‘Beautifully extravagant”...these were the two words that immediately came to mind during a recent familiarization tour of Macau, which was graciously sponsored by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), ably represented by Charina Puno in particular. Flown in courtesy of Cebu Pacific and billeted at the supremely posh and majestic Four Seasons Hotel, we had a jam-packed itinerary ahead of us over the course of four days and three nights in Asia’s newest entertainment capital.

It was truly an unforgettable experience, with our itinerary packed with all kinds of experiential stuff that allowed us to indulge in Macau’s incredible transformation, a journey from where its historic past to its amazing present with Macau vibrant and gleaming as one of the must-go-to places in the whole of Asia and possibly around the world.

To start off our tour, upon leaving Manila MGTO officials had us taking a stop in Hong Kong first to personally experience how easy and fast it was to take the TurboJET to Macau from one of Asia’s most enduringly popular destinations (Cebu Pacific has, are, of course, direct flights to Macau). Its ferry ride took only an hour and was pleasantly hassle-free experience.

Arriving in Macau at around noon, we were both ravenous and excited at the same time. We first had lunch at Macau’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Following our sumptuous meal, off we went to what would be our home for the next four days, the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel. Now, this hotel can be a whole story on its own, especially because of its extensive amenities and great service, but let us simply say that from all our travels in Asia, the US and Europe, Four Seasons Hotel in Macau is by far the most impressive hotel we’ve had the good fortune of staying in—and the biggest suite we’ve ever seen. A big thank you goes specifically to Julius Santos, a fellow Filipino and the director of marketing of Four Seasons, and Reginia Tam, the hotel’s public relations manager, for their generosity and for making our stay uttery luxurious, comfortable and relaxing.

After getting acquainted with our suites and freshening up, which roughly took about 45 minutes or so, we went to The Venetian Resort Hotel, which is structurally-connected to Four Seasons. Of course we have heard and seen quite a number of television features about The Venetian, how the spirit of Venice, Italy, was transported all the way to Asia, but being there and seeing it firsthand gives new meaning to the word “incredible.”  Its highly intricate and creative design is a true architectural wonder. Toured around The Venetian by Mabel Wu, Bonnie Cheng and Faye Deloso, the hotel’s public relations manager, public relations officer and director of sales, respectively, we were shown the different amenities of the hotel and what makes it a spectacle all its own.

With 3,000 suites, The Venetian features stunning replicas of the famous canals and landmarks of Venice. Then, there is the hotel’s mammoth casino, which is an exact recreation of the famous Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. It also features the Grand Canal Shoppes, a 100,000 sq m indoor mall surrounded by canals where gondoliers serenade lovers aboard their gondolas. The mall houses more than 300 stores of world-renowned brands including the best boutiques from New York, Paris and Milan. It also boasts of internationally renowned restaurants; the 15,000-seat Cotai Arena, where world-class sporting events and concerts are held; and, of course, the Cirque du Soleil Theater.

As if these weren’t enough, The Venetian also offers upscale gaming facilities offering a truly unique Asian gaming experience. It also has one of the largest convention centers in Asia; a 1,000-seat international food court; and an outdoor lagoon equivalent in size to 11 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Now, do you get this very large picture? It took us how many hours just to get around The Venetian and we can say that we still haven’t seen its entirety.

A little after seven in the evening, we went to Macau’s highest summit, the Macau Tower, standing vertically at 338 meters, or 1,109 feet to be exact. The newest addition to this venue is specially designed for people who are not afraid of heights and can bravely bungee jump at 233 meters or 765 feet above the ground, falling at an scary 200 km per hour.  Currently, the Macau Tower offers the highest commercial bungee jump anywhere around the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, beating by 41 meters the only other sky jump venue in the world located at Sky Tower in Aukland. By around eight in the evening, our final itinerary for the day was spent at Henri’s Maxim Galley Restaurant to have dinner and finally get a well-deserved good night’s sleep.

Waking up early the next day, excited for our next Macau adventure, we immediately prepared for the day and had breakfast at Belcancao, Four Seasons’ superb restaurant that offers different cuisines, all of them mouthwatering. By 9:45 in the morning, we left the hotel and proceeded to check out Macau’s Giant Panda Pavillon, seeing two very cute and cuddly giant pandas being well cared for.  Our next destination was Coloane Village, a small fishing village where the St. Francis Xavier Church could be seen, as well as a site visit to the very first Lord Stows Bakery, which makes the famous Portuguese egg tarts, also available in Manila. An hour later, we were at Taipa Village to see the Taipa Houses Museum and the Cunha Food Street, both venues showing how life was like in Macau. Before we knew it, it was already lunch time and sponsoring our lunch was Four Seasons’ Belcancao Restaurant where we had a taste of the house specialties together with Julius Santos.

Coming up: more of the many wonders that Macau offers its guests.