Coloane Island

A Quieter Side to Macau.

17.05.2017

Macau can be a crazy place: crowds, traffic, heat, noise. It can feel claustrophobic and oppressive. Thankfully, for the time being, there is still part of it with greenery, nature, beaches, peace and tranquillity. That part is Coloane Island. Who knows how long this haven will survive?

We stayed on Coloane very recently - May 2017. On this occasion we spent a night in the Grand Coloane Hotel. The Grand Coloane Hotel used to be the Westin Resort and it was one of the most expensive and exclusive and poshest hotels in Macau, but that was before restrictions on building casinos were removed and Macau turned into the Las Vegas of the east with grand hotels like the Venetian, the Parisian, the Sands, Wynn etc. Nowadays the Grand Coloane is a quiet, peaceful, family orientated hotel which mercifully does not even have a casino. Instead it has got sea views, pleasant green gardens and two lovely pools.

At the moment Turbojet one of the ferry companies that operates voyages from Hong Kong to Macau, is offering a special deal to fill all the unoccupied hotel rooms in Macau; there are not many - Macau is a popular place, but on this deal by purchasing a return super class journey to Macau on Turbojet, you can have a free night in a Macau Hotel. We used this deal to stay in the Grand Coloane.

On our arrival day, the weather was dull and drizzly, but we cheered up when we saw how lovely our room was.

Our very comfortable room.

Despite the weather we also checked out the Grand Coloane's pools. It has an outdoor pool and an indoor pool. The outdoor pool is separated into two parts by a little island connected to the sides of the pool by some bridges. I rather like swimming pools with obstacles to swim around and under so rather liked this though on the negative side this feature takes up quite a lot of room. The indoor pool was small but pleasant enough. It also had a Jacuzzi and in the changing rooms a steam room and sauna.

The Outdoor Pool.

Me at the pool.

My husband at the pool.

Me in the indoor pool.

Hubby in the Jacuzzi.

This hotel also has open green areas, some of them for particular sports, and a walkway along the seafront.

Greenery around the hotel.

Waterfront at the hotel.

When we checked out of the hotel, instead of taking their free bus to Cotai or the Macau ferry, we opted to stroll along the beach into Hac Sa Village. This was a pleasant walk though it was a very hot day. Hac Sa is very popular for barbecuing and picnicking. Many people take to the sea to cool down. The beach has black, volcanic sand mixed in with normal brown sand. There are several maritime themed statues along the edge of the beach.

Looking back towards the hotel.

Hac Sa Beach is a very popular place for barbecuing.

Mermaid statue.

Sea themed statues.

The Parasol is still in fashion here.

Hac Sa is a pleasant place to come for a meal. For years people always raved about Fernando's Restaurant. It was so popular there was always a long, long queue outside. We tried to go a couple of times, but we really are not people who queue, so instead of waiting we always ended up next door in Hac Sa Park Restaurant. After a few visits there we got to like it. Nowadays, Fernando's is still popular but, probably due to the competition from all the new hotels, the long queues have gone. However, we still by pass it and head for Hac Sa Park Restaurant instead.

On this visit we sat in the area of the restaurant known as Norman's Pub. The walls of this are decorated with Beatles memorabilia. We had ice cold beers, cod cakes, which we both love. My husband had a club sandwich and I had baked pork chops. My chops rested on a bed of potatoes and were covered with a thick creamy cheese sauce - very tasty.

Fernando's Restaurant.

Me in Normans Bar, Hac Sa Park Restaurant.

The fish balls are our favourite.

In addition to its beach, BBQ sites, picnic tables and restaurants, Hac Sa also has a pleasant park, a large public swimming pool and public tennis courts.

Hac Sa Park.