Weekend in Macau - Saturday

Macau!! We are here for a weekend, ostensibly for Michael's birthday but really because after 3 long years we're just dying for any excuse to travel.  That, and Macau is actually really pretty fun and kid friendly. You have to buy into the fake glitz and cheesiness of the strip, but once you do, the over-the-top glamor and luxury and excess is great once in a while. 

We set off in the Cotai VIP Cabin (one level above first class) on the 11:30 Cotai Jet.  It was a phenomenally beautiful day. The VIP was so key because we had our own cabin to be noisy and run around, and were the very first ones off the boat.  We literally raced everyone to get to the immigration checkpoint first. 

Immigration was fast, we sailed through and then got on a big hotel shuttle bus to the Venetian.  From there we were a short walk to our hotel, the beautiful and incomparable Four Seasons. 

It's one of my favorite hotel properties in the world. This time, it was made even better by a sweet upgrade to their largest and most luxurious suite, a 2 bedroom 2.5 bathroom apartment with pantry. They set up a tent for the kids and unlocked the wraparound balcony for us.

We wasted no time setting up at the pool for lunch.

After lunch and pool, we headed out to explore Cotai Strip.  First we walked over to the Londoner, with its faux tube station, London Bridge, red telephone booths, carriage with photo opps with a "king", and a vintage double decker red bus:

Then we walked to the Parisian.  Along the way we passed by an imitation Le Jardin. Then we were right under the Eiffel Tower.   I really admired their dedication to setting the scene! 

The Parisian had a beautiful tulip exhibit to welcome spring, that we quite enjoyed.

The opulence and splendor of the hotel lobby is unparalleled.

There is a cool part of the hotel with an artificial sky that simulates lightning and other phenomena.

The kids went into the QUBE playroom for 2 hours, running around both indoors and outdoors:

As if all of that weren't enough activity for a day, we then came back, ate Crystal Jade takeout, enjoyed yet another birthday cake for Michael, and movie night on our big screen TV.  The kids were so tired they zoned out as soon as they were nestled in their plush, soft, beds.