Hong Kong and Macau Trip (Day 5: Food Trip in Macau)

I have come to realize that upon returning home from our trip to Hong Kong and Macau almost 2 weeks ago, I haven't checked my weight. Oh well.

It's Day 5 - our last day in Macau! We woke up late and had to arrange our stuff in time for the 12:00PM check-out time. We left our luggage with the hotel as our flight was scheduled at 10:00PM, so we had the afternoon to explore.

On our first day in Hong Kong, I was excited to try McDonald's in Langham Place because I saw special new items on their Facebook page, specifically the Hokkaido Salmon Burger and Chocolate Pie. However, the branch we went to was under renovation, cramped, and there was no menu on the wall behind the counter. There was a small menu placed in front of the cashier, but the staff aren't fond of waiting for you to decide your orders on the spot. When it's your turn, you had to know what you were getting or else they'd be annoyed. I don't see the salmon burger anywhere in the menu, so we just left and went to their food court instead and had CoCo Ichibanya.

I forgot about my McDonald's dreams until I saw a branch inside the "mall" part of the hotels in Macau.

Hokkaido Salmon Burger + Chocolate Pie = Happy Helen
 

Other items in the menu
 

Hokkaido Salmon Burger
 

Chocolate Pie
 

My sister and Panda ate at the food court of The Venetian's Shoppes. I just got my order to go since there was no chairs available in McDonalds. This two items totaled MOP62 but I always paid in HKD since we didn't have our money changed anymore, so in our currency it's P397. HALA ang mahal pala. I just let it slide, because I really wasn't feeling the food from the food court, and they were just as pricey. Both the burger and the pie was good! The patty wasn't pure salmon though. The chocolate pie was amazing; it had a custardy/creamy taste and it wasn't anything like oozing chocolate syrup.

After eating, we took the 2 free shuttle buses from the hotel to get to Senado Square. I was so surprised with Macau's weather! In Hong Kong, the RealFeel would be around 15-17°C, here it was 7°C. We were on our last day so we didn't have extra outfits. Guess what I wore? A dress. Haha! Turista-much?

While walking the streets, our nose followed a smell of something really fragrant, which led us to a stall selling bubble waffles! 😋

Bubble waffle for only MOP 10!

A lot of people were buying from this kiosk, and so did we. It was deliciously warm and crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside! Since it was too cold, we decided to take shelter in a mall and look around. We spotted Starbucks and enjoyed hot coffee like never before.

 

We went out again to attempt to look for the Ruins of St. Paul based on our itinerary, but we couldn't find it so my sister took a photo instead of this ruin to send to our friend Tope of #TopeTravelandTours. He got sad when he saw this.😩 

 

DP-worthy shot!
 

We continued walking and saw a stall selling assorted balls with curry. Parang hot pot, street-food style! I think this order was MOP 13, and we loved it! It's hot, spicy, tasty - perfect for cold weather. 
 

To remember the store we got it from. Hehe!

It turns out, tabi tabi pala sila selling the same thing. Nagkakatalo lang sa curry sauce.
 

Twofie! 💕

 Wearing my trusty Uniqlo parka. I love that it's foldable so I always bring it everywhere! 
 

We went back to the hotel late in the afternoon to claim our luggages, and dropped by Lord Stows to grab some pasalubong.

 

Look at the line! It extends to the bridge of the canal.
 

Everyone wanted to have a little piece of heaven.😋

Since we were praning about missing our flight, we rode the hotel's free shuttle bus to Macau International Airport too early since there was no traffic (unlike in Manila), so we couldn't check-in yet.

Cindy's order. They have Seaweed and Black Truffle Shake Shake Fries!😲
 

I had the same order of Hokkaido Salmon Burger and Chocolate Pie, but this time it was just MOP43.50 or just P279! (Hotel prices are a total ripoff.) This one's Panda's Shake Shake Fries in Seaweed, it tastes like chips. YUMMY!

We were glad that beside our table inside McDonald's, there was a monitor that showed flight schedules. We able to finally check-in after eating!

Reminder: The inspectors are strict with water, and they'd throw yours away if you have one in your bag. No, they won't give you the last chance to finish it.😛
 

Oh, just for P1.8M.😀
 

That night, it was rainy, so RealFeel dropped to 5°C. Ano na.

Our flight was also delayed by 2 hours.

We were finally able to board past 12:00AM, which was supposed to be our arrival time to Manila. (CebPac eh, what do you expect?)

#TeamNoodles because we got hungry again after our early dinner.

We boarded a small plane which wasn't even filled. A lot of times during our flight was turbulence, but we were just happy to have landed safely. Hot and humid Manila air greeted us after the plane opened. Ah, we were home, and I will miss the cold, nakakakinis air of Hong Kong and Macau badly.

Bye for now, Hong Kong and Macau! You've been wonderful. I can't wait to go back - next time with my parents.💚

Read about my Hong Kong Travel Diary here:

Day 1 at Mongkok

Day 2 at Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui

Day 3 at Disneyland

Day 4 at Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel

Read ALL my travel-related posts HERE! 💜

Love,
Helen
 

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Hong Kong & Macau Trip, Day 4 at Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel

On our final morning in Hong Kong (sad!), we asked our host Elaine of Hotel O where we could find good but affordable food for brunch. She asked us if we liked beef, and recommended Yu Mai, a noodle restaurant just a few steps away from where we were staying.

Since we came early, the lunch menu was not yet available. I chose based on what looked good on the photo and got this: 
 

Special Luncheon Meat and Fried Egg with Doll Instant Noodles + Hot Milk Tea (HKD 29)

I got sad when I saw how my order was presented, but taste-wise, what you see is what you get. I just finished it and drooled at Cindy's order.😋 Hot drinks are included in their breakfast sets. I chose milk tea, and as usual, I needed some sugar to go with it. 

Signature Macaroni Soup (Beef, Ham, Lunch Meat, Chicken Sausage and Egg) + Coffee (HKD 32)

Because of the language barrier, it was hard to order and contest if they serve you the wrong item. Panda ordered another item, but we didn't notice in the receipt they gave that they punched in the M1 meal. This was also a popular item though, as other tables ordered the same item.

 

Pork's Chops and Fried Dumpling in Broth, with Thick Toast w/ Butter (HKD 32)

We all should have ordered this instead! However, the meal would have been perfect if there was rice instead of thick toast. The pork chop was soft, and overall, the meal was tasty and filling. Good value for money!

 

We love this efficient table, which housed a drawer containing clean utensils, place mats, sugar packets, etc. Nice idea, right?

 

Look at the dish we weren't able to order. I think this one's part of their lunch menu, available after 11:30AM. We still had to check out from our Airbnb and head to Macau, so we couldn't wait for it, but it looks really good!

 

It was finally time to go.😢 Bye bye, Hotel O and Mongkok. You've been amazing. This is the exterior of the place we stayed in. It's an old building, but the Airbnb on a secret floor was renovated and it looks new and clean. I highly recommend you to stay here if you're planning to stay in Mongkok.😊

 

On our right is Bonjour and beside it is Langham Place. This is our favorite Bonjour store because it has a grocery upstairs! It's called More Mall, and it specializes in selling Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean snacks. So many cute finds!

 

Directly in front of the building we stayed in is a Sasa store! YAY! It's located near Grand Palace, another shopping mall.

Directly on our left was the Mongkok MTR Station. But before leaving, we dragged our luggage to AEON first just along Nathan Road. On the third floor was a huge Daiso Japan store and we went crazy with all the things we didn't see in the Daiso stores back home in the Philippines. After our final shopping pitstop, we took the MTR to Sheung Wan (HKD 13.50) to get to Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal. 

 

From there, we bought one-way tickets to Macau via Cotai Water Jet (HKD 165). The trip took 1 hour from Hong Kong to Macau's Cotai Terminal, close to the Cotai Strip where the casinos and hotels were. The boat was fairly new and clean, the seats were comfortable, but I had to take another medicine for motion sickness. Despite that, I still felt dizzy and not OK the entire ride, but at least I didn't throw up. (WHEW!)

When we got to the terminal, we looked for the hotel's shuttle bus that would take us straight to the 5-star hotel we'll be staying in. I'm actually okay with staying in another Airbnb, but our friend Tope wanted to splurge, so here we are.

Since he's our ever trusty one-man travel agency (#TopeTravelandTours), he booked and paid for our hotel rooms a few months back via booking.com using his credit card, and we just paid him afterwards. However, he suddenly wouldn't be able to join us, so he gave us necessary reminders such as to bring HKD 1,000/room as deposit and debit cards (because we didn't have credit cards), as he has already notified booking.com in advance of our situation and they approved. When we were about to check-in, drama happened. The front desk were looking for him, because it was his credit card that was used. Their "solution" was to refund the credit card payment back to Tope's credit card after 2 months, and for us to pay again IN CASH upfront, since they said they don't accept debit cards. I find the process very redundant. We definitely didn't want to pay again, since the room has already been paid for in the first place!😠 The staff were not impolite, but they were not helpful as well. They said if ever the authorization was sent via email, they will not be able to trace it. After waiting in the lobby, my sister told them to check their pile of fax sheets, and there was the authorization letter of Tope, well-received. So we checked-in late, and were given rooms in separate floors, in the far ends of Sky Tower. The hotel room we stayed in was indeed posh and high-end, but our check-in process was a big hassle and very stressful, so I have mixed reviews for this place. We definitely didn't feel like "Sheraton Preferred Guests", which is what they call their customers.😔 The emailed me a survey, and naturally I said everything I had to say, and they did apologize, but I'm still sharing it here.

Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central Deluxe Twin Room 
 

This is a  42 m² room with air conditioning and private bathroom. The room has a view of the Cotai strip, and my favorite was of course these beds! These Sheraton Signature Beds were the comfiest I've ever laid on, and usually when I travel I miss my bed - but not tonight! 💛 There's also a TV with cable, satellite, and pay-per-view channels which we totally ignored.

 

For when you want to read beside the floor to ceiling window 📕
 

Work desk

This room had free WiFi but when you stroll around Sheraton grounds and the other malls/hotels, the WiFi is slow and unstable in general. There's also a telephone and Handy (a spare phone you can use during your entire stay).

 

Hair dryer inside the desk drawer
 

The entire room is carpeted. There's a full length mirror in front of the bathroom.

 

The closet lights up every time you open it. Inside, there are bathrobes, fluffy slippers, ironing facilities, and a laptop safe.

The bathroom was really nice and clean! 
 

Shower and bathtub
 

Free toiletries
 

Toilet & tissue paper rolls

MY THRONE! LOL
 

After taking photos of the room, we decided to look for the food court below the hotel. We had dinner there, but I was not in the mood to take photos anymore. Cindy got a rice meal that had a big serving for HKD 66, so we shared.

 

After that, we strolled outside and marveled at the scenery. We didn't make it to The Parisian because it was too cold outside.😮 Inside the hotels and shops was cozy and warm. Yay! I loved that the hotels with shops (that seemed like a really upscale mall) are all interconnected. I was able to spot amazing deals here, because some store profess to be duty free. There was even a Zara dress priced at P600+! So mas makakashopping pa kami dito kesa sa Hong Kong!

The Venetian was so grandiose, but I didn't take lots of selfies, just the view. We went to the Shoppes and saw Lord Stow's. We each got an Egg Tart for MOP 10, and it's the best MOP 10 you will ever spend. SUPER SARAP! I posted this one on IG, and this one's really different from what we have locally (AKA leche flan). The pastry shell is light, crisp, and it cracks when you bite it. The filling is creamy and it jiggles. I wanted to savor it, but it was gone in a minute.

Day 5 will be our last day in Macau. We're going to the city! Stay tuned.😊
 

Read about my Hong Kong Travel Diary here:

Day 1 at Mongkok

Day 2 at Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui

Day 3 at Disneyland

Read ALL my travel-related posts HERE! 💜

Love,
Helen

Let's keep in touch!
Lucky Citrine on Facebook
Lucky Citrine on Instagram