When I first visited Macau almost 30 years ago, it was a sleepy Portuguese enclave, with pedicabs serving as taxis for the locals and a potholed road leading from the ferry terminal into town. Visitors were mostly Hong Kong Chinese who came to gamble in its low-profile casinos. The few Westerners who made their way here came for Macau’s slow-paced lifestyle, its unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese architecture, Macanese cuisine, bargain-priced food and lodging, and that most revered of afternoon pastimes: sipping inexpensive Portuguese wine on the veranda of the weathered but grand Bela Vista Hotel.

Today I hardly recognize the place. After Macau (also spelled Macao) was handed back to China in 1999 and the Bela Vista closed to become the new Portuguese embassy, two developments came together that would radically define Macau’s destiny: the liberalization in 2002 of its gaming industry, thus ending gaming operator Stanley Ho’s 40-year monopoly, and mainland China’s 2003 implementation of its Individual Visit Scheme, which allowed mainlanders to visit Hong Kong and Macau on their own.

Both fit in nicely with Macau’s vigorous policy of land reclamation, which over the past four decades more than doubled its size and added high-rises, superhighways, massive housing complexes, mega resorts, toney shopping complexes, tourist attractions, high-class entertainment and some of the largest and ritziest casinos in the world. The few remaining pedicabs are now tourist attractions.

No longer off the international radar, Macau, with a population of 598,000 and still a diminutive 11.5 square miles on the banks of the Pearl River Delta, is the world’s undisputed gambling mecca. The number of annual tourists grew from 7.5 million in 1999 to about 28 million today, with more than 60 percent of them mainland Chinese, who come mainly to gamble and shop for high-end designer goods. Macau’s gaming revenue hit an astounding $45 billion in 2013, about seven times that of Las Vegas. In fact, Macau’s 35 casinos make more than all 12,000 U.S. casinos combined.

Although Macau’s newfound wealth and astounding growth created headaches for locals — congested traffic on streets laid out centuries ago, higher housing prices to accommodate the influx of foreign workers, small family businesses squeezed out by rising land prices — they also wrought positive changes. Macau’s historic downtown, a treasure trove of Mediterranean-influenced, colonial-era buildings that was sorely neglected 30 years ago, was spruced up and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The restaurant scene exploded, luxury lodging now rivals that in Hong Kong, and there are more attractions and museums than you could ever hope to visit in a day.

Although casinos grab the international limelight, there’s a lot more to Macau that begs exploration, due in no small part to its dual heritage that stretches back more than 450 years, after the Portuguese acquired Macau as a port in 1557. Macau boasts what no other place can: a harmonious fusion of Chinese and Portuguese culture, cuisine, architecture and even people. Its downtown is a fascinating maze of narrow, hilly streets threading past pastel-colored colonial building;, plazas shaded by banyan trees; temples and churches; Mandarin mansions; and lively markets. With its Chinese, Portuguese and Macanese restaurants, not to mention those offering international cuisines, dining alone is reason to visit Macau.

Most of the 185,000 Americans who visit Macau annually stay an average of 3.6 days, longer than any other nationality, which is ample time to experience its highlights. For a quick history lesson about Macau’s beginnings and how it grew into the place it is today, your first stop should be the Macao Museum, built into the bowels of a hilltop fortress with sweeping city views from its rooftop ramparts. Local history, traditions, crafts, cottage industries, festivals, architecture, cuisine and more are related in colorful displays that include recreated traditional shops and homes, costumes, games, old photographs and other items from an earlier time.

The Ruins of
St. Paul’s Church © Naruto4836 | Dreamstime.com

Next door is Macau’s most photographed landmark, the Ruins of St. Paul’s Church. It was constructed in 1602 but destroyed in 1835 by a typhoon and fire that spared only its stone façade, ornate with reliefs and statues that present a curious mix of both Christian and Asian symbolism.

Both the fortress and church are among 30 protected sites that comprise the Historic Centre of Macao, declared a World Heritage site in 2005. Boasting the oldest Western structures on Chinese soil, the Historic Centre includes forts, squares, churches, temples, mansions and Asia’s oldest lighthouse along with a library, cemetery, theater and garden.

Take the sweeping staircase leading down from St. Paul’s Church and follow the wavy, black-and-white-tiled street to Macau’s main plaza, attractive Senado Square, where nearby you’ll find the Leal Senado (Macau’s most magnificent colonial building), 17th-century St. Dominic’s Church and imposing Cathedral Square, an excellent place to sit and watch the parade of schoolchildren, housewives returning from market and the faithful who come to worship at the cathedral.

Drop by the Macau Business Tourism Centre on Senado Square for a map of the other historic sites, all within walking distance. Must-sees include A-Ma Temple, which predates the arrival of the Portuguese; shady Lilau Square; and the Protestant Cemetery. My absolute favorite is the spectacular Mandarin’s House, erected in the latter half of the 19th century. Its 43,055 square feet contain more than 60 rooms and courtyards that display both Chinese and old European architectural influences. I wouldn’t miss it.

Other destinations worth considering on Macau Peninsula (referred to by locals simply as Macau) include the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao, with intricate artworks presented from all of China’s provinces to commemorate the 1999 handover; 1,083-foot-high Macau Tower, where daredevils can climb the mast, walk the outside ramparts or, if they’re really nuts, bungee jump; and Red Market, a lively food market in a 1936 Art Deco building surrounded by street markets selling cheap clothing. There are also malls carrying everything from Gucci to Prada, but if you’re on the hunt for local products in this duty-free port, good buys include gold jewelry sold in stores along Avenida de Almedia Ribeiro (the main street), Portuguese wines, and Chinese antiques and furniture reproductions sold from stores just downhill from St. Paul’s.

To see what all the fuss is about in today’s Macau, head to Cotai, Macau’s premier resort and entertainment destination. Occupying about two square miles of reclaimed land that essentially joined two islands, Colôane and Taipa, Cotai opened for business with its first casino in 2006, followed by The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel, twice as big as its Las Vegas counterpart and offering 3,000 guestrooms; four outdoor pools; more than 20 restaurants and bars; a Venice-themed shopping complex complete with canals and gondoliers; and the largest casino in the world, where you can try your luck at one of 3,400 slot machines or 800 gaming tables.

Shops within The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel © Hupeng | Dreamstime.com

Not to be outdone is City of Dreams across the street, home to three hotels (including a Grand Hyatt and Hard Rock Hotel), a casino and a bevy of entertainment options — most notably the spectacular House of Dancing Water performance featuring a gigantic pool and 80 acrobats, divers, trapeze artists and stuntmen. Here, too, is Club Cubic, Macau’s largest nightclub, which also stages TABOO, an erotic cabaret. One of the newest properties is Sands Cotai Central with three hotels (Conrad, Sheraton and Holiday Inn), a casino and, for the kids, the DreamWorks Experience that includes a daily parade of film characters from Shrek to Kung Fu Panda.

In fact, foreign investors, including MGM Macau and Wynn Macau, both on Macau Peninsula, own more than half the casino resorts in Macau. But the most flamboyant properties are under the stewardship of Stanley Ho, whose Grand Lisboa and 1969 Hotel Lisboa remind me of starships on steroids but are worth visiting for their displays of Ho’s stunning private art collection.

No visit to Macau would be complete without dining on Macanese cuisine, which developed as Portuguese settlers and traders arrived from Europe and outposts from around the world, bringing with them chilies, peppers, codfish, spices like turmeric and cinnamon, and other items, which were then combined with ginger, soy sauce and other Chinese ingredients to create unique dishes. My own personal favorites include African chicken prepared with chilies and piri-piri peppers; spicy grilled shrimp; curry crab; and minchi, a combination of minced beef, fried potatoes, onion and garlic.

In addition to Chinese and Portuguese restaurants, there are those serving French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Thai and other international cuisines. One of my favorite dining destinations is laid-back Colôane Village, seemingly from another era with its square dominated by the 1928 Chapel of St. Francis and outdoor cafés, where I can sit and sip wine, dine on barbecued chicken or crab and watch families passing by. The Bela Vista may be history, but the spirit of old Macau definitely lives on.

Macau Info to Go

Macau International Airport serves flights mostly from China, including Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing as well as other Asian cities like Manila, Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore. Otherwise, the largest international airport is Hong Kong International Airport, where TurboJET hydrofoils transport passengers to the Macau Ferry Terminal in about one hour. In Hong Kong, TurboJETs depart also from Tsim Sha Tsui and Sheung Wan for the Macau Ferry Terminal, while Cotai Water Jet high-speed catamarans travel from Sheung Wan to Cotai’s Taipa Ferry Terminal. Free shuttle buses at Macau Airport and both ferry terminals deliver passengers to major hotels.

Read more about the Macau Grand Prix.