Stay in “Venice” while in Macao

28 March 2013

The Venetian Macao is one of the luxury resorts located in the Cotai area of Macau. Upon arrival at Macao Ferry Terminal from Hong Kong International Airport, we took the complimentary shuttle bus from the Ferry Terminal and arrived at the West Lobby of the Venetian Macao. The bus terminal was really like a busy bus interchange back home - full of people, buses and tour groups moving in and out.

We had booked a Royal Suite at the Venetian Macao. All 3000 rooms  at this hotel are suites. I was a bit worried that the checking in process may take a long time as mentioned by many previous feedbacks on Tripadvisor. I was actually quite happy that I received an email from Venetian Macao to register for a Express Key Pass about one week before my trip. With that pass, I was able to quickly pick up my room keys upon arrival, all details being previously submitted to the hotel via email.  No queues. On top of that, I was informed that we were given free wi-fi (else wi-fi for a day will cost HKD160 per device) and also late checkout at 2 PM. Great!

One of the downside of such a big hotel is that it would be easy to get lost looking for the right elevators to take us to our room. The directions given to us by the staff at the check-in counter was quite clear. It was easy to locate our room.

Once we got into our Royal Suite, we were impressed by the size and finishing. There were two TVs in the suite. The TV located in the cabinet next to the bed was a large flat screen TV while the one located in the sitting area was an old CRT TV. There was even a All-in-one fax/printer/copier machine on the writing table.

Royal Suite – view from sitting area.

TV console with CRT TV. Painting above is a scene from where else but Venice.

Luxury bathroom at the Venetian Macao.

Checking out the map of the integrated resort. It is so big that you need a map to find your way.

We had planned to go downtown to explore the historical part of Macao on our first day. It was raining slightly, so we decided to stay indoors and explore the shops and casino of the Venetian Macao instead.

Here are some of the photos.

One of the first things that I noticed about the Venetian Macao hotel was the luxurious decor. Beautiful ceilings, fittings and marble flooring throughout the hotel.

Beautiful painted ceiling at the Great Hall.

Stairs and escalators leading down to the casino below the Great Hall.

We did not go down to the casino since we have no interest in it and there was a slight stench of cigarette smoke. Interactive information boards were available near each junction and it was useful as a tool to help us determine where we were in this huge complex. We wandered around and found ourselves in the Canal Shoppe. This was where most visitors would go “Wow”.

The Venetian Macao Casino/Hotel or integrated resort is modelled after its sister casino in Vegas. It features the same faux Venetian design and canals in the biggest shopping mall in the region.

I had been to Venice, so it was quite clear this was far from real but it was a good attempt. Quite interesting to see the details and effort put into the design of the whole complex. There was even gondolas offering rides on the canals within the complex. 

I especially like the painted ceiling that simulate the sky. I was wondering if the ceiling lights would turn darker during the night and with “starlight” coming through some pinholes in the ceiling. It didn’t.

Canal Shoppe with its waterways, bridges and gondolas.

Simulating St Mark’s Square with the winged lion on the facade of one of the building.

Street entertainers can be found around the shopping areas.

Interesting exhibits at the Canal Shoppe.

Food Court with large selection of international cuisine. Al fresco dining it is not. Painted ceiling that simulate the sky and I was wondering if it would turn dark with stars during the night (it didn’t!).

After an hour of wandering around, we realised that the rain had stopped and there was still time to make a trip to the historic Portuguese town in Macao. So, we did just that!