Top 10: the best five-star hotels in Macau
An insider's guide to the top five-star hotels in Macau, including the best for great views, sumptuous spas, perfect pools and casinos, in locations including the Cotai Strip, downtown and Nam Van lake.
Mandarin Oriental Macau
Macau
8Telegraph expert rating
Mandarin Oriental Macau offers pronounced style. There’s no casino here, or any similar sort of dollar-bound circus, simply first-rate beds and food to match in an exclusive location overlooking the inner harbour and Nam Van lake. The hotel is shaped like a ship, with her bow pointed south toward the harbour. Rather than a grand lobby with soaring columns, there’s a modest entrance from whence new arrivals are whisked discreetly upstairs. The spa deserves a sustained round of applause, as does the infinity pool. Read expert review From £194per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Wynn Palace
Cotai, Macau
9Telegraph expert rating
On the Macau Monopoly board, Wynn Palace sits firmly on Mayfair. And with a construction cost of US$4 billion, so it should. The first hotel east of the Cotai Strip has upped the ante on Macau's five-star scene. A man-made lake as big as 25 football pitches, with fountains spouting and warbling at intervals from noon until midnight, grants a welcome sense of space. Sculptures and artworks – think Jeff Koons as well as a graceful quartet of Qing Dynasty porcelain vases – raise the tone beyond that of simply a casino hotel. The steak and seafood at SW restaurant are exceptional, while Michelin-starred Yuki Onishi drew up the ramen menu at Hanami. Read expert review From £132per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Four Seasons Hotel Macao
Macau
8Telegraph expert rating
Sandwiched between The (huge) Venetian and almost as large Parisian resort, the Four Seasons verges on the boutique, with a luxurious East-meets-West design and a definite air of seclusion. Blending Portuguese and Chinese was the obvious design choice, but it’s been done with real panache. An impressive cobbled courtyard leads to the lobby and its sweeping double staircase. Antique furniture, chandeliers and hand-painted silks add to the sense of exclusivity. Five outdoor pools are are bordered by a troupe of cabanas. Read expert review From £175per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Banyan Tree Macau
Macau
7Telegraph expert rating
Banyan Tree is one of Asia’s best-known hotel brands, with a well-deserved reputation for its spas, which are beautifully designed and run, and Banyan Tree Macau is no exception. If the mega playground that is the pool deck is a tad overwhelming to you, retreat to the 31st-floor indoor pool and health club. The property retains a very relaxed, resort-like feel, and the delight is in the details: a day bed with silk cushions hovers by the lift lobby on every floor, and wooden bird cages are suspended outside each suite. Read expert review From £236per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Ritz-Carlton, Macau
Macau
8Telegraph expert rating
The Ritz-Carlton is an utterly smart addition to Macau’s burgeoning hotel roster. While most new properties in the former Portuguese enclave plump for the amalgamated flash/cash/dash option, the Ritz-Carlton is style pure and simple. An enlightened Gallic tone pervades its palatial public spaces. With long marble corridors, glittering chandeliers, gymnastic flower arrangements and mirrors that must polish themselves, the comparisons with a rather upscale French chateau are obvious. Read expert review From £236per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Wynn Macau
Macau
8Telegraph expert rating
There’s more than a hint of Las Vegas in Wynn’s very well-executed spectacle. Huge, bold artworks – more hypnotic than eye-catching – perform a glossy introduction to the rest of the property, with its Michelin-starred restaurant and highly luxurious accommodations. This was one of the first American casino resorts to open in Macau, and it set the bar at nigh Olympic heights. Casino apart, guests can sample a brace of spas, an outdoor pool and a stack of high-end shops, starting with Bulgari and ending with Versace. Read expert review From £174per night
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Altira Macau
Macau
8Telegraph expert rating
Set in a very anonymous part of Taipa, the Altira’s a bit of a puzzle – until you step inside. This hotel thoroughly deserves every one of its five stars, and its raft of international awards, and probably a few more besides. Its Chinese name – Xin Hao Feng – means 'cutting edge', which is a pretty fair description. The indoor infinity pool bears comparison with a floating spacecraft – the water laps against the window, there’s music when you submerge, and even on a hazy day the views are sensational. Read expert review From £147per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Grand Hyatt Macau
Macau
7Telegraph expert rating
If you like big, bold five-star resorts, this is the place for you. And if you haven’t come across the visionary Japanese design firm Super Potato, who conjured up the main restaurant, juxtaposing blocks of stone with metal lattice screens and floor-to-ceiling fruit and vegetable displays, you’re in for a treat. Despite the crowds, this is a very attractive hotel, not least for its considerate service. There are few better ways to ease into a summer’s evening than to settle yourself down beneath a palm tree beside the Hyatt’s 40-metre pool. Read expert review From £156per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The St. Regis Macao, Cotai Central
Macau
7Telegraph expert rating
The black-clad, brass-buttoned doormen look the part here in their peaked caps, and rather than seeming like showing off, the hotel’s other minor flummeries (the head waiter decapitates a bottle of champagne with a sabre three nights a week) are conducted with aplomb. The lobby’s more like a large hallway – a fitting introduction. The oasis-like feel of the two outdoor pools up on the eighth floor is enhanced by a whirligig pattern of aquamarine tiles. Read expert review From £172per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
MGM Macau
Macau
7Telegraph expert rating
The glass exterior of the MGM Macau is divided into three horizontal waves, coloured gold, blue and copper, while the lobby leads into the Grande Praça – a soaring European-style piazza sheltered by a glass roof and bordered by classical façades. The overall effect is playful, uplifting and relaxing. Whether you’re admiring the view from the outdoor pool’s hot tub, working up a light sweat in the gym, or submitting to the spa therapists’ gentle ministrations, there’s much to enjoy here. Read expert review From £147per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
