I had a chance to stay at this property over my birthday weekend back in May and I am glad that I did. My stay at the neighboring Grand Hyatt was disastrous, but the stay at the Conrad couldn’t have been better, although they had just opened.
Location
The hotel is located on the Cotai strip of Macao close to the airport and to the Taipa ferry terminal. The same complex has also Sheraton and Holiday Inn hotels. The Holiday Inn hotel was originally going to be a Shangri-La hotel, but something happened along the way. Probably the most luxurious Holiday Inn if it was built as a Shangri-La.
Conrad Macao
Getting in/to From Hong Kong
You can take a ferry from the Hong Kong ferry terminal to either Taipa, which is closer, or to Macao ferry terminal from where they have complimentary buses to Cotai. If you are coming to stay at the Conrad, the Taipa fery terminal is a better choice.
Taipa Ferry Terminal – HKG Airport Ferry
There are also direct ferries from the Taipa to the Hong Kong airport. When I left the hotel, I took one of these ferries as I was flying out. Their schedule from Taipa is rather sparse so you need to figure out if it is a right choice for you. To my surprise, I got some airport taxes back due to arriving to the airport from Macao instead of Hong Kong.
There are number of sailings on number of companies from Hong Kong to Macao on catamarans. You just buy the ticket as you arrive to the terminal and go on the first available catamaran.
You are leaving Hong Kong and entering Macao. Both places, although part of China, have their own immigration control. They check you out of Hong Kong and then you enter Macao.
Check In
Most of my reservations are done at the very last minute. I decided to try the Conrad out when I was staying at the neighboring Grand Hyatt. The reservation was done in the morning for the arrival the same day.
As is often the case with the casinos, I had some trouble finding the entrance to the check in and quite a few of the employees were not able to communicate in English. This is quite understandable because most of the visitors are from the mainland China.
Conrad Macao Club Lounge Sitting Area
Once I found the entrance, I was whisked to check in to the club lounge that took the entire floor. They were expecting me and I had the entire lounge staff checking me in. There was nobody else in the lounge at the time.
I had been preupgraded to one of the suites. Perfect!
Suite 2612
Conrad Macao Duck
The suite was really spacious and I loved the Conrad Macao duck that had the golden dices inside.
Conrad Macao Suite 2612 Living Room General View
The living room had a table, sitting area, guest toilet, minibar, nespresso machine, and a small jar of hard candies.
Conrad Macao Suite 2612 Bedroom Bed Other View
The bedroom had couple of chairs, bed, closet and of course another TV.
Conrad Macao Suite 2612 Bathroom Sink
Bathroom had the usual Acca Kappa line of bathroom amenities. Bath tub had a nice TV and shower was standard Conrad flair.
Room 2615
For some reason my internet stopped working at the suite so the hotel gave me another room for work purposes. This was a standard king room.
Conrad Macao Room 2615 Sitting Area
Club Lounge
This was the most spacious club lounge that I have ever seen. The space is huge.
Conrad Macao Club Lounge Happy Hour Wine List
I was there during the evening happy hour and the cocktails are top notch. They have a bartender there making drinks to your liking. I also loved the fact that they had couple of champagnes to choose from; Piper-Heidsieck and Moet & Chandon.
Conrad Macao Club Lounge Happy Hour Snacks 2
The snack section wasn’t as extensive as the drinks.
Conrad Macao Club Lounge Breakfast Plate
The lounge breakfast was good. I didn’t realize first that they had one section reserved for the hot and the cold items. The cereals and the juices were on the main are where they had the evening the night before.
Fitness Center
Conrad Macao Fitness Center Equipment
This was typical new hotel gym with cardio machines and weights etc.
Pool
Conrad Macao Pool Area
The pool is sandwiched between the hotels so I am not sure how much sun it will get during the day. I had look at it early in the morning.
Check Out
It was a breeze in the club lounge. I just took a regular taxi downstairs to the Taipa ferry terminal.
Conclusion
The stay was very good considering that it is a brand new property. I always like when hotels are paying attention to reservations made on the arrival day. I am not sure if the suite is the standard Diamond upgrade in the future, but I am glad that I got one.
I had been to Macao couple of times before and had seen the sights previously. You need to take one of the free shuttles to the Macao peninsula if you would like to see any of the sights in the city. The Cotai strip is just about casinos and shopping venues.
Personally, I much preferred the treatment that I received as a Hilton HHonors Diamond member at the Conrad vs. being Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond at the Grand Hyatt.
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