Cotai
Reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane, built up with resorts, a tower by Zaha Hadid and rooms by Karl Lagerfeld, with a three-star Cantonese kitchen and an airport three kilometres away.
- Arrival
- Macau International · MFM
- To Cotai
- About 3 km from the airport
- Private jets
- Macau Business Aviation Center at MFM
- Best time
- November to March
The city
Between two islands.
Cotai is new ground. The strait between Taipa and Coloane was filled in, and on it rose the resorts: Morpheus, by the late Zaha Hadid, held up by a free-form steel exoskeleton; a tower whose every room was drawn by Karl Lagerfeld; the first Palazzo Versace in Asia. The old islands are still at either end, with the colonial houses of Taipa and the old village of Coloane.
Most of Macau’s nine MICHELIN Key hotels stand here, and the dining matches: Jade Dragon has three stars, and Alain Ducasse and Chef Tam two each. Plan on the delta winter, November to March, when the air is dry and the afternoons pleasant. Summer brings heavy rain, and typhoons are most likely in August and September.
Arriving
Land three kilometres away.
Macau International sits on reclaimed land at the eastern end of Taipa, about three kilometres from the middle of Cotai.
- Taipei 1 h 25
- Manila 1 h 50
- Kuala Lumpur 3 h 35
- Doha 8 h 25 long-range jet
- Zurich 12 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
November to March.
Between November and March rain is rare and the days peak at 18 to 24 °C. From April the rain builds to around 300 mm a month in May, June and August, and tropical storms are most likely from July to September.
- 18° J 22
- 18° F 39
- 21° M 59
- 25° A 160
- 29° M 281
- 30° J 304
- 32° J 236
- 31° A 303
- 30° S 194
- 28° O 104
- 24° N 31
- 20° D 25
What to see and do
Days in and around Cotai.
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Landmark
Taipa Houses–Museum
Five houses of 1921, furnished as the homes of Portuguese families, which once looked out on the sea before Cotai was reclaimed.
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Landmark
Coloane Village
A small square and the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, built in 1928, on Coloane’s south-west shore.
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Landmark
Morpheus
Zaha Hadid’s tower at City of Dreams, its glass wrapped in an undulating steel frame.
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Culture
Historic Centre of Macao
Inscribed by UNESCO in 2005, the old city's 21 monuments and 8 squares include the Ruins of St Paul's, Senado Square and the A-Ma Temple of 1488.
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Opera & music
Macao International Music Festival
Each autumn the festival brings concerts to the Macao Cultural Centre, the Cathedral and other venues, reaching its 38th edition in 2026.
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Wildlife
Macao Giant Panda Pavilion
Kai Kai, Xin Xin and their twins live in this 3,000 square metre pavilion in Seac Pai Van Park, open since 2011, with red pandas next door.
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Nature
Coloane Trail
Running for 8.1 km over hills about 100 metres above the sea, the trail passes the A-Ma Statue and A-Ma Cultural Village.
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Golf
Macau Golf and Country Club
Established in 1993 at Hac Sa, the 18 hole course has hosted the Macau Open since 1998 and finishes with a par 5 along the shoreline.
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Racing & sport
Macao Grand Prix Museum
Four storeys of cars and motorcycles from the Guia Circuit, where racing began in 1954, reopened in 2021 after a four year renovation.
On the calendar
A date to plan around.
Dates as published by the organisers. Runways, hotels and slots fill early around these weeks: the sooner we know, the more choice you have.
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19–22 Nov 2026
Motor racing
Macau Grand Prix
73rd Macau Grand Prix on the Guia street circuit, including the FIA GT World Cup and the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.
Guia Circuit, Macau, about 6 km away
In 3 weeks
Where to stay
Towers on the Strip.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- City of Dreams – Morpheus The first hotel in Macau with three MICHELIN Keys, inside Zaha Hadid’s steel exoskeleton.
- Banyan Tree Macau Suites with their own relaxation pools and villas with jacuzzis, raised to two MICHELIN Keys in 2026.
- Grand Lisboa Palace Macau The main tower of a three-hotel resort that took ten Forbes Five-Star awards in 2026.
- Palazzo Versace Macau The first Palazzo Versace in Asia, with two MICHELIN Keys.
- The Karl Lagerfeld Two hundred and seventy-one rooms in a modern chinoiserie, every detail chosen by Lagerfeld himself.
- Four Seasons Hotel Macao Five outdoor pools, and Zi Yat Heen, with a MICHELIN star, on the ground floor.
- The Ritz-Carlton, Macau Forbes Five-Star ten years running, with Lai Heen serving Cantonese food on the 51st floor.
- The St. Regis Macao One MICHELIN Key, and a Forbes Five-Star rating for the first time in 2026.
- Wynn Palace The largest Forbes Five-Star resort in the world, home to Chef Tam’s Seasons, with two MICHELIN stars.
- The Londoner Hotel, Macau A MICHELIN Key hotel and Forbes Five-Star, with the Suites by David Beckham on its top two floors.
- Capella at Galaxy Macau An all-suite hotel, rated Forbes Five-Star in 2026 at the time of its official opening.
- Raffles at Galaxy Macau Forbes Five-Star for a second year, while its Sushi Kissho by Miyakawa won a Five-Star award of its own in 2026.
- Nüwa Macau Its own Nüwa Spa, with Jade Dragon and its three MICHELIN stars under the same City of Dreams roof.
- Skylofts at MGM Cotai Lofts modelled on those of New York at the top of the M Tower, with private concierge service.
- Hotel Okura Macau Five years running as a Forbes Five-Star hotel, with Japanese cooking at Yamazato.
- Emerald Tower at MGM Cotai A lobby of emerald and ivory marble, hung with works from the MGM Cotai Art Collection.
- Altira Macau Three restaurants, Aurora, Tenmasa and Ying, and a spa of its own on the Taipa side.
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Wynn Macau Forbes gave Five-Star ratings in 2026 to the hotel, its spa and the Wing Lei restaurant.
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Encore at Wynn Macau A separate hotel within the Wynn Macau resort, whose Spa at Encore holds its own Five-Star rating.
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MGM Macau About six hundred rooms, Forbes Five-Star eleven years in a row, with Lingnan cooking at Imperial Court.
Where to dine
Three stars at City of Dreams.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Jade Dragon Three Michelin stars Cantonese $$$ City of Dreams
- Alain Ducasse at Morpheus Two Michelin stars French contemporary $$$$ Morpheus, City of Dreams
- Chef Tam’s Seasons Two Michelin stars Cantonese $$$ Wynn Palace
- Lai Heen One Michelin star Cantonese $$$ The Ritz-Carlton, 51st floor
- Zi Yat Heen One Michelin star Cantonese $$$ Four Seasons Hotel Macao
- Pearl Dragon One Michelin star Cantonese $$$ Studio City
- Yí MICHELIN Guide Chinese contemporary $$$$ Morpheus, 21st floor
Elsewhere in Macau
More reasons to come.
Flying to Cotai?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.