Expat Travel Mom

Macau has been a Portuguese trading post since 1557, and stayed under Portuguese rule for over four centuries before being handed back to China in 1999, becoming a Special Administrative Region under the same "one country, two systems" setup as Hong Kong. That history is everywhere the moment you land, pastel colonial buildings, Portuguese street tiles, and Cantonese all mixed together in a way that makes you double-check you're still in Asia. We landed for New Year's, and it turned out to be one of the more beautiful, unexpected trips we've taken.

Grand Coloane Resort

We stayed at the Grand Coloane Resort, right at the south end of Macau, away from the casino noise but with an easy shuttle up to Cotai Strip, Taipa, and the ferry terminal. Indoor/outdoor pool, huge family connecting rooms, ping pong, a spa, great buffets, honestly perfect for us. We rang in New Year's there, our first activity of the trip, and the hotel went all out, hats, horns, music, a lovely dinner where my daughter tried an oyster for the first time. The staff were genuinely, wonderfully nice the entire stay.

Studio City

The next day we went to Studio City Macau, and this place could keep kids busy for an entire day on its own. We rode the Golden Reel, a Ferris wheel with an entrance on the 23rd floor that only goes up from there, steampunk-inspired, completely unique design, and yes, I have a fear of heights (geez, are you learning too much about me here...we've now got a fear of open water, a fear of heights, and claustrophobia all documented on this blog). 

We also did Batman Dark Flight, a 4D simulation ride through Gotham City that the kids loved, and Legend Heroes Park, which mixes virtual reality with an actual physical ride.

House of Dancing Water

That night, House of Dancing Water, easily one of the best shows we've ever seen. It's known as the best show in Southeast Asia, and we understood exactly why, the performances, the mechanics, all of it top notch. We ended the night with street food in Taipa, Portuguese egg tarts, roasted chestnuts, a pork bun sandwich. Total foodie paradise.

Monte Fort

Another day, we climbed Monte Fort, a 17th-century fortress built by Portuguese Jesuits, complete with old cannons still lined up along the walls. The kids got their wiggles out on the climb and had a genuinely great time exploring it, part history lesson, part playground.

Wandering the Streets

Some of my favorite parts of this trip don't have a name or an address, just us wandering through Macau's streets, taking in the architecture, the pastel buildings, the intricate Portuguese-style tilework, and street art around every corner. This is a city made for slow walks and looking up.

The Parisian & Cotai Opulence

We also walked through the Parisian and the connected walkways that link the Cotai Strip resorts internally, so you can wander from hotel to hotel without ever stepping outside. The opulence inside these places is honestly hard to describe, crystal chandeliers, over-the-top decoration everywhere you look. It feels like walking through a movie set.

Fisherman's Wharf

The next day was Fisherman's Wharf, and we fell completely in love with the colored buildings, an Instagrammer's paradise if there ever was one. Beautiful everywhere you looked, and almost no one there. We found out later that COVID had already started further east by then, so maybe the empty streets were telling us something we didn't know yet.

From there we found the Macau Science Center, you can pretty much always find us at a science museum or children's museum wherever we travel, and spent a full afternoon there for very little money. So much to do for a family of five, we could have easily stayed longer.

Last Minute Buys, Coloane Village & the Hunt for the Best Egg Tart

Our last day had a mission: track down the almond biscuits from a tiny hole-in-the-wall bakery with three Michelin stars, and the famous peanut candy. To get there, we had to figure out the bus system, easier than expected, a flat 6 MOP fare gets you anywhere.

We took the bus out to Lord Stow's Bakery, THE place for an egg tart. We tried several around Macau, and it's true, this one wins. For the real deal, go to the original location in Coloane Village itself. While you're there, just wander, it's quiet, almost no one around, and you wonder why, because it's impossibly cute and colorful, covered in street art, practically begging for attention. Try the yuenyeung while you're there too, coffee, tea, and evaporated milk, delightful and refreshing.

One place I didn't grab photos of, but you must go, is Fernando's Restaurant! The Portuguese chicken was AMAZING!

Between the history, the empty streets we didn't understand the significance of yet, and an egg tart genuinely worth crossing town for, Macau turned out to be one of those trips that's stuck with us far more than we expected going in.