The Macau Special Administrative Region, commonly known as Macau or Macao, is one of the two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east and south. The territory has thriving industries such as textiles, electronics and toys, and a notable tourist industry that boasts a wide range of hotels, resorts, stadiums, restaurants and casinos. This makes it one of the richest cities in the world. Macau’s economy is based largely on tourism, much of it geared toward gambling. The gaming, tourism and hospitality industry is estimated to contribute more than 50% of Macau’s GDP, and 70% of Macau government revenue. For more information about this I have recently read a nice article here >> Macau – The Biggest Gaming Market in the World.
First, there are three useful pieces of advice for your Macau travel:
(1). The RMB or U.S. dollars are not accepted in Macau and you’d better do the currency exchange before you arrive at Macau. The currency of Macau is the Macau pataca, or Macanese pataca (Portuguese: Pataca de Macau; Chinese: 澳門圓), abbreviated as MOP$. It is subdivided into 100 avos (仙; sin), with 10 avos called ho (毫) in Cantonese Chinese. You can also use the HK $ (HKD) here. 1 HK$ = 1 MOP$ in Macau, more or less (today 1 HK$ = 1.03 MOP$ for instance). If you are also going to visit Hong Kong, the HK $ is your good choice because the Macau pataca is not accepted in Hong Kong. You will need to get some changes for the bus service too (like some coins). Usually the bus in Macau costs HK $ 2.5 for one person. You can do the currency exchange in Macau for sure, but the exchange rates are not so good here (comparing with other cities in China). The digital video and digital camera are good equipment for your Macau travel. You can use your cell phone here if your cell phone service provider can provide you the international roam service in Macau.
(2). If you are planning to visit Macau in the weekend and will need to stay here for one night, you’d better ask a local travel agent ( travel agents in Macau or Zhuhai) to make a reservation for you first. You will find it very difficult to find a hotel with reasonable price if you don’t do the reservation in advance. The cost will be about HK $ 700-1000 if you don’t make a reservation. If you do this in advance, your travel agent can help you to get your room at only about HK $ 300. Sometimes it is even lower than this if you are lucky.
(3). The people in Macau speak three languages: English, Portuguese and Cantonese. You can choose the Xinmalu Street (Shizheng Square) as your first stop in Macau. The Macau Government Tourist Office is in this street and you can get free Macau maps here. They can be very helpful for your Macau travel.
Here is a list of the useful phone numbers in Macau:
Emergency: 999.
Emergency (for travellers from China mainland): 110.
Emergency (for foreign travellers): 112.
Fire: 572222.
Shanding Hospital: 313731.
Hotline for travellers: 333000.
Macau Government Tourist Office: 315566.
Consumers’ Association: 307820.
Macau International Airport: 861111.
Weather info: 1311.
Time: 141.
The main bus lines in Macau are:
1, 1a, 2, 3, 3a, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8a, 9, 9a, 10, 10a, a0b, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 28b, 28bx, 28c, 32. ( HK $ 2.5 for one person)
Some 4 stars and 5 stars hotels in Macau:
4 stars hotels : Fuhao Hotel (tel: 853 782288), Zhongguodajiudian Hotel (tel: 853 851166), Jingao Hotel (tel: 853 781233), Junyi Hotel (tel: 853 837788), Macau Holidy Hotel ( tel: 853 783333).
5 stars hotels : Pujing Hotel (tel: 853 577666), Kaiyue Hotel (tel: 853 831234).
Check the Macau ACG guide for more information.