Weekend Trip to Macaumini

Preface

I got my Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau back in 2023, but never used it once. The endorsements that came with it expired untouched. Recently I found cheap flight tickets, so I decided to take a weekend mini trip.

After getting off work on Friday, I booked a carpool ride on Hellobike for the next morning to the airport. Unexpectedly, early the next day, the driver bailed. He had called me the night before saying he’d pick me up 20 minutes later than scheduled, but when the time came, he didn’t show up, and I couldn’t reach him via the platform or phone. Luckily, I woke up early and had extra buffer time, so calling a taxi still worked perfectly. I arrived at the airport smoothly.

At check‑in, the staff asked if I had purchased the ticket using my passport. I recalled that I did. She told me to go to the counter around the corner to update my passenger info to the travel permit. The “crisis” was solved in 5 minutes. Thankfully, I had flown a lot last year and upgraded to Gold status, so I skipped the line and boarded smoothly.

Main goals of this trip:

1. Buy an iPhone ✅
2. Eat Macau snacks, especially Portuguese egg tarts ✅

Saturday

It always looks hazy when looking down from the plane.

Overlooking Hong Kong

Honestly, Hong Kong looks more spectacular from above than Shanghai — mountains and sea.

Shenzhen Bay Highway Bridge
Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge

I arrived at Macau International Airport a little after 11 AM, breezed through immigration, and headed to the bus stop next to the airport to take the free hotel shuttle (“Fortune Bus”) to Galaxy Macau.

The ride was short, just a few kilometers, about 10 minutes. The drop‑off point was the “Crystal Lobby” (probably named after the extravagant crystal chandelier inside). Once inside, indoor navigation basically stopped working, and I wandered around for a while before finding the Apple Store.

I asked a Genius and was told they were out of stock for now, but might restock in the afternoon. I could come back later.

It was lunchtime, so I decided to fix my hunger first. I ate beef tripe lo mein + milk tea at Tsui Wah Restaurant. The beef tripe slices were huge and delicious. The noodles were instant noodles by default and surprisingly tasty (the menu said “instant noodles,” but I didn’t expect it to literally be instant noodles 😂). The milk tea had too strong a tea flavor — not my thing.

Wandering Around the Peninsula

From the Crystal Lobby at Galaxy Macau, I took the Fortune Bus to StarWorld Hotel.

Right after getting off, I saw streets that looked straight out of Hong Kong dramas.

There happened to be a China Telecom Macau store nearby, so I went to check if they had iPhones in stock. They actually did — lucky me. The staff said there was exactly one left (white, 512GB). I asked if I could split the payment into two transactions so I could use two coupons. They said yes, so I happily completed the purchase. They even gave me a DIY phone case that could be printed on the spot.

After buying the phone, I headed toward the peninsula’s “most famous” attraction — the Ruins of St. Paul’s.

Oriental Arch

After crossing the footbridge, there was Mong Ha Municipal Park, with a lighthouse, fort, and lookout point. I went up to take a look.

Guia Lighthouse

The weather was quite warm — taking off my jacket and wearing just a T‑shirt felt perfect.

I continued walking toward the Ruins of St. Paul’s, about 900 meters left. The next morning I realized my hotel for the night was right next to it.

Jardim Luís de Camões

Loved the sunlight and shadows here.

Arrived at the Ruins of St. Paul’s — so many people!

The Ruins of St. Paul’s (Portuguese: Ruínas de São Paulo) are the remains of a 17th‑century Catholic religious complex in Macau’s St. Anthony Parish, including the original St. Paul’s College and the Church of St. Paul (Igreja de São Paulo), also known as Mater Dei. It is one of Macau’s iconic landmarks. The façade is part of the church ruins (the façade, forecourt, and staircase). The Chinese name “Da San Ba” comes from the transliteration of “São Paulo.” The typhoon name “Sanba” also originates from this.

There is an elevator next to the Ruins that goes up to the park. The Macau Museum is there — admission is 15 MOP (I didn’t go in).

From the top platform, you can see the Grand Lisboa Hotel.

Its shape reminds me of this:

Monsters go away

A street performer was singing a song by Chang Chen‑Yue.

I walked through the alleys below the Ruins. The first section was packed with tourists, but it got better further in.

St. Dominic’s Church

Senado Square

I saw this photo on Unsplash →
https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-people-walking-down-a-street-next-to-tall-buildings-8GIsOVL_rlY
Later, while browsing my own photos, I realized I had walked down the same street.

Leal Senado Building
Holy House of Mercy

Grand Lisboa
Casino Lisboa

Nam Van Lake

Macau Tower

Wynn Casino

Sai Van Bridge

I ate a small portion of Wing Kee beef offal — 50 MOP, very delicious.

Wing Kee Beef Offal

After that, I bought a milk tea from Hui Zhen Ji — very good.

Then I took the Fortune Bus from StarWorld back to Galaxy, and walked to The Parisian to see the Eiffel Tower replica.

The Parisian at Night

Passed by some casino — no idea what it was.

Passed another casino I didn’t recognize — also didn’t care.

Arrived. Rounding up, I guess I’ve “seen” the Eiffel Tower too 😊
I wondered how tall the real one is 🤔 (later checked: original is 330m, Macau’s is 162m)

After seeing the tower, I didn’t feel like walking anymore, so I took a bus back to the hotel.

The alleys were narrow, but the large buses still drove very steadily. There weren’t many pedestrian crossings — you often had to use footbridges.

Sunday

I kept my camera in my bag today — just wandered casually without trying to “get good shots.” Woke up, checked out, and took a bus to Taipa Village (Rua do Cunha).

Taipa Village (Rua do Cunha)

There’s a beautiful big tree at the entrance, next to a small square.

I arrived early, so most shops weren’t open yet.

Lord Stow’s Bakery on Rua do Cunha opens at 9 AM. I bought egg tarts, chocolate cookies, and milk tea — all delicious.

Wetland Park

A white egret.

A happy rolling cat.

Heading to the Airport

Leaving Rua do Cunha, I went to Galaxy’s Asia Food Street and bought a HeyTea drink that isn’t available on the mainland menu.

Turn left when exiting the Crystal Lobby — the light rail station (Pai Kok Station) is right there.

Crystal Lobby chandelier

Pai Kok → Airport: 15 minutes, 8 MOP. Tickets can be purchased at the window using WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Hong Kong Airport

About to land.

Yangtze River Bridge
Nantong

Took a carpool ride home — a lovely end to this quick one‑day flash trip.

Expenses

Some Impressions

• Plants and greenery are very well maintained
  The streets are tidy and neatly managed.

• Building glass façades are spotless
  So clean they reflect like mirrors.

• Convenient transportation
  Free hotel shuttles, public buses, and the light rail are enough to reach most places in Macau. Public restrooms are easy to find, and there are plenty of seats for resting.

Small Tips

• Bus payments: Macau Pass / UnionPay QuickPass / WeChat Pay
• Hotel shuttle buses are free and do not require a room key
• Walking around the Cotai area is very convenient

Transportation Options

• Hotel Shuttle (Fortune Bus)
  Free. Runs between major hotels, the airport, and border checkpoints. Queuing is required. Intervals are about 10–15 minutes.

• Public Bus
  6 MOP per ride, roughly 5 RMB. You can use the Amap (Gaode) app to find bus routes.

• Light Rail
  The tracks and stations are elevated above the roads. A bit like the BRT system in Xiamen.
  
  Image source: https://www.mlm.com.mo/tc/route.html

Buying an iPhone

iPhones in Macau are tax‑free and slightly cheaper than in mainland China. They are Hong Kong‑version devices. Except for the iPhone Air (which is eSIM‑only), all other models have one physical SIM + one eSIM (and can store multiple eSIM profiles).

If you use a China Merchants Bank credit card, you can claim coupons in the CMB Life app, saving + cashback totaling around 500 RMB.

There are two Apple Stores in Macau, and neither supports online reservations — in‑store purchase only. They are:

You can also visit China Telecom Macau stores to purchase iPhones.