I’ve been to places where cultures meet politely, shake hands, and go their separate ways. Macao isn’t one of them. It’s rare to see identities not just coexist but absolutely collide, and somehow thrive in the resulting chaos. Within the borders of a city smaller than Singapore, ingredients that shouldn’t meet somehow find each other, creating an alchemy I can only describe as a fever dream.
You taste it in minchi, a dish as Portuguese as it is Chinese, yet unmistakably Macanese. You feel it walking past baroque churches shadowed by neon-lit baccarat palaces, the air thick with incense and roasted pork belly, while cobblestoned streets whisper in Portuguese. Somewhere between the colonial arches and the LED billboards, this city found its rhythm, stitched together from past and future, and no other city on Earth exudes it. If that sounds like your kind of escape, here’s Men’s Folio’s guide to Macao for all its glitz, glamour, and hidden gems.
What To See: Start with culture right at the heart of it all. The Grand Lisboa Palace Art Gallery is a dedicated cultural space, and its main exhibition, “The Lisboa, Stories of Macau,” is a masterclass in modern curation. Forget chronological timelines. This is a sensory atlas that tells the story of 500 years of East-meets-West collision through film, Qing Dynasty artefacts, and AI installations that let you converse with historical figures. It’s the ultimate high-tech deep-dive into the rich culture you came here to witness, and lucky for you, it’s being digitised on the second floor of a luxury resort.
After all that history, you need air. Head to the Jardim Secreto [Secret Garden] on the hotel’s third floor. It’s a European-styled garden, all manicured greenery with romantic, and a one-of-a-kind grass maze. It feels completely out of place, a piece of Versailles inexplicably dropped onto the Cotai Strip, but that’s the whole point. You can stroll, you can breathe, you can contemplate the sheer absurdity of Macao’s wealth all while standing in a perfectly engineered moment of serenity. It’s a gorgeous lie that lets you recharge before hitting the streets.
But what’s a little trip abroad if not for an afternoon shopping. Thankfully, just minutes away from the gardens is CDF Macau Grand Lisboa Palace Shop, a sprawling flagship store operated by the China Duty Free Group. Covering 7,500 square meters, this luxurious destination houses over 170 world-renowned high-end brands, offering everything from watches, jewellery, and high-end cosmetics to fashion accessories and fine wines — all with a duty-free advantage. It serves as a one-stop-shop that significantly elevates the retail experience in Macao.
Once you’re ready to get your boots dusty, leave the palace confines and head to the old peninsula. I recommend starting from the Ruins of Saint Paul’s. It’s the postcard shot, sure, but it’s essential for a reason. This 17th-century Catholic church façade, backed only by sky, is the original monument to Macao’s fever dream, a scorched-earth reminder of Portuguese influence, surrounded by street vendors selling pork jerky and almond cookies just down the street.
Then, you have your contrasts. The Macao Tower is a modern, glass-and-steel statement of contemporary ambition, useful mostly as a giant, visible reference point in the sky. It’s the new Macau shouting for attention. To find the old Macao whispering, climb the hill to the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha. It’s not just a beautiful spot; it’s the quiet view you need. From here, you can survey the whole city and finally understand how this sprawling, beautiful mess holds itself together. It’s the quiet, meditative view that makes sense of all the noise. Trust me, it’s the one spot that will make you never want to leave Macao.
Where To Stay: I’ve never believed in travelling wrapped in comfort. You don’t really feel a place when you’re protected from it. But Macao has a way of bending rules. Ask any local: every recommendation (restaurant, gallery, or landmark) leads you right back into a hotel lobby.
Case in point: THE KARL LAGERFELD. As you arrive in its black-and-white marbled lobby, you know you’ve made a highly interesting life decision. This hotel, tucked inside the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau, wasn’t designed just for sleep; it was conceived by Lagerfeld himself to be a habitable thought experiment. It remains the only hotel in the world to bear his name.
From the moment you enter, the space feels like a walk-through exhibition. Every corner is deliberate. Black, white, and shades of gold and red dominate, yet it never feels sterile. Lagerfeld’s fingerprints are everywhere, from the embossed leather to the loud chandelier draped in a sheer cloth.
The rooms continue the narrative: elegance tempered by audacity. Even the entry-level suites feel impossibly luxurious, each over six hundred square feet with separate living areas. It’s here the Macao collision truly happens: Chandeliers illuminate the space, while specially commissioned furniture and handcrafted porcelain vases from Jingdezhen add history. The entire space is a passport photo of East meets West, taken by a fashion genius. Even The Book Lounge, where breakfast is served, looks just like his private library in Paris.
The attention to detail extends to the gold standalone bathtubs and the indoor pool, which feels less like swimming and more like stepping into a private Couture salon. Turquoise tiles, and scalloped stone columns create a scene that’s inviting and performative all at once. You can float, you can sunbathe, you can pretend you belong, and knowing it’s just as theatrical as the rest of Macao makes it more fun.
What To Eat: Before you venture out, there’s one hotel dining room I highly recommend: Mesa by José Avillez. Situated on the third floor, it feels less like a meal and more like stumbling into a conversation between Portugal and Karl Lagerfeld. The design is pure theatre, a signature Lagerfeld touch you’ll see throughout the hotel: gold with a tinge of the dramatic, all of it crowned by a LED ceiling that shifts the mood from sultry to surreal.
But then there’s the food, and that’s where Avillez steals the show. He takes classic Portuguese flavours and twists them just enough to make you reconsider everything you thought about bacalhau. The menu is clever without being precious. Order the Classic Bacalhau à Brás with Explosive Olives for a taste of the modern culinary, and chase it with the Seafood Rice and Caviar. You’ll feel the kitchen’s intention with every bite.
Mesa isn’t just about the spectacle, though. There’s a clear conscience here that you can taste as well as admire. World-renowned mixologist crafts stunning cocktails that beautifully narrate the city’s unique Portuguese and Chinese history. They use ecoSPIRITS for their bar programme, cutting down waste, carbon, and all the nonsense that usually hides behind a cocktail menu. The wines are handpicked, the drinks measured, shaken, and stirred with the kind of care that makes you respect the person behind the glass. You’ll notice it, because when you start to care about what’s in your glass, you start to care about everything else on the plate.
By the time the bill drops, this meal feels like a welcome reminder that luxury doesn’t have to be suffocating. We almost never recommend hotel dining in a city guide, but you’ll leave Mesa feeling a little smarter, a little more cultured, and hungry for more. Hungry for the next dish, the next flavour, the next city. Isn’t that, ultimately, what travel is really about?
But you’re in the Cantonese region, and for a complete palate reset, you need a hotpot dip. I know most of you reading this have had your share of sharing-style soups, but there is nothing quite like the way Wulao in the hotel’s shopping atrium does it. Perhaps it’s the signature “Creamy Tofu” that’s earned its cult-like status from Taipei to Macao, or maybe it’s the balanced, medicinal-herb infused spicy broth that manages to deliver fire without that usual tongue-numbing overkill. It’s an immersion. The charming Chinese interiors are just the stage dressing for a perfect, deeply satisfying burn.
Then it’s time for the traditional hit. What’s a trip without that crucial, messy, street-side encounter? The Portuguese egg tart is the obvious one, a thing of beauty distinguished by its deeply caramelised, burnished custard and a flaky, butter-rich puff pastry crust. Compare it to its Chinese cousin and you’d understand the fusion.
But the real, essential Macanese street snack is the Pork Chop Bun. It’s a deep-fried or pan-seared pork chop, marinated and shoved into a slightly sweet, Portuguese-style “piggy bun” with a crunchy exterior and a yielding, soft interior. No garnish, no fuss, just the simple, juicy pork and the buttery bun. It’s an honest piece of edible history, and it costs less than your taxi fare to the fancy hotel. That’s the Macao you came for.
Click on the following links for more information about THE KARL LAGERFELD and the Grand Lisboa Palace Macao.
Photography Jaya Khidir
Art Direction & Story Manfred Lu
Photography Assistant Amirul Fazaile
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