in the restaurant actually. Guess people in Macau sleep for breakfast, LOL. The food was great and we had an amazing view (a completely dead quiet Macau). After eating we went back to our room and continued our sleep.
• As soon as the sun was shining we started to get ready for our long day. But first thing’s first, LUNCH!
• We went to Hard Rock Hotel and had buffet lunch at The Wave. (Too many stories at this part of our trip which we agreed not to get into it. LOL)

• Then, we went to get tickets for The House of Dancing Water and Zaia. 2 words: BOTH AMAZING! We didn’t want to spoil any surprises so we won’t tell the details. It’s the kind of shows you’ll need to see for yourselves. But we can promise that you’ll enjoy.
• After the shows, we had dinner in Café Deco and off we went to go back to HK. We were extremely exhausted and slept off the whole trip back.
• Got home at 2am.

Wow that felt short when we break it down like that. We actually thought we’d have a novella-like post about this trip. Oh well… albeit the super quick and kind of rushed trip it was extremely fun and memorable to both of us. 

P.S

We try to make this blog as informative as possible for your future travel references, please see below. (Prices in HKD)

Location: Macau

Ferry: $360 each (roundtrip)

Accomodation: The Landmark Hotel (Approx. $2000)

Zaia: $580 each (varies depending on seats)

The House of Dancing Water: $380 each (varies depending on seats)

The Wave (Hardrock lunch buffet): $300 each

Café Deco: $ 200 each (approx.)