Mandarin Oriental Macao

Macao

Macao, a Portuguese colony for four centuries, is an incredible mixture of Asian and Mediterranean cultures. Returned to China in 1999, the territory of Macao consists of the Macao peninsula attached to continental China and the islands of Taiga and Colane, connected by the Isthmus of Coati, land reclaimed from the sea. In just a few years, it became an immense gambling temple, and yet today, it has a multiple image. Baroque churches, narrow cobblestone streets and elaborate balconies all bearing witness to an exceptional past stand side by side with immense buildings, casinos and luxury hotels.

Nicknamed the “Las Vegas of the Orient”, this tiny territory possesses 32 gaming establishments like the Venetian and the Grand Lisboan, and no less than 8,960 slot machines and 3,277 gaming tables.

Macao however, is also a crossroads between Chinese and western culture. Apart from the extravagance of the luxury hotels and the neon lights of the casinos, Macao is an extraordinary architectural mixture, with Chinese temples and Baroque churches standing proudly in the city centre, which has been classified as a UNESCO world heritage.

Luxury and refinement

The Mandarin Oriental Macao, opened in 2010 in an elegant 42 stories skyscraper on the shore of Lake Nam Van facing the bay and the island of Taiga, is the work of the Kohn Pedersen architectural firm.

The interior decor created by design firms in Singapore and Tokyo, is a combination of high tech equipment and noble materials with a predominance of marble, and oriental touches recalling the identity of the hotel. Bronze statues by French artist Nathalie Decocted are exhibited in the reception salon along with works of Asian creators. By Macao standards, the Mandarin Oriental is an intimate address.

Each floor has only twelve rooms, although with 42 floors, the total comes to 213 rooms. Access to the hotel is via elegant elevators covered in leather, and corridors with thick carpeting and cherry wood walls. The exceptional and spacious rooms and suites have the same spirit in common: a chic and contemporary decor enhanced with oriental touches including bed boards in leather or dark wood, comfortable elegant armchairs, cushions and stoles in orange silk and transparent green. All the rooms have immense bay windows offering guests a view of Lake Nam Van and the bay or the Macao skyline.

The suites, located on the highest floors, create the impression of being suspended in mid-air. But the most beautiful view of Macao is from the 337 square meters Presidential Suite, the largest and most luxurious in the hotel. Its two living rooms with huge grey couches and a bar area with a space for the Fo dog, guardian of the temple in the Buddhist tradition, embody the height of style.

After a few laps in the swimming pool facing the bay or one of the exceptionally high quality treatments offered in the spa, the next logical place to go is the Mandarin Oriental’s only restaurant, the Vida Rica, where in a truly exceptional decor, guests can enjoy an inventive, contemporary cuisine while seated on velvet or violet leather armchairs. The Vida Rica, a masterpiece of design, blends dark marble, crystal and chrome and, like the restaurant, possesses an extraordinary view of the Macao skyline.

The resolutely elegant and refined Mandarin Oriental Macao is one of the most luxurious hotels on the peninsula.

The Mandarin Oriental chain has a second hotel in Macao, the former MO which was renamed the De Lapa.