Holiday Inn Macau
When we checked in to Holiday Inn Macau, what do you know? The bellboy was also Pinoy, and so was the girl in at the Front Desk who checked us in! They were very nice, attentive and helpful!
Since I was a member of IHG.com (it’s free), our 2-twin bed room was upgraded! We were also given 2 drink vouchers to use at the lobby bar! And we were told that we were also given free Wifi. Thank you so much for a wonderful stay, Holiday Inn Macau!
Please take note that there are 2 Holiday Inns in Macau. The one that we checked in to is located in central Macau. The other Holiday Inn is in Cotai. The Cotai area is a new area developed to host the gigantic casino complexes like The Venetian, City of Dreams, Galaxy, etc… It is outside the original “Macau”.
I wanted to stay at the Holiday Inn near old Macau because I wanted to see the real Macau.
I got a good rate using IHG.com for our overnight stay at the Holiday Inn Macau, HK$1,035.00 total. That is around P6,000 including taxes. And I think what we got was more than worth the money, what with the upgrade and free drinks!
Here is our upgraded room (sorry we already plopped our things down on the table and chairs before taking pics):
It’s a pretty sweet room! I am actually sad that we didn’t stay longer. I just love hotel beds, don’t you? I can never replicate them at home. There’s just something about hotel beds that make you never want to leave them.
And that desk! If I was there to write and work on my laptop, that would be an awesome hotel desk. But alas, we had a short time to see the sights.
The Bathroom
The hotel bathroom has a “window”. At first, I wondered why an establishment like the Holiday Inn would have a “window” to the bathroom. It doesn’t make sense. They have a “real” honest-to-goodness bathroom, and not those glass-walled things a lot of new hotels have now. You can “close” the window by bringing down the roller blinds.
Complimentary water provided, see below:
When I turned on the TV while S was in the bathroom, she said she heard the TV in the bathroom. Hmm.. so we figured maybe the reason for the window was so whoever was taking a bath can also watch TV through the window? Or listen to the TV?
Can someone from Holiday Inn enlighten us?
Wifi
Once you’re connected to the hotel wifi, you need to open a browser and sign in. They’ll give you your username and password when you check in.
The hotel wifi is good. I didn’t notice any lags or problems. But then again, I only used it for Viber and Google searches. The only downside is that we were told we could only connect 2 devices to our room Wifi. So that means we’re limited to S’s phone and my phone. Too bad, I brought a tablet that I wasn’t able to connect to the room wifi. I didn’t even make an attempt to connect my tablet. I didn’t want to screw anything up and have additional problems… I’ll survive only having internet on my phone for a few days.
Location
Holiday Inn Macau is not on a main road. However, that is okay because there are many local shops nearby. There are local supermarkets nearby, many 24-hour fruit stands, 24-hour eateries, 7-11s, money changers, even 24-hour jewelry stores! I find this better than being on the main roads where shops close at night.
Don’t worry, the Holiday Inn Macau is very near the main roads. All the main attractions within the city center are an easy walk away.
The Lisboa hotels are just a 5-10 minute walk away (depends on how fast you walk). Wynn Macau is also within walking distance. Senado Square is about 15-20 minutes away.
Helpful Staff
The Pinoy staff at Holiday Inn were really so helpful! I don’t know, maybe they are not used to seeing fellow Pinoy guests, but they greeted us warmly every time we left or came back to the hotel. They were all over us being helpful and friendly, and we felt like VIPs.
They shared tips on how to get around in Macau, where the nearest money changer is, how to walk to Senado Square… and when my Skechers shoes failed me, they even told me where I could buy superglue. Yes, there’s a supermarket across from the hotel! But it’s not very visible. And that’s where I found the superglue that saved the day. More on my shoes on my next post!
We talked a bit with them and found out that they were quite happy in Macau. They made more money for the same job than they would in the Philippines. And Macau is only a short 2-hour plane ride away if they need to go home. Also very important, peace and order in Macau is very good! One doesn’t need to worry about being robbed when walking around in Macau.
