Though gambling doesn't interest me in the slightest, I would be remiss if I were to visit Macau without touring through the city's world-famous casinos.
(Just a Few of) The Fantastic Casinos of Macau
 |
| Hotel Sands, Macau |
 |
| The Macau golden lotus. The lotus is the symbol of the city, and appears on Macau's flag. |
 |
| Perhaps the most famous of Macau's casinos is the Grand Lisboa, which rises like a stylized lotus flower over the city, and can be seen from across the peninsula. |
 |
| Hotel Grand Lisboa, Macau |
 |
| The lobby of the Grand Lisboa is full of dozens of fantastic treasures, including this woolly mammoth tusk that has been carved to depict a scene from the Great Wall. |
 |
| The Grand Lisboa is also in possession of the Dragon Throne, the real throne of the emperors of China. It was purchased by the casino at auction in Hong Kong, and is now displayed in the lobby of the hotel. |
 |
| the chandelier at the Grand Lisboa |
 |
| the Wynn Hotel |
 |
| The Galaxy Casino... we got so lost inside the massive shopping mall in this hotel! We spent at least an hour wandering around trying to find the right way to go out. |
 |
| the huge fountain inside the lobby of the Galaxy |
 |
| amazing and colorful fountain |
 |
| The Parisian Macau, one of the most famous and beautiful casinos in the city |
 |
| the lobby of the Parisian |
 |
| We were getting tired, so we went to the hotel's food court to sit down and take a break. Overhead, an artificial sky made the hall (which was designed to look like a Parisian street) come to life. |
 |
| the food court at the Parisian Hotel |
 |
| A bottle of Macau Beer Golden Ale! It's surprisingly difficult to find in Macau! We enjoyed a cold beer (quite tasty too) while resting for a while at the Parisian Hotel. |
 |
| The main attraction at the Parisian is the 1/2 scale Eiffel Tower that you can buy a ticket to go up inside. I'm sure the views over the city must be impressive. |
 |
| Leaving the Parisian, we walked to the nearby Venetian. The Venetian is another of Macau's most famous and most beautiful hotel casinos. |
 |
| inside the lobby of the Venetian |
 |
| A Flight of stairs at the Venetian transports you to the canals of Venice. Here, shops line the canals, and you can hire a gondola ride complete with a singing Italian gondolier. |
 |
| If you want to do your shopping in Macau, you've got to visit the casinos. Instead of separate shopping malls, all of the stores are located inside malls within the casinos. The Venetian is definitely one of the more atmospheric. |
 |
| Christmas in Venice! |
 |
| exhausted, but happy after a long day exploring |
After a few exhausting but super fun days exploring Macau, it was time to head to Hong Kong on the next stage of our journey. We had seen nearly everything that the tiny peninsula had to offer, but I would love to come back again sometime soon. I've really become enchanted with Macau. Next stop, China's second Special Administrative Region and Macau's bigger sibling: Hong Kong.
No comments:
Post a Comment