Not having set days off and working weekends sometimes (and I say only sometimes) pays off. I was randomly given 5 days off in a row – Monday to Friday without even having requested it. At the time I was only working 14 shifts a month and my boss did not insist I work a particular number per week, so in the month of July I felt like I was given a little mini-holiday for free and when there is an opportunity to travel or explore, I am hard pressed to give it up. After arriving back from Bali only 5 days previously I felt a little overwhelmed at the thought of another international trip so myself and Chris settled on Macau.
Macau is also a special administrative region (SAR) of China that is known for its many glitzy casinos. Gambling is illegal in Hong Kong so people flock to Macau for a little bit of risky fun. We hadn’t visited in 3 years and decided to make our way there for a nap over…not for gambling but for food! Macau has some top-notch restaurants many with Michelin stars or at least Michelin guide recommendations. However, this time (and last time) we were seeking a Portuguese comfort-food fix at Fernando’s. We were first told about this place 4 years ago when we were new to Hong Kong and had tried it and loved it, but time seemed to fly by and our busy lives hadn’t allowed a trip back since. In addition to this I have been wanting to stay at the Galaxy Casino for a while. A friend told me about their awesome pool complex and ever since I have wanted to check it out.
We booked on Monday night and planned to set off on Tuesday. Getting to Macau is very easy from Hong Kong and takes an hour by high speed ferry. They run a slick operation and get you on and off the boat pretty darn fast. There is passport control on both sides but it’s very quick and yes, you do need a passport on arrival! Many people overlook this and I have heard of friends catching helicopters back to fetch passports. I am not in that class so double check before leaving the house!
Getting from the ferry terminal to the casinos is simple, as all of the casinos offer a free shuttle service. We hopped on the gold Galaxy bus and headed to the hotel, where we checked in and literally dumped our bag, changed, and made our way to the 2nd floor to start our staycation. The pool complex is pretty cool – I’d imagine even more so for a child BUT Chris is basically a kid and he gave it 2 thumbs up! They have a wave pool complete with a sandy beach, a heated lap pool, hot jacuzzis, a sky rapid pool where you float down the current on inflatables and they have 3 slides, as well as another smaller cove with large hamster balls that you can climb into and paddle around. If you are staying in the hotel you have full access when wearing your wrist band to all of the above. You can take as many towels and bottles of water as you want but we were getting a little panicky at the thought of all the plastic being wasted and the number of towels accumulating and water needed to launder them. You are also gifted a storage coupon to store your valuables in the locker room.
We tried everything; the wave pool was a little lame but still fun. We loved the jacuzzis and the sky rapids and were very happy acting like kids and trying out all the slides. The consensus: the green one is the most enjoyable. The orange one you just get dizzy and the purple slide is just too dark for my liking! We took a break from the tomfoolery and made our way to the JW Marriott pool bar and had cocktails and a light snack – the restaurants all seem to be linked, which is fab as you don’t need cash and can charge it your room. After finishing there we were confronted by a ghost town as the pool complex had shut down while we were sipping away on cocktails. This didn’t discourage us and we made our way to the jacuzzis which are part of the Galaxy guests-only pools and open until 22:00.
The next morning, we made our way to Fernando’s. There is a bus that heads that way but we just caught a taxi which cost us around HK$54. The currency in Macau is the Pataca (MOP), but they accept HK dollars which makes life a lot easier. Fernando’s is a Portuguese restaurant that has been open for 28 years, and which serves…you guessed it…Portuguese cuisine. It is located in Praia de Hac Sa, Coloane Island, which is in southern part of Macau near the beach. It is a large restaurant that has both indoor and outdoor seating areas; the tables have the typical red and white checked table cloths. No air-conditioning does make it a little warm in summer but we had a table near the open door which allowed for some breeze. The menu has a lot of seafood and shellfish which I have never been a fan of; this time round we settled on the cod fishcakes, chorizo, and suckling pig – to share obviously! For dessert we had both the doughnut and the egg pudding. We had 2 large jugs of sangria to accompany this feast. Everything was good, wholesome, feel-good food. No complaints from either of us…and with the grand total being HK$679 we were both smiling when we left. Great value for money, when accustomed to Hong Kong prices, in our opinion!
On our way out we saw a taxi waiting at the stand, and thought we would quickly have a look at the shoreline. When we returned, the taxi was gone and we were left waiting in the blazing heat. I eventually instructed Chris to order a taxi in the restaurant and while he was doing this a man in a silver car pulled up and offered me a ride. I accepted as by that stage my feet were like pork chops and my ankles were no longer ankles but rather kankles. I figured that Macau was safe enough to catch a ride with a stranger. The gentlemen said it was no problem to drive to the Galaxy. En route he handed Chris his business card. Chris took little note of it and it was only when I took it from him did I realise we were in the car with Fernando himself. We started chatting and he began sharing his ideas of humanity which were funnily enough very similar to Chris’s. I was examining his business card a little closer when I realised it opened up and at the bottom of the 2nd page there was a South African address in the Richtersveld. I asked the question and as soon as he realised we were from South Africa his attitude changed; he asked what our plans for the rest of the day were and when we said we were just going back to HK he turned the car around and said we were going for a drink! He drove us back the way we came to Grand Coloane Resort just near his restaurant. We sat down and ordered some Super Bock beers (a Portuguese beer that he used to solely import) and began chatting. He turned out to be a very interesting man, who relayed many stories of how he came to be in Macau and how he continued to live there even though he was 64. He spoke about the 160,000 hectares of land he owns in the South African Richtersveld that he had bought purely to prevent mining/fracking. I cannot say all our ideas and opinions aligned but it made for a very interesting, somewhat random afternoon.
We eventually made our way back to Hong Kong a little later than planned and drunker than anticipated, but all in all we were happy with our ‘staycation’. We got to swim and play like children, we got to eat good, sincere food without the frills, and heard the adventures of a Portuguese man who has made Macau his home for the past 32 years all without stepping into the casino itself! Shock and horror!
Practical travel info
Getting to Macau:
- Turbojet is a high-speed ferry that leaves every 15 min from the Sheung wan ferry terminal. We bought a single journey fare which is a little more expensive than a return journey but offers more flexibility as we were not sure when we would be returning on the Wednesday. The 2 tickets from HK to Macau cost HK$360, and on the way back HK$400 as we returned after 18:00 and it was considered night sailing. In general, they will fill up the boat leaving soonest first so often you will be bumped onto an earlier sailing if you are ready and agreeable.
- If the sea is a little rough, consider taking anti-motion sickness meds if you are that way inclined like Chris is.
- Remember that all important passport!
Galaxy pool complex:
- There is multiple locker storage around the complex, we stupidly didn’t know this and had all our stuff at the one end and it was a bit frustrating when trying to have a drink at the JW Marriott.
- Sunglasses are a must, with all that reflective gold around the glare can get cray cray.
- A waterproof cell phone sleeve is a useful if you want to take your phone with you on the rapids for those all-important pool photos.
Fernando’s:
- They only accept cash so make sure you have enough; they do accept HK$.
- Transport down there is a little sparse so best to check bus times or ask the restaurant to call a taxi for you so you aren’t left waiting.
