One day in Macao
It’s been years since I last visited Macao, and so when we were deciding on our family outing during a week in Hong Kong, we happened upon popping over to Macao together. Since the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) was finished in 2018, it’s become a more affordable and accessible way for Hong Kongers to travel to Macao, as opposed to the ferry service. It is the longest bridge-tunnel system sea-crossing in the world. Armed with snacks and our Octopus cards, we headed over to Macao by bus!
Our first port of call, like with any good day out in Macao, was to board one of the casino shuttle services at the central bus station. These complimentary buses take you to main casinos and hotels, offering an easy way to get around. (Famously, it is more difficult to return to the ferry port and bus station, so bear that in mind!) We headed for the Grand Hyatt, which offers an easy walk through to the cafés that we’d been aiming for.
Next, we walked to Margaret’s Café e Nata for Portuguese-style egg custard tarts. I hadn’t had one of these in 10 years, since they’re evidently not vegan, and we all thought theirs were truly delicious.
After, we popped over the road for pork chop buns, a famous street food in Macao. The ones here were average, so I won’t share the café, but these are a juicy pan-fried pork chop served in a crisp, Portuguese-style bun with caramelised onions.
In the sweltering heat, our family traipsed onwards in search of…
Pastelaria Chui Heong! Yes, more food! You simply can’t visit Macao without paying this decades-old bakery a visit. This is the last almond cookie shop of its kind that is still open in Macao. Their almond cookies are handmade, grilled over charcoal, and the bakery has been running since 1958. You can even watch the specialists baking them next door! Perfect for a souvenir, which is exactly what we were there for.
Since it was Eddie’s first-ever visit to Macao, we paid the Ruins of Saint Paul’s a visit. It’s unbelievably busy here – one of the largest tourist spots here – as the 17th-century church ruins, destroyed by fire, have a super European look. They’re beautiful, tbh.
A wander ‘round Monte Fort, a 17th century fort with spectacular views of the city.
Finally, we popped to Pan Pan, to try their ‘viral’ (I seriously hate that term) deep-pan egg custard tarts. I thought they were pretty average. And then it was time to make the chaotic journey back over to Hong Kong!
