Story by Ken Panton

The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel just maybe the most exciting entertainment destination in the world, complete with 3,000 suites and a host of extravagant offerings and surprises. One of the largest building in the world and the largest single-structure hotel in Asia, the Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel is large enough to hold 90 Boeing 747s. I flew from JFK to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific and from there made my way to the Cotai Strip via CotaiJet, conveniently located at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal. I really enjoyed the bracingly fast, efficient, convenient, and hassle-free journey on board the jet fleet boat. After a quick and complimentary ride in a luxurious coach, I arrived on the grand doorstep of The Venetian® Macao- Resort-Hotel.

The Venetian is a 40-story, $2.4 billion mega hotel location on the internationally acclaimed Cotai Strip in Macau. This 10,500,000 square-foot resort-hotel is modeled on its sister casino resort, The Venetian in Las Vegas. While stunningly larger than its inspiration, the exceptional service and attention to detail that’s made The Venetian Las Vegas a premier destination for world-class travels has also been replicated in Macau. Everything needed is now in one location, making conventions more efficient and guest stays more exciting and enticing. For relaxation and recreation, The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel features several outdoor swimming pools, a rooftop golf putting course, gondola rides, alluring spa treatments at the V SPA , and the state-of-the-art V Gym.

Unquestionably dizzying is the array of dining options and cuisines to choose from at the over 30 fabulous restaurants on the property. Whether you wish to sample the flavors of local Macanese cuisine or if you crave a dish that reminds you of home, you will find restaurants serving international, Western, Chinese, or Japanese cuisine throughout the resort. The Venetian’s renowned Canton restaurant is a must-visit restaurant and the dining experience is lovely. I started with a delicate crab and shrimp mousse prepared with crab coral sauce and nestled in steamed bamboo pith, and continued to enjoy marinated duck with basil garnished with succulent Maitake mushrooms.  After dinner we savored cocktails at the Bellini Lounge, one of the many bars at the resort, while listening to engaging live music.

The editors of eCityofStyle.com insisted that I mention the shopping at The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel. Sprawling over one million square-feet The Grand Canal Shoppes are worth exploring and you will definitely find things to cherish, covet, and compliment your traveling wardrobe. Among the 350 internationally renowned stores, offering the best in fashion, jewelry, accessories, gifts, services, and sporting goods, all under one (indoor) blue sky: the colorful Streetmosphere™. A troupe of street performers entertain and enrapture strollers and shoppers along the way. The Grand Canal Shoppes include several unique stores aimed at providing guests with a variety of distinctive and exciting products offering signature items only found in The Venetian® Macao, such as authentic masks and gifts direct from Venice, as well as gifts and other merchandise from ZAİA™, the resort’s signature show by Cirque du Soleil®.

After all that dinning and shopping, the exciting casino, currently the largest in the world at 550,000 square-feet, abounds with energy, luxury, and the allure of “ka-ching”.  Divided into four themed gaming areas — Golden Fish, Imperial House, Red Dragon, and Phoenix — the casino is complete with over 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables. Paiza Club, the hotel’s VIP club, caters to high-rollers and premium guests and insures both their privacy and pampering by offering a private entrance, lobby, reception area, and a dedicated team of butlers and guest lifts to their suites. The gaming area of the Paiza Club is divided into individual private gaming rooms and named after Asian cities such as Yunnan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. The guests of the club have the exclusive access to the club-dining outlet, the Paiza Club Dining & Lounge, which is open 24 hours a day.

Whether you are staying within the Paiza Club or at the hotel-resorts, the first thing you notice about the luxuriously appointed suites is the generous amount of space allotted for guest comfort. My distinctive, split-level suite had a separate work and play area. I was able get some work done with wireless internet access in the living room, but it was my suite’s lavish, marble-tiled bathroom with separate shower and bath that I found a respite from my travels and fun-filled days and evenings.

www.venetianmacao.com