by Fenno » Sat Jul 17, 2004 10:47 am
Due to time constraints, we decided to spend most of the time in Hong Kong, and only a few hours in Macau for a quick look, gamble and dinner. On arrival in Macau we got on a bus outside the ferry terminal which costs $2.50 no matter where you are going. You can use either Hong Kong or Macau currency all over so no need to change your Hong Kong dollars at all and as you cannot use the Macau money in Hong Kong, better to stick with your Hong Kong cash. We saw an interesting area, so got off and it turned out to be the square leading up to the ruins of St. Paul and the Monte Fortress. This area has changed a lot since the late 80's when we were there, very touristy and Hong Kong-ish. After looking around, we caught the bus down the road to Hotel Lisboa for a flutter. Not a very comfortable casino, as you don't get stools to sit on when playing the pokies and the gaming rooms were very smoky. We wanted to eat at Fernando's as heard it had good Portuguese food but as the hotel reception said it would take around 30 minutes by taxi, we decided against it. As we wanted to eat Portuguese we were advised to eat at the Military Club across the road, and that was good advice. We went back to the ferry terminal, arriving at 9.30 pm on a Sunday night. We discovered big mistake to not have a return booking on a weekend evening. We had to wait til midnight to get a ferry, also having to pay for Super Class which was double, otherwise we would have had another 30 minute wait. Not a comfortable place to wait either, as there is no seating. We were told about a standby queue which was rather long, so figured the locals must know what they are doing, so we stood in the same queue. After over an hour, we were allowed to go through. Thinking we were going to make the 11 pm ferry, we were quite happy, however it was short-lived as it was a real bunfight - found a number of numbered lounges and people were running from one to the other as each lounge had a standby queue and as one ferry would depart, everyone would run to the lounge where the next departure would be from. We of course had no idea what was going on, so were resigned to waiting outside the lounge for our midnight departure, but not allowed to enter until the 11.00 pm ferry had departed. It really made a nasty taste in our mouths after a nice afternoon and evening in Macau. There are a few ferry companies that ply the waters, however only one has a 24 hour service, the others have their last ferry depart at either 8.00 or 8.30 pm which is a strange time if you want to have dinner in Macau. So the old monopoly story comes into place and we were treated like cattle. Suggest you stay the night, or at least ensure you travel back during the day or perhaps a week night is fine. If you must go on a weekend, ensure you have a return seat booked. After all that though, travellling Super Class was very comfortable, we were served a snack and a lovely hot cup of tea (the aircon was way too cold). A slower pace than Hong Kong, I would make a return visit to further look around and get a feel for the place. If anyone has experienced a more comfortable casino, please make a note here. Thanks
