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How to Get to Macau in High Roller Style

Where: Macau
February 12, 2009 at 2:21 PM | by | Comments (0)

Although we aren't exactly high rollers, we do a thing or two now about the best ways to reach Macau from Hong Kong without getting stuck in the bilge of a fishing trawler. If you're fortunate enough to have more than a few days in HK, a daytrip to Macau is almost mandatory, as it's over in the former Portuguese territory that blackjack is a religion and duty-free comes cheapest.

The most baller of Macau visitors will opt for the SkyShuttle 15-minute helicopter service, which operates on the roof of the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in the Sheung Wan district. At a pricey 2400 HKD, or $309 USD each way ($25 less if you go on a weekday), the chopper remains a transportation option only for the low on time and high on cash group.

Since we didn't have a date with lady luck, we opted to take the most popular route on the Turbojet catamaran ferry, which begins and ends in exactly the same place as the helicopter, except that it costs only $18 USD each way ($15 on weekdays) and takes closer to 40 minutes to make the crossing. The snazzy red rocket also has a VIP class, but we can't fathom splurging on it when the trip is less than an hour.

The details on reaching Macau from Hong Kong: Take the red subway line to its western terminus at Sheung Wan. Follow the signs and multiple escalators up out of the subway and directly into the ferry terminal. Skip the long lines on the weekend for one of the travel agencies on the same floor, where they can also issue you tickets for the Turbojet (and we didn't see any extra charges). BRING YOUR PASSPORT! You must go through passport control and present a departure card for Hong Kong, and you will get passport stamps on departure and arrival for both HK and Macau (score!). Seats are assigned, but feel free to move around a less than full ferry for optimum picture taking, even though there are no outdoor decks. Upon arrival and passport stamping in Macau, hop any of the free hotel shuttles (we recommend the Wynn or Hotel Lisboa), or walk down to the center of the gambling action at The Sands. Just don't let the energy on the gambling floor suck you in; the odds are most heavily in favor of the house.

For more pictures of our passage to Macau, check out the Flickr set

Related Stories:
· Hong Kong-Macau SkyShuttle [Official Site]
· Turbojet to Macau [Official Site]
· Snag Some All-You-Can-Eat Ramen on Cathay Pacific [Jaunted]
· Hong Kong Field Trip Coverage [Jaunted]

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