Where to Stay in Macau: The Best Hotels & Areas

With a barrage of interesting areas and neighborhoods, deciding where to stay in Macau isn’t always easy—especially for first-time visitors. From cool hotels in the city’s historic centre to lavish resorts along the Cotai Strip, find your ultimate lodgings in the “Vegas of Asia” with this complete Macau accommodations guide.

Best places to stay in Macau

The heart of the city, Macau Centre includes the downtown and harbour areas of the peninsula. With many of the city’s most important historical sites, Macau Centre remains its most diverse district and the first place most tourists want to explore.

If you’re trying to visit all the historic sights on your Macau itinerary, staying in the downtown area makes the most sense. The hotels here place you closer to the Ruins of the Church of St. Paul and other old attractions. The peninsula includes 25 culturally and historically significant buildings and sites, including Chinese temples, Catholic churches, and old administrative buildings.

Along with the historic sites, Macau Centre still offers modern living. The area has several casinos and a couple of main streets lined with high-end shopping and dining establishments.

While the Macau peninsula has several smaller neighbourhoods including the old town, the inner harbour, and the outer harbour, the entire area is small and easy to travel around. You can get around the entire peninsula on foot. Macau is one of the most walkable cities in the world, thanks to wide sidewalks and large public squares.

Recommended hotels in Macau Centre

Macau Centre has a wide range of hotels, from three-star accommodations to massive resorts with casinos. No matter where you stay, you’ll can easily explore the downtown and harbour areas or cross the bridge into Taipa.

When flying into Macau, you’ll likely arrive at Macau International Airport in Taipa, the closest district to the city centre. If you start on the peninsula, you’ll need to cross one of the three bridges to the island.

Taipa was one of the more rural areas of Macau. In recent years, massive development has transformed the landscape. As with other parts of Macau, you’ll find casinos, resorts, and shopping malls. It’s become the getaway for those wanting to escape the crowded downtown area.

It’s got a few connections to the history of the region. If you stay in Taipa, you can visit the Museum of Taipa and Coloane History or the Taipa Houses Museum. The latter contains a row of colonial houses built in the early 20th century.

The island also has two hills that provide the perfect chance for hiking or cycling. On the larger hill near the airport, you can travel along unpaved hiking trails. The smaller hill has paved roads for cycling and running.

Recommended hotels in Taipa

Taipa has its own mixture of hotels, resorts, and casinos that are among some of the best places to stay in Macau. These include smaller three-star and four-star hotels, providing a great combination of comfortable rooms and views of the surrounding region.

Seeking to find Macau’s glitziest quarters? Spend your nights in Cotai.  This strip of reclaimed land is home to many of the best hotels in Macau and where you’ll find the casinos and resorts that people now associate with Macau.

Before the creation of this land, Taipa and Coloane were separate islands off the eastern coast of Hengqin Island. Macau filled the land between the island, creating Cotai. Also called the Cotai Strip, this area includes over $50 billion in recent developments, including several hotels, golf courses, casinos, and sports facilities.

While this modern strip doesn’t have any historic sites, it’s got plenty of entertainment to keep you busy. You could spend your days gambling at The Venetian, the largest casino in the world. You could also zip around a go-kart track, go bowling, or explore some of the numerous dining establishments.

Prepare yourself to take a bus, shuttle, or taxi to most destinations. While Cotai isn’t very big, the roads separating the casinos and resorts are sparse and long. It’s the least pedestrian-friendly district in Macau.

Luckily, you’ll probably spend most of your time inside the resort or casino that you choose. These accommodations have everything from dining to shopping to gambling covered.

Recommended hotels in Cotai

If you’re going to stay in Cotai, you’ll likely stay at a resort with a casino. Almost all the options on this reclaimed land are modern developments with gambling and entertainment. They feature all the amenities you need to never set foot outside.

While most of the top things to see & do in Macau are in the other three districts, Coloane has its own advantages. The southernmost district is home to one of the best beaches in Macau.

This district has two beaches, but Bamboo Bay has clearer waters and cleaner sand. It’s a well-maintained public beach with an area cordoned off for swimmers.

Coloane is also the most mountainous region of Macau, making it the least developed. As it’s further from the rest of the action, you’ll enjoy a little more peace and quiet in Coloane.

In the middle of the island, you’ll come across the quiet streets of Coloane Village. The area includes narrow pedestrian-only roads lined with pastel-coloured homes and small shops.

The island also provides a few opportunities for hiking. Explore the scenic Seac Pai Van Park or hike the unpaved trails that take you through the mountainous terrain.

You’ll still get to admire a few historic sites on the island. Visit a couple of old Chinese temples or the cultural village built around the 20-metre A-Ma Statue.

Recommended hotels in Coloane

Coloane only has three hotels on the entire island, limiting your options but making it easier to choose accommodations. All three hotels are located on different sides of the island. Choose the one closest to the sites that you want to explore.