Pousada De São Tiago is more gorgeous than I’ve ever dreamt a hotel could be.

Room type: De Barra Suite with harbour view

* 1 bedroom, 1 lounge area, 1 bathroom, 1 powder room, 1 terraza

Price: HKD$3,278 (P17,800/US$420) per night
* Expect an additional HKD$4000+ in fees and food/drinks in 1 night.

Rating: 10 out of 5 Stars

PROS: Yes, you’ve read it right. It’s a 10 out of 5 stars for São Tiago, because it far exceeded any of my expectations.

The suite was exquisitely appointed, from the divine bed (I’ve-died-and-gone-to-heaven soft) to the opulent old fortress-inspired décor, the Bang & Olufsen surround sound entertainment systems, the Jacuzzi in the bathroom bedecked in tortoiseshell tiles, the Hermes toiletries and the spacious terraza with the relaxing view of the Praia Grande Bay. No detail was too small, no cost too high, for the developers of this beautiful hotel.

São Tiago is a refreshing alternative to the casino-hotels crowding the Macau area. The hotel is housed within a 17th century Portuguese fort, giving it an elegant and nostalgic feel. 12 suites with modern facilities are available for the most discerning guest to choose from.

Also within the fort are La Paloma (hotel restaurant) and the Cascata Bar, both serving Spanish cuisine on the finest china and in the most luxurious surroundings. Food was mostly passable, but their bread and cheeses are a MUST TRY.

We had the hotel practically to ourselves when we went. The hotel's exclusivity makes it perfect for those who are looking for a quiet, plush place to stay in (honeymooners take note) amid the hustle and bustle of Macau.

CONS: Service needs improvement. We arrived at the hotel at around 8p.m.,

with no porter or guard to greet us. We lugged our luggage up the stairs to the reception area. Service was OK at best.

An anecdote: We were late in checking out since I had to be unglued from the delicious pampering of the Jacuzzi. When we finally went downstairs, the people at the reception were acting super bitchy. With the price that we paid for the lodgings and the grub, plus the fact that it appeared we were the only guests in the hotel, I though the treatment they gave us was excessive and unwarranted. It killed off any of our desire to extend.

No iPod speaker dock. This would have sweetened the deal. There’s a TV embedded in the bathroom mirror but no iPod player? It boggles the mind. Am I really expected to carry CDs around in the 21st century?? This is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to hotels.

Also, the tacky, ugly and weird miniatures of mountain ranges and fountains lining (littering) the corridors must be removed, destroyed, bulldozed, bombed. They look lost in this hauntingly beautiful hotel.

* * *

Beyond these, Pousada De São Tiago is still, hands-down, the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in.

It has become my yardstick in measuring all other hotels. It comes as no surprise that every hotel after it (and before it) disappoints. São Tiago looks even better than the pictures.

I can’t wait to be back in São Tiago again. 

MORE PHOTOS:

HOTEL KO WAH & HOTEL MAN VA

2 BUDGET HOTELS IN MACAU YOU SHOULD CONSIDER:

Rua Felicidade, Macau City, Macau

By: Ysabs Villaflor

My first time in Macau was in November 2010. Like many lonesome travelers, I was faced with a little dilemma: How do you stretch your money’s worth without breaking? When we travel, a big bulk of the expenses goes to lodging and probably on the shopping, but most of the time, the hotels get a big part of it all.

So what my friend and I did before the trip was– we researched and we computed and we tabulated and we read blogs, reviews and feedbacks. What we first considered was – price and location. A very good decision is having a hotel right next to the spots so you didn’t have to spend for transport to and from these two places. And so, we booked our first hotel, Hotel Man Va, from the reviews. How we got to Hotel Ko Wah the next day, is another story all together: the good thing was, we didn’t book another day at Man Va since one of our travel buddies backed out. So, we had to look for another hotel for the next night since Man Va was already booked. Thank God, we had a back up hotel ready and a room was vacant right next door, Hotel Ko Wah.

Being in two budget hotels, we can’t help but compare the two.

	MAN VA	KO WAH
Location:	Located in one of the oldest but most charming part of Macau (Rua Felicidade) and near the Historical Sites like Senado Square, Ruinas De Sao Paulo, Macau Museum, Rua Do Sto. Domingo, Macau Downtown
Rate:	HK$530 twin No breakfast included	HK$500 Queen bed HK$600 twin No breakfast included
	Pasteleria Koi Kei is infront of both hotels so, the perfect breakfast is freshly baked Portguese Egg Tart in the morning!
Reception:	The lobby has a waiting area with couches.	Only a desk and a small area to book your room. No couches. Straight to business
Elevator:	Can fit 6 people	Small, can fit only 4 people
Hall:	Narrow, only one person can walk through	Wider hall
Room:	A small room with a little bit of space to move. However, compared to Ko Wah, the room is definitely bigger and doesn’t seem very “claustrophobic”	Pretty compact, square room. Basic with the bathroom door and cabinets unusually highly elevated from the floor. This reason I cannot comprehend
Smell of the room:	A bit stuffy due to carpeted floor.	No carpets, hence, no stuffy smell.
Bed:	A little stiff for my taste but the comforters were great.	A little stiff for my taste, the comforters were thin.
View:	Our view is the building right in front of the hotel.	Our view is the wonderful Sofitel at Pointe 16.
Bathroom:	Compared to Ko Wah, I liked the bathroom at the Man Va better. It has separate shower area with curtains from the toilet area.	My biggest pet peeve is not having my own shower separated from the toilet area. I like a dry spot in my bathroom, so not having something separate it, is kind of an issue for me
Toiletries	They offer two big bottles of Shower Bath Gel and Shampoo.	Shampoo and Bath Gel in sachets
EXTRAS:	Has a dresser, storage area cabinet	It was Wi-Fi at certain times of the day for free but you would have to get the password from the reception desk.

Click HERE for more TIPS on MACAU.

Click HERE for PLACES to see in MACAU.

Click HERE for a SPECIAL Macau activity you SHOULD consider. :)

Click HERE for shopping finds in Hong Kong and Macau.

I hope this helps you in any way :)

HOTEL REVIEW: THE VENETIAN RESORT HOTEL AND CASINO, Macau, China

Estrada da Baia de N. Senhora de Eseranca, Taipa, Macau, People's Republic of China

BY: Ysabs Villaflor

the Sistine at the Venetian

the tree in the Great Hall

the golden orb that welcomes you to the Venetian

LOCATION: is located on Cotai Strip, a reclaimed area, where all the other big casinos such as Plaza, Galaxy, Sands, Hard Rock etc are located. It is a taxi ride away from the main city which is on another island. And very much near the airport. Around 10minute ride on taxi or on their free shuttle bus.

getting the luggage in the shuttle bus

FEEL: it's grandiose, it's loud, it's golden, it's huge (area is equivalent to 56 American football fields).



waiting for the elevator to go down the lower levels the Grand Canals, winding.


the Venetian facade

PERSONAL: I spent Christmas here with my whole family and got 3 Bella Suites where all the kids lost their minds upon entering. You can't help but say WOW every turn.



my family at the Venetian. Our departing shot. All smiling!


THE WELCOME MAT: the hotel has 2 lobbies. One for the arriving guests and another for departing guests. The west lobby is for guests checking in. The bell boys are attentive enough to spot those who needed help with their luggage. Our group had 20 luggage bags and it was a feat for one bell boy to handle. The checking out guests depart from the Main Lobby. However, to get to the Main lobby from the west lobby, you would have to cross the casino floor. The only glitch in this set up is when you are travelling with kids since they are not allowed to cross the floor. The best bet is to go through a confusing maze of lefts and turns from the upper floor. In short, to get to the main lobby if you're travelling with kids, it would be an inconvenience. Which, i think the hotel has failed to foresee and must do something about.

The main lobby, however, is filled with festive paintings on the ceiling. Reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and a golden globe.



the Christmas tree in the Great Hall


Reception at the Main Lobby

THE ROOMS: The Bella Suites are spacious! A separate area for entertaining, and a separate area for sleeping. There are 2 television sets: one for the entertaining area and another in front of the beds, a table good for 4 where you can take your meals, a desk area where a fax machine is located, and a huge bay window to appreciate the view outside. The beds are the most comfortable beds ever with extra pillows and curtains on the bed can be drawn to help you sleep at night. It also has a safe and teapot for complimentary coffee and tea. The curtains and decors were designed to imitate an Italian, luxury feel - It was rich, it was thick, and super soft to the touch with the golden accents.

Two Queen sized beds fit 3 comfortably.

the entertaining area

the hall in our suite



note the brochures which are very helpful. Don't forget to grab one!

coffee anyone? :)

the mini-bar

TOP: free mags and one of two tv sets in the suites
BOTTOM: Tito Gering, waiting for tonight's itinerary.

the Bay Window of our Suite. The view is amazing at night with our room fronting the lights of the casinos outside

It was enough for us to lounge around more in the hotel room than go down and explore the 330 stores that the hotel has to offer. The kids had a blast playing around and it was nice to see them hyper about a room. It really is a kid's fantasy room. (As you can see, the kids got a little crazy when they walked in the room!)

the beds have curtains that can be drawn for a more deep sleep.

all the kids love the bath tub!

THE BATHROOM: is luxurious with a separate bath area, a bath tub, and toilet. The dresser is also located in the bathroom, his and hers sinks, a hamper for extra towels, and extra tissue rolls. it has 4 electrical outlets and an ample supply of toiletries to choose from. All the necessities are provided and those which are not, only takes a phone call away from room service.

THE COST: is not cheap. It costs around more than $250 a room per night (Bella Suite). But, however, there are promos around.

the Venetian's attempt at being green conscious

THE FOOD: The hotel offers complimentary breakfast at Cafe Deco, one of the many restaurants in the hotel. It has the continental standards - breads, salads, bacon, hash browns, egg station, waffle and pancake station. It does lack additional flavors. Some of the dishes are forgettable. And additional congee station is also available, which is sort of standard in Asian Hotels. Thank God for the food court and the many other restaurants located there because the buffet needs a lot of improving.



TOP: Cafe Deco- leaves much to be desired.
BOTTOM: Dining "Al fresco" at the Venetian Food Court


the food court saved us a number of hungry times

THE SERVICE: One thing that needs work in the Venetian is the service. I've had the unfortunate experience of being given bad information with regard to a city tour which i arranged pre-trip. However, I do not entirely fault the concierge for this miscommunication but partly on the travel agent since they gave out very vague answer to how everything to be arranged. SO, a tip to anyone who is planning a TOUR with another company at the Venetian --- make sure you tell your travel agent to make sure your travel guides get in touch with you as soon as you arrive at the hotel because all the concierge can do is show you a phone for you to get in contact with your agency.

Plus, the language barrier can also be a big problem. Thank God for some Filipinos who work for the Venetian who gladly spoke English. Though visitors abound this majestic hotel, a lot of the staff (and around Macau) hardly speak English. And if they spoke English, be patient and be attentive because the accent in this country is very thick.

OTHER AMENITIES:
the biggest casino in Asia. a mini-golf course, a swimming pool named Lagoon, a Starbucks, 330 shopping stores, 51 gondolas at your service with matching serenades, the live performances on Di Mark's Square which are on 3 times an hour, all the 4 well-known Egg Tart bakeries, a connection to the Four Seasons Hotel where most of the high end name brand stores like Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Chanel etc. are housed.

RATING: if not for the service which is just average, this hotel might get a higher rating. But the rooms make up for the short coming. 3 out of 5 stars.