It seems that every major Hotel in Macau, these days, needs a compelling draw for tourists. With a long weekend ahead of us last month. I headed over from Hong Kong to Macau to spend a night in Asia’s Las Vegas.
The agenda was mainly to eat at some of my favourite restaurants and to visit the three newly opened attractions – the Eiffel Tower replica at the Parisian and the SkyCab at the newly opened Wynn Palace. We also popped by to see the special Golden Reel Ride at the Studio City Hotel and Complex that opened late last year.
If you are inspired to visit after reading this, do just note that the attractions listed here are all pay-to-play attractions and entry is not included in the respective Hotel room rates.
Make It To The Top of the Macau Eiffel Tower
Forget the gruelling plane ride to France, the newly opened Parisian Hotel along the Cotai Strip is where you can expect to recreate the romance of the whole European experience … well almost.
The Macau Eiffel as it is fondly referred to, was constructed to half the scale of the real thing and has 6000 light bulbs to keep it lit up at night. There are speakers around its base around the hotel grounds that play music to create the ambience.
Also from inside the Hotel, you can join the long queues for a fee, you can take a lift up to the Observation Decks on levels 7 and 37 to get a bird’s eye view of Macau city and watch the Light Show with music, daily – every 15 minutes from 7:30pm – 10:00pm.
Inside the Hotel, an amazing Dome that quite rivals the Cathedral domes that you would expect to see in France and Europe.
A bird’s eye view from one of the Hotel’s shopping floors shows the palatial ground floor layout with a fountain in the middle of the lobby that changes colours.
Do you feel like you are in Europe yet?
And if you think that’s not enough to go check it out, note that the Parisian also has two other attractions on it’s grounds – the Aqua Pool and Qube Kingdom.
See the The Parisian Macau for more details.
A Bird’s Eye View From A SkyCab
We took the SkyCab at the Wynn Palace Hotel only because it looked just amazing from ground level. In terms of construction and we had heard that this is the only cable car that can turn a corner without a mid-station which is supposed to be a bit of an operational fete.
The Wynn Skycab makes a total of 6 turns with 2 stations because it operates in an unidirectional configuration. You have to be inside one of these to experience the turn which feels a bit like you the way you would at Disneyland sitting in one of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups but of course, with turns that are not as sharp and abrupt.
There are two towers built in the form of a golden dragon and all the cabins taking passengers in a loop around the hotel are equipped with a custom audio system and are fully air conditioned.
Although it was a short ride that cost about MOP$100, the SkyCab gives you a bird’s eye view (a bit like a Bond movie) over the top of the Hotel’s restaurants, its Performance Lake and the Hotel pool where you can catch bikini clad sunbathers.
Inside the Hotel, there are an equal amount of distractions to oogle at. A stunning floral and circus theme some with movable installations confront you with a riot of colour in almost every public area.
World-renowned designer, Preston Bailey whose work is on display at the Wynn in Las Vegas has some sensational sculptures that are completely instagram-worthy.
Even the small kiosks that sell cakes and snacks are resplendant in design detail.
The food …
The Cafe interiors …
Even the floor tiles …
Nothing boring or sleepy about this amazing fantasy Palace.
The Performance Lake that the Wynn is well known for also comes alive with its water performance, best viewed in the evening complete with lights and dancing water.
See the Wynn Palace Macau for more details
Take A Spin On The Golden Reel Ride
The Chinese have always considered the number 8 a lucky and auspicious number. Well, at recently opened Studio City Hotel, you can get on the world’s highest figure-8 Ferris wheel for a view of the city from 130 meters up in the air.
Born from an epic Hollywood-inspired tale of two asteroids careering through Studio City’s main façade, the story is that they crashed through the facade leaving a perfect “8” shaped hole.
In reality, the Golden Reel is a panoramic architectural spectacle suspended at 130 meters between two Art-Deco hotel towers. Within the wheel, are 17 spacious cabins, each able to seat up to 10 people.
I did not have time to visit the Batman Dark Flight attraction which is also within the Hotel. This is DC Comics’ first Batman 4D flight simulation ride and offers the latest flight simulation technology and the very best in audio design and visual graphics pitting Batman in a race to save Gotham City against his arch enemies.
The Hotel interior carries through the dark flight-Gotham City dimly lit feel and theme.
For the kid’s and magic show enthusiasts, there is also a theatre attraction called The House Of Magic with daily magic shows and performances
And another one for the kids, a Warner Brother’s Fun Zone which has a 40,000 sq foot playground packed with play experience areas and themed play areas featuring all the popular Warner Bros., DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera characters.
See Studio City Macau for more details.
Simply Fabulicious 