Macau Hotels

Macau is another Special Administrative Region of China just like Hong Kong. It might be a tiny area on the map, but it has experienced an incredible boom over the years. Macau is the Far Eastern City of Sin -a leisure and gambling heaven.

Macau was started as a small settlement, a village of fisherman and farmers, situated on the Pearl River Delta. In the 16th century, Portuguese discoverers set foot on this land with their armada, and were offered this place as a gift if they cleared the area of pirate. They instantly did clear the area and started the typical colonial trade hub. Since then, Macau had been under Portuguese control until the year 1999 when it rejoined the People's Republic as a Special Administrative Region.

This place is very different from what you'd expect from a densely populated Far-Eastern city. About 95% of the half-a-million population is Chinese, the rest is foreigners, mostly remainders of Europeans. This demographic quality opens the area to western culture and globalization. The crowds and Chinese ways are proudly there, but what Macau offers is far beyond that! To start with, it is a city with two identities. First, is a colonial city in tropical climate zone. It is hard not to be surprised by a colonial town with Mediterranean style architecture and beautiful churches in this part of the world. Many attempts of Christianization were made; Roman Catholic Church sent many missionaries and a Christian Collage was founded. The Mediterranean heritage was carried here perfectly. The colonial city would make you believe that it was a European city! There are many well preserved churches, fortresses and landmarks showing distinct Portuguese and Chinese characteristics.

In the late nineteenth century, Macau lost trade to Hong Kong, that rose as a pristine finance center. Macau continued its life in a new identity. You will be even more startled than you were to hear about this, a gambling heaven serving the Chinese as well as international tourists! The distinguished casinos and hotels don't fall short of Las Vegas in terms of quality or service. Of course you won't find the performances of Las Vegas; things are done more traditionally here. There are sauna facilities, which legally serve "more than" steam and exotic aromas for the gentlemen!

Macau is very rich on choice of activities. There are two good beaches around Macau, both are popular with tourists and locals. Extreme sports fans will definitely want to try the bungee jumping on the Macau Tower. Islands of Taipa and Coloane offer very good biking and hiking routes for those interested. Theme parks, shopping areas, and a few golf courses are well worth mentioning. Macau Peninsula has numerous buildings listed as World Heritage sites of historical and cultural significance. So there is an attraction for every taste from every age group.

Macau boasts an authentic mix of cuisine too. Portuguese cuisine is common, along with other Far Eastern, African and South American specialty restaurants. Of course, Chinese cuisine is the thing you'd want to try and the quality offered here is perfect. There is a long Macau "gastronomic adventure" to go through.

Don't forget to shop around in Macau too..