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When I mentioned that I was going to visit Macao (or Macau) with the kids over the National Day long weekend, most people remarked that there isn't anything fun to do with the kids there.. or whether the wifey is going to look after the kids while I scoot off to one the many casinos there. For the record, I don't gamble.
But I do understand the sentiments because let's face it, one doesn't usually lump the words “family-friendly” and “Macao” together in the same sentence. But over the years, Macao has evolved into a vibrant city with kid-friendly attractions and of course, a foodie paradise. Oh yes, that last bit there is enough to make me salivate - think Portuguese egg tarts, pork chop buns, egg rolls, peanut candies, roasted meat and many other local specialities!
What makes Macao so awesome to visit is its history as a Portuguese colony from the mid-16th century to 1999. You see the Portuguese influence at every corner that you turn, from its colonial architecture to even its cuisine. And it is precisely the former that will easily take up 1 or 2 days of your stay should you wish to bring the kids on a heritage trail. (Psst, and it's free too!)
1. Senado Square
Having been Macao’s urban centre for centuries since the port of Macao was opened for trade, a the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Senado Square is still the most popular venue for public events and celebrations today. The Square is paved with Portuguese beautiful cobblestones and surrounded by pastel coloured neo-classical buildings - reminiscent of a picturesque European city.
Do head there on an empty stomach because there are numerous cafes and food kiosks that line the street of Senado Square!
Theese are but two of the food stops we made along the way. LOL.
2. Ruins of St. Paul’s
As you walk towards the end of the Square, a famous landmark will come into full view.
In the Historic Center, one will find one of the most photographed spots on the island: the ruins of the Church of St. Paul.
The Ruins of St. Paul's refer to the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640, destroyed by fire in 1835, and the ruins of St. Paul's College, which stood adjacent to the Church. Nowadays, the facade of the Ruins of St. Paul's functions symbolically as an altar to the city. The site is unlike no other, and you can also visit the St Paul’s Museum on the site to see the original city walls.
Although I have to add, it looks much more beautiful at night.
Ale was particularly looking forward to seeing it for herself after hearing her school Form Teacher talk about it in class. Tip is to go early (or at night) if you don't want the crowds to spoil your photos!
3. Old Taipa Village
Journey to one of the only traditional villages remaining in Macao. It’s quieter over here, with pedestrian-only alleys and small shops and restaurants.
Here, you can visit the Taipa Houses Museum - Admission is FREE! - which comprises of five distinctive green houses with the style of Portuguese architecture. Considered as one of the cultural relics and heritages of the Island, it was built in 1921, which had been the residences for high superior civil servants and Macanese families. In late 90's, the government decided to fully remodel them, recognizing its important architectural value, transforming them into museums.
If history isn't exactly your thing, fret not as there is still loads of food to explore here!
Head to Rua do Cunha, a narrow pedestrian street in Taipa is filled with shops, stalls, and vendors offering a range of delicious snacks, most freshly made on premises.
Expect to find the usual Macao staples of Pork Chop bun, curry fishballs, mochi, and traditional pastries.
And if you are looking for the renowned Lord Stow’s Bakery, which is considered the king of Macao egg tarts, it has a branch in Rua do Cunha too. I bought a pack of 6 egg tarts and they were finsihed before I knew it. THEY WERE SO GOOD... and ADDICTIVE!!!
The weather can be pretty unpredictable in Macao as we found out - it rained for 3 days out of the 4 days we were there. Luckily, Macao is also home to numerous indoor activities well suited for kids and as it turned out, the monkies were kept extremely well entertained!
4. Warner Bros. Fun Zone
The Warner Bros. Fun Zone at Studio City is a 4,000 sq metre indoor play area featureing tons of exciting activities themed around favourite characters from DC Comics and Looney Tunes. Think jumping, climbing, sliding and car racing as well as interactive games!
Younger kids will have a ball of of time in the huge play structure as well as racing against each other in the oh-so-cute superhero cars.
For those looking for a little thrill, there is the Bounce-O-Matic ride which promises to elicit yelps of joy from the little ones thanks to those short drops. Heh.
For my older monkies though, their fave areas included the climbing walls where they got a really good workout.
They also enjoyed the Hypercade where they got to go on a laser shooting quest!
I lost to the boys. Dang it.
For toddlers, there is separate playground area with smaller play structures.
Oh, and you may bump into certain mascots while you are there too!
Great place to visit with kids - even Ash and Ayd enjoyed it - though I figure you probably need no more than 3 hours there.
Oh, and we didn't had to waste time queuing because we got out tickets through Klook. The e-vouchers were stored in my phone and all I had to do was show them at the entrance. More details are at the end of the post.
5. Batman Dark Flight
When at Warner Bros. Fun Zone, don't miss the Batman Dark Flight too (it is just a floor down).
It's an immersive, 4D motion ride where we got to 'fly' over Gotham City and be part of an action-packed Batman story.
Again we got our tickets through Klook, and it was really hassle-free. We could just skip the ticket queue and head straight to the entrance for the staff to scan out tickets. And the price is CHEAPER too!
So what was the ride like? Think of it like the Transformers ride at USS but way cooler - the seats we were in completely took us by surprise when we were hoisted into the air with our legs dangling. Thrilling stuff yes, but not that scary because even Ale enjoyed it!
6. Macao Science Center
We made an impromptu visit to Macao Science Center because it was raining. Frankly, I was not expecting much but we ended spending close to 3.5 hours there because it has a whopping 14 galleries and more than 450 interactive exhibits ranging from astronomy, materials, DNA to sound and movement.
The ‘Fun Science Gallery’ is a basic introduction to Science for kids, while the ‘Children’s Science Gallery’ allows younger children to learn by completing hands-on tasks, including a special construction-themed gallery and big water play area for kids.
And it's good for older kids and adults too! I learnt stuff that I didn't knew before.
But the best part is probably its entry fee because it is only about S$4.30 for adults and S$2.60 for kids! We could have scored even cheaper tickets had we gotten our tickets through Klook but because it was unplanned, we bought them over the counter.
Even better, top up S$1.70 for your kids and they get to go wild in an indoor playground... while you chill at the cafe beside it. Good idea, eh?
7. House of Dancing Water
Short summary of the show: If you're in Macau, you MUST MUST MUST watch House of Dancing Water - the world's largest and most spectacular water-based show!
The spectacular show is unique to Macau and offers audience 270-degree views so you can see all the action no matter which part of the theatre you are sitting at.
The story follows a fisherman who tells a story of legends guided by a magical force but in all honesty, the storyline is just secondary becaue this extremely family-friendly show is packed with adrenaline-filled performances featuring water diving stunts, motorbikes acrobatic stunts, and aerial acrobatics that wowed us to no end. I forgot how many times I had to pick my jaw off the floor.
Oh, and that amazing stage! It can hold 3.7 million gallons of water and can transform from a pool deep enough for high diving to a completely dry floor in a matter of seconds! How do they even do it???
I'm not kidding when I say this is the best show we had seen. Ever. All the other musicals, cirque du soleil shows, circus acts don't even come close. It is THAT good.
TIP: Be sure to book your tickets well in advance though because the show is extremely popular. The ticket counter was swarming with people when we arrived. Luckily we had already got our tickets through Klook so I just flashed my e-tickets on the phone and we were seated. Sweet!
8. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom
On one of the rare days that did not rain, we managed to squeeze a day trip to Zhuhai which is home to the massive Chimelong Ocean Kingdom theme park.
Think of it as a cross between our USS and S.E.A. Aquarium, with an ocean theme. So yes, there are lots of amusement rides, sea animals shows and marine creature exhibits.
One of its star attractions is the Whale Shark Aquarium, which is the world's largest and has garnered 5 Guinness World Records. With a total area of 22,000 ㎡ and a total water volume of 31,000 m³, it houses more than 20,000 rare marine animals, including manta rays, sharks and sea turtles.
If you are visiting in the summer (like we did), it can get hot outdoors so the aquarium was the perfect escape from the heat option for us. Likewise, for the animal shows too which were sheltered.
Of course, there was no escaping from the theme prark rides too.
But the most fun of the lot honour has to go to the Parrot Coaster which boasted the following accolades:
- The scariest roller-coaster in the park
- The world's third tallest roller-coaster in the world
- The world's longest AND fastest wing-coaster in the world
Naturally, both Ash and Ayd were only too eager to hop onto it. Arguably the most thrilling ride at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, it is 1.3km long and has a top speed of 108km/hr. And they went on it TWICE. Yup, I think they are certified roller-coaster junkies. I'm just glad I had the excuse of my slipped disc surgery to not go on it. 😂
Come nightfall, the fun continued with a dazzling night parade and a spectacular fireworks show.
Getting there from Macau is pretty straightforward - hop on a shuttle bus from either Hotel Beverly Plaza or Studio City in Macao (about S$5 per pax per way) and it brings you all the way to the park. Remember to bring along your passports because you have to clear immigration. All in all, we took slightly over an hour to reach, inclusive of the time spent clearing immigration. You can see HERE for the shuttle bus timings.
Definitely worth a visit if your kids are theme park junkies like mine.
And because it's China, you can be certain of long queues so it was a good thing we already had our e-tickets from Klook. Minimum fuss later and we were in the park!
So if you are planning a trip to Macao with the family, it definitely pays to purchase your tickets beforehand via Klook. Not only does it prevent unnecessasy queuing and time wastage, the tickets are usually cheaper than if you buy them over the counter!
Click on the links below to check the respective prices:
BONUS! Enjoy $5 off your first booking on Klook when you enter the promocode CHEEKIEMONKIES5! Code is valid till 31 Dec 2018.
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6 comments :
HI Kelvin,
I am going to Macau in another week's time. Can you advise what time did you leave Chimelong Ocean Kingdom so it's not too late when reach back Macau? Did you take the same bus transport back to Macau when you leave the themepark?
Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
I can;t really remember the exact time but it was around the same time as the fireworks show. I think it's about 8pm. Yes, we took the same bus back and dropped off at the same location where we boarded in the morning.
Hi, how many days do you recommend for macua based on the activities you mentuon. The shuttle bus to chimelong park is open to non hotel customers?
Thanks.
Regards
Wayne
Hi Wayne,
I think 3 to 4 nights in Macau will suffice. As for the shuttle bus, it is open to everyone. The shuttle bus company occupies a shop within the hotel so you just have to purchase your tickets from there.
Hello! May I know how did u get from macau to chimelong ocean park?
Erm, the answer is actually in the post.
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