Hotel Review: The Westin Resort Macau

Posts from our recent Asia trip are suddenly beginning to make their way on the blog, finally! This post is part of a larger trip report from our two-week trip to Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok, Phuket and Singapore back in March and April.

During the beginning stages of our trip planning, we deliberately left a day unbooked in between Hong Kong and Macau because we were unsure about how much time to spend in each place. We originally intended for 4 nights in Hong Kong and 1 night in Macau, but after exploring Hong Kong for 4 full days and spending 3 nights, we were ready to move on to our next destination, Macau!

Despite the iffy reviews, the night before we left Hong Kong, we went ahead booked The Westin Resort Macau on a whim using points and cash (2,800 SPG points + $45). The reviews were saying that it was a quieter and slightly-dated property, away from all of the Macau action, but a last minute $45 rate for a Saturday night in Macau was a steal in our eyes. Also, we weren’t really discouraged by the reviews in the first place because we already knew that there was a continuous and free shuttle service between the Macau ferry terminal and all of the hotels.

When we arrived in Macau, we located the designated hotel shuttle pick-up area directly upon exiting the ferry terminal. We hopped on the shuttle to the Westin, which was about a 20-25 minute ride. When we arrived at the hotel, we were pleasantly-surprised by how nice and welcoming it was. Sure, the resort is a bit older than the newer and trendier high-end “big name” Vegas-style casinos that have popped up all over Macau, but this place proved to be nicely maintained, and the decor and layout of the Westin almost has a Caribbean island feel to it, which was fun.

The check-in process was a breeze, and the entire resort was filled with warm and friendly staff members. There’s a also selection of complimentary seasonal hot teas in the lobby that you can sip throughout the day as you please. After check in, Kevin and I grabbed a quick lunch at the hotel because we were were starved (and the hotel was participating in the SPG 20% off dining promotion); lunch was just okay – nothing to write home about, but we really didn’t have any other nearby options to consider.

In observation of World Wildlife Fund’s global Earth Day effort, the hotel invited all guests to join together in the lobby for a candle lighting ceremony (and a complimentary sangria drink) between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm as they celebrated conservation by powering down part of the hotel for an hour. Though we mistakenly happened to nap during that time (jet-lag hits again!), I was happy know that the hotel participated in the movement.

There’s a free shuttle service that runs daily every 30 minutes between the hours of 9 am and 12 midnight between the hotel and the Macau ferry terminal (it also stops at the Venetian by requests). After our unplanned nap, I was quite disappointed that we had slept for several hours and woke up past 11:00 pm. We decided that we were too awake to call it a night, so we quickly got ready and headed to the Venetian for a night out. We ended up missing the very last shuttle by a few minutes, but taking a taxi there ended up costing the equivalence of $6 – no complaints.

The good thing about The Westin Resort Macau is that it is located closer to the Venetian, House of Dreams, and Hard Rock (Taipa district) than when we stayed in Casa Real Hotel the next day, which is directly on the Macau peninsula. Also, the rooms and the grounds are very well maintained. Our room was quite cozy and definitely appeared to have been renovated over the last decade. The only notable “negatives” about our stay was that our balcony definitely gave away the age of the hotel as it appeared very run down (and not aesthetically pleasing), and the hallway leading to the room had a distinct mildewy smell of some sort. Other than that, we had a pretty delightful stay; can’t refuse a great last-minute points + cash rate (especially for it being a Saturday night)!