The ttgluxury Experience
one of brave agents on the trip wanted to get
out there and walk around the tower. The Skywalk involves a “stroll” around the outer perimeter on a walkway just six feet wide, in the open air and with no handrail, but you are harnessed on of course. Graham Finch-Parsons was the brave Travel
Counsellor on the trip who went for it, along with Enrique Martin from the Macau Government Tourist Office. “It was the scariest thing I have done in my life – but it was the highlight of the trip!” says Finch-Parsons. The experience cemented for Finch-Parsons
the diversity of the destination too: “I think Macau is an exciting, dynamic destination with a wide range of activities to suit all. The proliferation of high-end hotels helps to maintain its attractiveness to discerning clients too.” While Finch-Parsons went out on a limb, most
of the group opted for the more relaxed option of a treatment at the 13-room ESPA spa back at the Ritz-Carlton, which also has two pools of its own, 230 suites, a Ritz-Carlton Club and a Parisian-style cafe.
Back to the future No sooner can you say you are the “newest hotel in town” than another one comes along – this time, it’s Studio City Macau, which opened in October. This Hollywood-themed resort includes Studio City Hotel with 1,600 rooms, and a figure- of-eight “Golden Reel”, tipped to be the highest Ferris wheel in Asia at 130 metres – it is actually built into the space between two towers. Studio City is also home to The House of Magic, Macau’s first magic extravaganza; and Pacha Macau, which imports the Ibiza nightlife brand to Macau. Seemingly insignificant in comparison is the 400-room St Regis Macau – but due to open December 17, the hotel will have its own special charm and butler service. Sue Whitehead, Macau Government Tourist
Office UK & Ireland representative, says: “These are exciting times, as 2015 has seen the addition of many wonderful luxury hotels and attractions, with more to come in 2016 and 2017. We were very pleased to have the opportunity to show off what Macau has to offer and delighted the agents had such a great time. Agents are crucial partners in helping us raise Macau’s profile, and we hope to see more UK travellers making a couple of nights in Macau part of their travel plans.” As well as all the new hotels, there are
well-established five-star options on the Macau skyline too, such as the 582-room MGM Macau, where agents stayed for two nights, enjoying
the outdoor pool and large rooms; there is also a Six Senses Spa at the hotel. For high-end shoppers, the hotel is also connected to One Central Macau, an exclusive mall. But the highlight of the MGM is the European-
inspired Grand Praca, a huge inner courtyard designed to represent famed buildings of Lisbon. Art is also important to the hotel, with regular installations and permanent pieces on display, such as Dalinian Dancer, a sculpture by Salvador Dali, which has some of Dale Chihuly’s hand- blown glass flowers hovering above it. The hotel’s Lions Bar, with its live music and
fun atmosphere, was also a hit with Gary Hudson, sales and product manager for Travel Solutions, who adds: “There were lovely rooms at the MGM Grand, with great views, and it was convenient for ‘downtown’ – as well as having a lovely rooftop pool area. We had a pre-set hosted dinner in a private room at Rossio, which was nice.” One thing the agents all agreed on was how
How to book it Macau Government Tourist Office, UK Representative Tel: 0845 498 9983,
en.macautourism.gov.mo
Cathay Pacific Tel: 020 8834 8888,
cathaypacific.com
MGM Macau Tel: 00 853 8802 8888,
hotelsales@mgmmacau.com,
mgmmacau.com
JW Marriott Hotel Macau (
jwmarriottmacau.com) and The Ritz- Carlton, Macau (pictured) (
ritzcarlton.com/ macau) Galaxy Macau, via Takami Koga, director of sales, tel: 00 853 8886 6262,
takami.koga@marriott.com
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TTGLUXURY.COM WINTER 2015 DESTINATIONS
amazing The House of Dancing Water was. This $250 million show created by Franco Dragone, who directed pretty much every Cirque du Soleil show from 1985 to 1998, is a combination of theatre, dance, acrobatics, gymnastic artistry and high-performance diving – as well as daredevil motorbikes that draw the biggest tension from the 2,000-strong audience. “I thought the show was amazing – I was on
the edge of my seat the whole way through,” says Kelly. “I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Macau – or even Hong Kong, as I think it would be worth getting the ferry across just to see the show.”
Pictured 1. The group at Lou Lim Ieoc Garden 2. The House of Dancing Water show 3. Atrium at JW Marriott Hotel Macau 4. Tai Chi in the park 5. Panda at Seac Pai Van Park 6. Macau nightlife 7. Graham and Enrique on the Skywalk at Macau Tower 8. Portuguese architecture
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