Nightlife

Nightlife in Macau is famous for its variety, frantic activity, mystery and cosmopolitan characteristics. Many bars, shops and restaurants are open all night long. Most four and five star hotels have bars featuring live music and animation programs on selected nights.

A great number of bars lie along the Avenida Sun Yat Sen close to the Kum Iam Statue and the Cultural Centre. With its picturesque location, facing the Outer Harbour and Pearl River, you can enjoy the music and the wine while watching the boats gliding by.Bars offer international, Brazilian, Latin or African music, many of them with live bands playing upon the customers' requests such as Bar Fortuna Palace (Hotel Fortuna, 6th Floor), Embassy Bar at Hotel Mandarin, UFO at Jai Alai Complex, Jazz Club near the Kun Iam Statue,etc. Karaokes are also available for the avid entourage of singers. Diversion together with a drink and unusual music is also a characteristic of Macau.

There are also some popular pubs on Taipa Island, opposite the Macau Jockey Club, with a casual ambiance which will make visitors feel at home. On Coloane, you can drink under the stars on the terrace of the Pousada de Coloane or sip a glass of Port in the Westin Resort.

Night Show Performances is another option for live entertainment. Crazy Paris Show perform twice daily at Hotel Lisboa, at 8:00 pm. and 9:30 p.m. While Jai Alai Show Palace located at 2nd Floor of Jai Alai Complex offers continuous show performances every night from 7:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. These are colourful shows, which are worth a visit.

You can also find discos offering top music in the area (in Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai and other) together with international music. They offer amusing and cosmopolitan entertainment. These places are all around the city, but mostly in Av. Sun Yat Sen, near the Macau Cultural Centre and the Kun Iam Goddess Statue. There are also a few pubs on Taipa Island, just opposite the Macau Jockey Club, you will find the Irish Pub, Patio de Cantigas, etc.

For the most popular trendy discos in town head for NAPE and Avenida do Infante D. Henrique. Here the music is modern with some local touches: international pop sung in Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai or Japanese.

Some interesting night spots are:

China City
Jai Alai Palace, 1st/Fl., open from 2 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Guia Disco Nightclub
Hotel Guia, open from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Portas do Sol Supper Club
Hotel Lisboa, 2nd/Fl., old wing, opens at 7 p.m. and closes at 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends

Skylight Disco and Nightclub
At Hotel Presidente, 2 nd/Fl., open from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Ritz Night Club
Jai Alai Palace, top floor. Open 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Karaoke Lounge
Basement 1 of Hotel Royal, open daily from 8:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Bar da Guia
Mandarin Oriental, G/F, with live music and dancing every night from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. except Mondays. Happy hours from 5 to 7 p.m.

Metropolitan
Century Hotel, open from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Besides bars, discos and show performances, you can always visit the Macau Casinos and plunge into the frenetic world of gambling, a much peculiar characteristic of the city.

There are altogether ten casinos in Macau and Taipa, operating 24 hours a day, including the 4-storey casino at Hotel Lisboa. All casinos offer probably the widest range of games in the world, including baccarat, blackjack, roulette, boule, "big and small", fan-tan and of course, hundreds of the most glittering array of slot machines anywhere (the locals call them "hungry tigers").

Players are not obliged to tip the croupiers and any request for a tip by the casino employees may be ignored.

All Casinos in Macau are operated under Government franchise by the "Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau", SARL (STDM). Founded by Dr. Stanley Ho in 1962, STDM is Macau's largest commercial organisation, offering tourists a plethora of entertainment selections and leisure facilities besides gambling, bringing Macau to life and turns it into a round-the-clock city of fun and excitement.

As for gambling games, the rules are standard in all gaming halls and games found in the casinos are: roulette, baccarat, boule, blackjack and slot machines. Apart from all these games you may find anywhere in the world, Macau Casinos have also two Chinese traditional games: "fan-tan" and "dai-siu" (or "Big and Small").

Foreign vistiors must be over 18 years old in order to enter into the casino. The casinos also enforce a strict dress code: male guests are prohibited from wearing shorts, sandels or slippers. Weapons, cameras or bags are also strictly prohibited.

Sports

Macau is fast developing a reputation as an international venue for top-sporting events. At present the Macau Stadium is the prime venue for football, track and field and athletic competitions, however a new stadium is being built in good time for 2005 when Macau hosts the East Asia Games. Already an Olympic swimming pool has opened for the games and other facilities, for indoor and outdoor sports are under construction. For amateur athletes there are plenty of facilities. On Guia Hill there is a jogging track and exercise equipment, and the trails on Taipa and Coloane Islands are very popular with joggers and hikers. On Coloane there is also the Centro de Formao Juvenil D. Bosco (Youth Formation Centre) with indoor and outdoor sport facilities available to the public. For reservation please call: (853) 881836.

The Macau Grand Prix roars into town in the third week of November, and tickets for this event sell fast. If you want to try a bit of motor racing yourself, zoom over to the Go-Karting tracks in Coloane, on reclaimed land near Coloane Park, where the engines rev up to break-neck speeds.

For a more urbane mode of travel, hire a bike and explore the beaches and quaint old streets of Taipa or Coloane. If you are in search of a peaceful retreat, try the Coloane Hiking Trail or a round of golf at the course that hosts the Macau Open. Joggers, pack your running shoes and vest because the Macau Marathon runs one of the most photogenic courses on the international long-distance circuit.

Horse and greyhound racing

The Macau Jockey Club is fully equipped with modern facilities and has assembled a cosmopolitan group of trainers, riders and administrators while horses are being imported from several countries in order to provide racing of international standards.Visitors can comfortably enjoy the races in the air-conditioned grand-stand where Chinese and European cuisines are served. With private boxes and air-conditioned grandstand, Club members and public can enjoy the races, whether watching them live, on the Diamond Vision or the closed circuit television monitors.

Summer recess is usually in between late June and early September. During June, when the weather is hot, races are conducted in the evening. Greyhound Racing takes place at the Canidrome on Avenida General Castelo Branco. These races are held on Mondays, Thursdays and weekends starting from 8:00 p.m. and there are 14 games on every racing evenings.

Off-course betting centre is located on the G/F of the Hotel Lisboa, Jai-Alai Palace and Wing Heng Pacapio Centre.

Race meetings are held every weekend throughout the year, occasionally on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and also during major festivals such as the New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter, etc. There are free shuttle buses taking racegoers from Hotel Lisboa and the pier to the race course on race days.

Golf

The Macau Golf and Country Club, located on the south side of Coloane island and near the Western Resort Complex, is one of the most beautiful golf courses in Asia, and is open to locals and foreigners. With a unique view over the Pearl River and Hac Sá beach, the course has all the usual international amenities, such as a Pro Shop, spa, restaurant and bar. (For enquiries, contact the club through tel. 871188).