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October 2022
Happy Golden Week! It’s October which, yes, that means autumn’s here, spooky season is upon us….but to many in China, that means a one-week holiday at the beginning of the month to celebrate their National day.
Last month, China just announced that Chinese citizens and those with a valid visa can travel quarantine-free between Macau and mainland! That’s big news! So, we decided to test it out. It’ll be the first international trip we take in 2.5 years. The last time I was on an international flight was Thailand in March 2020. And for reference to my family, friends, and passer-byers on my blog - if you leave mainland China, you need to quarantine for 7+3 days when you return. Let’s say you have a week of annual leave, that’s only enough for the quarantine period. Not to mention, the last time I checked, a round trip flight to JFK (that’s not even including to my home state of Connecticut) cost about ¥45,000 ($6,300) ...for one person.
Even though Covid seems to be a thing of the past for the rest of the world, protocols are *still* alive and kicking here. If you’re thinking of traveling to Macau from mainland, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind when preparing for your trip!
Preparing for Macau
If you takeaway one thing from my blog post today, it is that you OVERPREPARE. If you think you’re ok on your forms, check again. If you think you’ve packed what you need, look again. Here are 7 things you must prepare for your international departure:
1. 24hr PRINTED covid test results. You can get this at a hospital like Tongren Hospital or Jiahui International. The most important thing is your name needs to match your passport name exactly. We learned this the hard way. My husband didn’t have his middle name on his covid test results, and they nearly turned us away from checking in at PVG airport – despite his passport number matching.
2. Macau health code. You can download the health app from the Macau government website here: https://eservice.ssm.gov.mo/covidapps/ and instructions are in English.
3. Green travel code (arrow code). You’ll need to show this upon check-in and once again before you board the plane. Pin this to the top of your MiniPrograms within WeChat for easier access.
4. Declaration form. You can prepare this up to 24hrs in advance to save time at the airport.
5. Money. It is impossible for foreigners with bank cards in China (like ICBC or Bank of China) to take out money from an ATM in Macau. It is also impossible to use AliPay or WeChat wallet as there’s a double identification process that needs a Chinese ID number to use. Make sure you have one or more of these forms of payment:
a. international bank cards to swipe at stores/restaurants
b. CNY cash on hand to exchange into MOP/HKD once in Macau – casinos ONLY take HKD for chips or their slot machines
c. pre-exchanged MOP/HDK which you can do at your local bank
6. SIM card. Wi-Fi is free (and really strong) in all the big hotels along the main strip in Macau, but if you’re venturing out around the city, you’ll want a SIM card. If you prepare in advance, can order a SIM card off Taobao. Alternatively, when you land in Macau International Airport, you can head to the departures level on the 2nd floor, go to the 7-Eleven convenience store (there’s only one in the airport) and purchase a SIM card there.
7. Adapter. Because I haven’t travelled internationally for a while, this is something that completely slipped my mind! It would have been something at the top of my mental checklist, but unfortunately, this time around, it wasn’t. Luckily, the hotels we stayed at had USB outlets and adapters to return upon check-out!
What To Do In Macau
There’s a lot to do in Macau even though it’s a small country. If it’s your first time, here are a couple activities to add to your list of things to do:
1. Ruins of St. Paul. The ruins themselves aren’t very big and it takes about 20 minutes to walk up to the top and go down to the crypts. If you happen to go at night, there’s a light show that projects onto the ruins (similar to the Disney castles during the fireworks display). What you actually need time for is the surrounding area. Walk around Senado Square, make your way to Grand Lisboa Hotel, wander around the 17th century Monte Fort around the corner from the ruins, explore Iong’s Magic Shop depicted in the movie, Now You See Me 2.
2. Go Shopping. If you’re staying on the main Cotai strip where all the major hotels are, the best (and most picturesque) place to shop till you drop is at the Grand Canal Shoppes. There are international brands galore and a massive food court to satisfy your cravings when you get hungry and when your feet get tired. The best part, there’s a canal in the middle of the shops where you can hire a gondola to row you around.
3. Taipa Village. You cannot leave Taipa village without buying two things: Lord Stow’s egg tarts and Pastelaria Fong Kei’s almond cookies. If it’s a hot day, add the lemonade and lemon tea to your purchase at Lord Stow’s. The tart drinks are the perfect complement to the sweet, custard egg tarts. There are some cute cafes you can relax at, and alternatively, there are bold buildings and colorful murals you can take photos by.
4. Treat Yourself. On October 31, 2017, Macau (along with 25 other cities) was named “UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy”. There are endless options of good food and drink venues, many of which are Michelin star restaurants. We ended up going to The Manor at the St. Regis Macau. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough – especially if you’re celebrating a special event. The staff went above and beyond in making our engagement anniversary a special one. Top tip: call ahead and book the more intimate Wine Gallery over their Dining Room option.
5. Go Gambling. Did you know Macau is considered to be the Las Vegas of the East? Admittedly, this was my first ever time in a casino and even though I didn’t understand some of the games, I enjoyed pressing buttons on the slot machines. It was a little easier to play responsibly here because the casinos only take HKD. We had MOP currency on us, so if we wanted to play more games, we physically would have had to exchange the money for the slots or tokens for the tables.
6. *House of Dancing Waters. I saw this incredible show of acrobatics, water, and lights in 2018, but sadly it has been cancelled due to the ‘pandemic’. If we’re lucky enough to go to Macau again, this performance is one of the first activities that’s on our agenda. Hopefully it will be open by the time you go on your trip!
Where To Stay In Macau
We stayed in two hotels during our time in Macau: The Venetian and The Grand Hyatt. I’ve broken down some pros and cons for each to help you make a decision if you’re considering staying at either of these places.
Venetian
PROS | CONS |
Location- super central and close to casinos/restaurants/shopping. | Extremely busy- took 45 minutes just to check in. |
Endless options of restaurants to choose from. We had breakfast in the Portofino and everything was delicious. | You can get lost easily. Casino floor plans are built to be confusing, and The Venetian was no exception. |
Excellent security. Since the Venetian rooms are connected to the casino and shopping mall, we had to swipe our cards to prove we are guests. | It took a while for our luggage to be brought up to our room after checking in & had to call multiple times. |
Cleanliness- all amenities and rooms were superb. | |
Grand Hyatt
PROS | CONS |
Location- extremely close to the airport, metro and a bus stop. | Location- it’s not AS central as the Venetian is. |
Excellent service- we got upgraded because it was our anniversary and they gave us a late check out. | Rooms aren’t as new as some of the other hotels on the strip, but still a comfortable stay. |
The casino in their main lobby was where we quadrupled our money, so this was a major positive for me! | The pool can get very crowded in the afternoon and right before dinnertime. |
Breakfast spread was amazing and highly recommend their omelet station.
| Operation hours- breakfast starts at 7:30am (we usually eat at 7am so this wasn’t ideal) and the pool only opened at 10am. |
Covid Testing Stations in Macau
1. Grand Lisboa Palace, B1/F
2. StarWorld Hotel 9/F
3. Wynn Macau (near Café Esplanada)
4. Broadway Hotel 2/F
5. Studio 8
6. MGM Cotai B1 & L2
7. Wynn Palace 1/F (next to Grand Theater)
8. Venetian 5/F (near Canal Shoppes)
9. Sands Macau 1/F (next to McDonald’s)
A few things to note from friends who learned the hard way:
1. You need to make an appointment and cannot just show up at these testing stations.
2. If you test at the public hospitals on the Macau health app, you cannot print your test results at the kiosks listed above.
3. You can print your test results at Macau International airport if you got tested at the stations listed above.
Getting Back To Shanghai
I’m not going to lie; I was anxious coming back. If it was anything like our departure from Shanghai, I wasn’t looking forward to departing from Macau.
However, our experience was the complete opposite. We got to Macau international airport 3 hours early. We went to the China Eastern booths and checked our luggage in. The airline agents checked our printed covid test (the Chinese version) and put an official stamp on it. We then went into another line to make sure our health declaration forms were filled out, and the assistants there were extremely helpful. We made it through immigration with ease and had 2 hours to kill, so we roamed around the duty-free shops.
Upon landing at PVG, nobody checked our green travel codes, our green health codes, the printed covid test results NOR the health declaration form we filled out. The most time was spent at immigration. The arrival cards are not handed out on the airplane, so as a foreigner, you need to make sure you grab and fill them out before getting in line to be questioned.
When you go to baggage claim, be prepared to retrieve a soaking wet luggage that reeks of bleach. Top tip: have a plastic cover to protect your suitcase against the dousing of chemicals. After that, you’re free to get a Didi or taxi back to your apartment and I can confirm there truly was no quarantine for foreign passengers arriving from Macau.
Time to plan our next trip!
Happy traveling,
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