Your essential guide to Macau

PEOPLE-WATCH

Part of the Unesco-listed historic centre, Senado Square is exquisite, with its swirling mosaic paving and candy-hued colonial buildings now occupied by shops and restaurants. A few streets away, check out the 19th-century Lou Kau Mansion, once home to a wealthy Chinese merchant, with its intricate friezes and quiet inner courtyards.

SEE

Following a fire in 1835, all that remains of the 17th-century St Paul’s church is its ruined façade. Nonetheless, it tops every travel guide to Macau, casting its imposing shadow over the sightseers clustered on its steps. From skeletons to Portuguese ships, its carvings are magnificent: see if you can spot the Virgin Mary stepping on a seven-headed hydra.

EXPLORE

From St Paul’s, stroll on to the St Lazarus quarter. Once home to the city’s leper colony, it now teems with chefs and young creatives. Head to tiny, pared-back Café Philo for an excellent drip coffee, then stroll the neighbourhood’s galleries and boutiques.

DRINK

Not, in fact, a museum, but a timeless cocktail bar, Museo Chicote has seen countless film stars and writers pass through its revolving door since it opened in 1931. Many are immortalised in the photos above the bar, best surveyed over a vermouth-powered namesake cocktail.

VISIT

Wander former fishing-quarter Taipa Village, with its colourful façades and charming cafés. It’s a place where different cultures cheerfully coexist: spot the incense smouldering over Buddhist temple Kun Iam as Catholic worshippers file into the Our Lady of Carmo Church. Look out, too, for Lord Stow’s Bakery, said to serve the city’s best egg tarts.

DRINK

Set in a tiled Portuguese building in Taipa Village, Goa Nights combines meticulously crafted drinks with Indian small plates. Its cocktails come with bold flavours and unusual ingredients: chorizo fat-washed bourbon, say, or turmeric-spiked gin. The snacks are equally memorable, from vindaloo-filled bao to spicy signature nachos.

SHOP

Serious style-hunters should head to Dois Vintage in Calçada do Quartel. Its citrine walls are lined by vintage bags from a coveted array of designers: think Hermès, Chanel, Dior and more. Ponder which to pick over a chai at its sleek in-store café, complete with rooftop lounge.

LUNCH

Back in the charming St Lazarus quarter, ten minutes’ drive from the hotel, the mustard-yellow Albergue 1601 is a slice of Lisbon in Macau. Lunch in its courtyard, below two enormous camphor trees, on classic Portuguese arroz de pato (duck rice) and buttery, garlic-sautéed shrimp.

SEE

Each November, the city stages its hotly contested Grand Prix, famed for its perilously tight corners and exhilarating straights. The huge Macau Grand Prix Museum traces its story, from 1954 to today, via memorabilia, motorcycles and gleaming racing cars.

TASTE

Almond cookies are the city’s not-so-secret addition: crumbly, bite-sized biscuits made with mung bean flour. The best place to try them? Koi Kei gets many a local’s vote, as does Pastelaria Fong Kei in Taipa Village (seek out the expectant-looking queue on Rua do Cunha, aka ‘food street’).

VISIT

Founded under the Ming Dynasty in 1488, the A-Ma Temple predates Macao, and is dedicated to Mazu, the powerful goddess of the sea. The hillside complex is magnificent, from its lion-guarded gate pavillion to the Buddhist Zhengjiao Chanlin hall, with its moon gate, gabled shrine and coils of fragrant incense.

RELAX

For a counterpoint to Macau’s casinos and crowds, head to Coloane Island, a short drive from the hotel. It’s known for its nature trails, temples and beaches, along with its handsome square, flanked by the butter-yellow Chapel of St Francis Xavier. Come lunchtime, head for local institution Fernando’s for garlic prawns and roast chicken.

You need to try Macanese cuisine, the world’s first Unesco-recognised fusion food. A unique combination of Portuguese and Chinese ingredients and recipes, it can be traced all the way back to the 16th century. Classic dishes include fried egg-topped minchi with pork or beef, and slow-cooked, stew-like tacho laced with Chinese sausage. We can recommend all the best places to try them within easy reach of the hotel.

- The concierge team at Mandarin Oriental, Macau.

Find peace at the Spa, whose expert, East-meets-West treatments channel the city’s past and present. The signature Macanese Dragon incorporates Chinese massage and bao ding (meditation balls), while the Spices of Portugal treatment centres on a blissful hot-stone massage.

Ten minutes’ drive from the hotel, Lou Lim Ieoc garden was commissioned in 1906 by a rich local merchant, and inspired by China’s Suzhou gardens. From its snaking bridge of nine curves to its pond’s-edge pavilion, it’s full of unexpected beauty.