Arrival in Macau
Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China next to Hong Kong, is often visited as a day trip from Hong Kong. However, we had been to Hong Kong several times and would want to focus on Macau for this trip. Macau has its own airport, with fewer airlines landing compared to its neighbour, Hong Kong. Hence, it makes more sense to fly to Hong Kong and connect to Macau. As we flew into Hong Kong International Airport, we could either clear immigration and enter Hong Kong to take a cross-border bus or ferry from downtown Hong Kong to Macau, or connect directly from the Hong Kong International Airport Sky Pier Terminal, eliminating the need to enter Hong Kong. The Macau Tourism Office ran a promotion during our trip (valid until the end of 2025) that offered visitors a complimentary one-way bus ticket from Hong Kong to Macau (we had to purchase the Macau-to-Hong Kong bus ticket, available here). To get the shuttle bus, we headed to counter E2 after deplaning, located past the immigration counters, where a staff member from the bus company helped us book seats and issue our bus tickets. We did not have to worry about our luggage, as the staff at the bus ticket counter took our luggage claim ticket to retrieve them from the carousel and transfer it to the Sky Pier Terminal. Due to the holiday season, we were only able to get bus tickets for the 4 pm departure from Hong Kong International Airport to Macau (despite arriving at the airport around noon). I should have booked our outbound tickets on the website when purchasing our return ticket, instead of relying on luck for a bus that would depart soon after we landed. Since we had 3 hours before our bus departed, we could spend that time at the small arrival area or the Sky Pier Terminal. As we did not have an outbound flight ticket, we couldn’t even access the airport’s transit lounges (located one level above the arrival area). There isn’t much going on at the arrival area at Hong Kong International Airport. Apart from a few small duty-free shops and a convenience shop, this part of the airport is pretty boring. There is also a restaurant where we spent our time waiting, serving mediocre food and with unfriendly staff. After sitting around for 2 hours, we got bored and took the Automated People Mover to the Sky Pier Terminal. The Sky Pier Terminal is dead, apart from people making their way to Macau or Zhuhai and one small convenience shop; there is nothing much going on here. But at least it had an outdoor area where we could enjoy the views of Hong Kong.
The bus ride from Hong Kong International Airport Sky Pier Terminal to Macau took about 40 minutes. The bus terminated at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) border control, where we cleared immigration to enter Macau proper. I’d say the connection between Hong Kong International Airport and Macau was quite seamless. After clearing immigration, which only took mere minutes, I spotted a small family-run shop where we got our mCards – the store value transport card for Macau. My 10-year-old nephew had to pay adult fare, as the child fare is only available for children under 1m. When I was planning this trip, I found that the hotel we stayed at had a regular complimentary shuttle bus to pick up visitors from the border and drop them off at the hotel. However, after spending some time looking, we couldn’t find any buses heading to Ponte 16. It doesn’t help that most of the staff at the bus terminal weren’t exactly helpful with information. After getting several “I don’t knows”, we gave up and took the public bus to our hotel. Fortunately, we bought our mCards at the convenience store just before we left the border control building, which allowed us immediate access to public transport without having to dig through small change. I realised the transport charges are cheaper when using the mCard: instead of the standard MOP6 per trip (regardless of the distance), our card deducted MOP4 for the trip from the border control to the hotel and MOP3 for transportation within Macau. We arrived at our hotel after a 20-minute bus ride. After checking in and settling into our rooms, it was already late. My family wanted to head out for dinner, and I suggested we spend the night watching the Prosperity Tree show at the Wynn Hotel.
Old Macau Casino District: Watching The Prosperity Tree Show
We took bus #26A from the stop opposite our hotel to reach the Lisboa casino district. The Grand Lisboa Casino is one of Macau’s iconic landmarks, known for its lotus-shaped architecture and world-class dining. Grand Lisboa is one of the oldest casinos in Macau, blending east and west elements into its design. One cannot miss the unique building when in this area. One of the things to do in front of the Grand Lisboa Casino is to take a picture with the “billionaire pose” or the “Stanley Ho pose”, where one would cross their arms and stand in front of the casino, mimicking the picture taken of the Godfather of Gaming, Stanley Ho, during a magazine shoot. After taking some pictures, we crossed the road and headed into the Wynn Hotel.
Emerging from the underground pedestrian tunnel and passing through the main door of the hotel, the Prosperity Tree is not difficult to find. The way to the tree is very well marked by signs around the hotel. We arrived 15 minutes past the hour, thinking the show occurred every ½ hour. When the time came, ½ past the hour, there were no signs of the show starting. This is when we realised the show only happens every hour. The Prosperity Tree shows happen every hour on weekdays and every ½ hour on Fridays and weekends. As we already occupied the front-row seats, we did not want to give up our “golden” spots and kept waiting. Soon the hour came, and the show started. The Prosperity Tree is a two-storey tall tree with each of its 98,000 leaves covered in 24-carat gold and brass, symbolising wealth and luck. The 6-minute show began with the ceiling opening to reveal a large LED panel depicting koi fish and Chinese characters for wealth and prosperity. Shortly after, the golden tree emerged from the floor below, accompanied by music and light that depict the vibrant colours of the four seasons. We were here mainly for the wealth and luck that the tree will hopefully bring us. After the show, we headed to a restaurant nearby for dinner before heading back to the hotel to call it a night.
Getting to Macau via the Sky Pier is such a smart move to skip immigration! The Prosperity Tree show is a classic—waiting an hour for 24-karat gold luck is definitely worth it. Having those mCards early was a lifesaver.
Hi, U mentioned that you took public transport to the hotel (Ponte 16), the bus driver allowed the luggage to be brought up? What bus no did you take. Will be staying there too. Thanks.
We took bus #101X to the hotel. The bus stop is just right in front of the hotel. There were no issues for us bringing our 24″ and 28″ (total 4 pieces) luggages on the bus. As the bus was quite frequent, I’d advise waiting for the next bus if you are not first in the queue. Do get a Macau transport card from the only convienient shop in the border crossing building. The card will give you discounts when taking public transport.