6 December 2024
It's been a while since our #FamilyVacation to Hong Kong and Macau, and I am down to the last part of our one-week vacation. After exploring the local flavors and rich heritage and culture of Macau, we headed to the Cotai Strip, home to luxury destinations and casinos, and dubbed as the little Europe in Macau. It's a must-visit place that you must add to your itinerary.
I was with my bosses when I first visited the place, so during my visit with my family, I was a bit confused when I led the trip myself because I wasn't so familiar with the routes, transportation, and exact locations. However, Filipinos are all over Macau, the same as in Hong Kong, so it was easy to ask them for directions. If you ask why this place is dubbed the Little Europe in Macau, the top destinations here feature stunning architecture with a touch of the luxurious charm of Europe's popular cities like Venice, Paris, and England. So, Macau offers a luxury blend of America and Europe since it is also considered the Vegas of Asia because of its luxury casinos and resorts.
Let's start the tour of Little Europe in Macau!
Venetian Macau
It was already five in the afternoon when we arrived at Venetian. Given the time, we only have a few hours to explore Macau's European side. I wished to extend the day. However, our flight back to the Philippines was already underway the next day, so we immediately needed to return to Hong Kong at night. Since I wasn't so familiar with the route, we hopped out of the bus when I saw a familiar building, but this area was, I guess, the other side of Venetian, not the main entrance.
We were in awe of the building's elegant beauty as we entered it.
Thanks to the signages, I was able to follow the directions to the main attractions inside the Venetian.
We strolled through the elegant hallways with various luxury shops and dining options. Its timeless charm was truly captivating and left my family in awe. It wasn't my first time, but I was still speechless by its elegant beauty. The building has a casino, one of the world's biggest gaming floor casinos, to be exact, but I didn't visit it because we lacked time to explore all the corners.
As we continued, we were transported to the romantic city of Venice, the main attraction at Venetian. We strolled through its charming streets, making sure every corner was being captured for souvenir photos. It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so I want to make it memorable for my family.
We reached the special part of the Venetian, the charming Grand Canal with authentic gondolas gliding through the waterways with singing gondoliers. The place is a replica of the iconic Venice Grand Canal. It may be impossible for us to go to Venice because it is expensive, but at least we felt its romantic presence and saw its charming streets and canals from the Venetian Macau perspective. The walkways by the canal resemble Venice's cobblestone streets, with various boutiques and dining options. It's like a haven for luxury shopping and fine dining under the sky-painted ceiling 😄.
I wished we could ride on the gondola for real, but just like the first time I visited Macau, the queue was quite long, and we didn't have enough time. We just enjoyed watching them from the side. This gondolier stopped when he spotted my niece, so his smiling face was included in the frame. Based on my niece's expression, I guess she desired to ride on the boat, as she is also fond of cruising.
This part of Venetian features hand-painted frescoed ceilings inspired by Italian Renaissance art. This place actually gives you a vibe that you are in Basilica. In the middle is a water fountain with life-sized statues, another highlight in the atrium.
Those smiles are priceless, and I can say that every penny spent was worth it.
Following the directions from the signage, we headed to our next destination.
Parisian Macau
We exited the Venetian and stumbled upon Parisian Macau.
Parisian Macau is located just outside the Venetian, and it brings the romantic ambiance of Paris to life with its half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. Seeing it before my eyes, I felt transported to the city of love. It was one of my dreams to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tower may be a replica only, but I felt the Paris vibe.
Although many prefer to visit the place in the daytime to get clearer shots of the tower up close, the beauty at night is stunning as the tower glows with different light effects, synchronizing the upbeat music.
In the background is the Parisian hotel with French sophistication and modern luxury.
I have seen from some posts on Facebook that there's an observation deck near the area where you can see a panoramic view of Parisian. But I didn't mind finding it, even the garden where you can see the tower up close, because it was getting late, and we still needed to return to the Terminus.
The Londoner Macau
From Paris to London.
Across the road from Parisian is Londoner Macau, with a design resembling the iconic landmarks of London, like the House of Parliament. There's even Big Ben and a red double-deck bus stationed at the entrance. As much as I wanted to go near it and explore it, it was already 8 in the evening, and we still needed to travel back to the terminus, which would take half an hour or one.
The Londoner may look near, but we still needed to find the pedestrian to cross to the other side of the road. I can do anything and visit numerous locations in one day when I am alone; however, the story is different when I am in a group with a child and an exhausted mother 😄.
Everyone was tired, so I called it a day. We returned to the Senado Square that night, where we bought our dinner and rode another bus to the terminus. Transportation in Macau isn't as convenient as in Hong Kong. The train station is limited to certain places only. So buses and taxis are the main modes of transportation, which takes a little longer to travel from one place to another.
That was a tiring yet fantastic day. We explored Macau's rich culture, heritage, and culinary flavors and explored its European side. That was a trip that's worth remembering.
You can check the reel about other luxury destinations in Macau here. Enjoy!
Thanks for your time.
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Jane is a Filipina wanderer in a foreign land who finds comfort in nature and freedom in writing. She loves watching raw picturesque landscapes, listening to the symphony of nature, breathing in drops of sunshine, walking through scenic trails and cityscapes, tasting new culinary flavors, capturing pretty little things, venturing into hidden gems, and dancing with the flow of life.
Her new experiences, adventures, challenges, lessons, small successes, and joys are colorful paints that fill up her canvas of life. She hopes to see it beautifully painted while she can.
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