hi, guys, will go to macau over the easter...

We went a few years ago, there is a fabulous restaurant at the end of the black beach from the Westin hotel - cheap as anything and great local food - all the locals were eating there. Similar to a dai Pai dong but a bit more upmarket...We ate every night there- were never disappointed, and the walk there and back was just lovely.

Macau has a comprehensive tourist website (which the HK people could learn from) at

http://www.macautourism.gov.mo/english/sightseeing_en.phtml



There is a ritual of going to Fernandos. I can see why people like it, but it's not my cup of tea.



The best Portuguese food is probably at "A Lorcha", tel +853 313 195. Family atmosphere.



A Lorcha 船屋葡國餐廳

Rua Almirante Sérgio No. 289

Inner Harbour

澳門河邊新街289號A



There is a cafe called Caravela with fantastic Portuguese cakes (and espresso) in an unprepossessing back street in the City Centre. The building name is Kam Loi, in the Nam Van area; you will need a good street map to find it. +853 712 080. (I've been there a dozen times, but still have trouble finding it!)



The clientele at both of these (unlike Fernandos) are mainly long-time Portuguese residents.



Beware that many restaurants operated by Portuguese (especially those with Filipino staff) may shut down at Easter, as both races are overwhelmingly Catholic and try to take their own holidays around Easter; so call ahead.

Thinking about going as well; whats the going rate for renting a car ?. (never done it before). Is that a good idea for exploring Macau ?

Renting a car there is immensely stressful unless you know the place well: just about the only thing the locals adopted from the Portuguese was their driving style. Few sights are signposted, lots of one way systems, parking is a nightmare. And taxis are cheap (even more so than HK); so no real point renting a car (except for the "been there, done that" kudos).

hyatt hotel has a good package, Journey of Memories, available when booking on line. go to their web site http://macau.regency.hyatt.com and click on special offers.

great restaurant on Coloane, Restaurante Espace Lisboa, Rua das Gaivotas No 8 r/c

Reserve at a table, tel. 88 22 26

BTW, the Hyatt will close soon.

Don't forget to go to Macau Tower and try some of the adventure activities there.

It's almost unnecessary to rent a car in Macau - walking gets you just about everywhere. People don't realize how small this place is, and nothing is ever really too far to walk. When it comes to the outlying islands, bus or taxi is the way to go.


There's a shortage of parking in Macau. Too many cars/vehicles and not enough parking space to accommodate it. Driving in Macau is easy but aside from the newly constructed, spacious roads, driving in Macau is much more frustrating than HK. Small, congested streets. And I mean - small. Some streets are about 2 meters wide, and one time I drove into just that and had the biggest trouble backing up after realizing it was a dead end, plus all the garbage cans and innumerable scooters surrounding me. I really thought I had to forklift the car.


Taxis, be forewarned, are awfully scarce during rush hour and weekends. Something to do with the fact there are only about 700 taxis in Macau, the drivers are getting more picky, etc.