Most Macau hotels sit in one of three parts of the city: the historic peninsula around Senado Square, the Cotai strip of five-star resorts, and Taipa village on the way to the airport. Each one suits a different kind of trip, and the nightly rate moves a long way between them.

Macau hotels by area: the short answer

Stay on the peninsula for a first visit: the Ruins of St Paul's, Monte Fort and the old lanes are on foot from the door. Cotai is for the stay itself, with the pool, the casino and the restaurants inside one building. Taipa is the middle option, with village food outside and the airport a short ride away.

The peninsula and Taipa sit close together on price: guesthouse rooms start at A$49 and Taipa four-stars at A$78. Cotai is the step up, from A$180 to A$372, and the extra money buys facilities inside the building rather than a better address.

The peninsula is the northern half of Macau, joined to Taipa by bridges. Cotai is the strip of reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane, and Taipa village sits between the two, with the airport and the ferry terminal along its edge. Moving between them means a bridge or a short taxi ride, so the choice is about what is outside the door.

Rates below are the lowest nightly prices for the coming week, per room, and they change with dates and room types.

Macau Peninsula hotels: the old town on foot

The hotels near Senado Square are small: pensões, guesthouses and three-star buildings rather than resorts. Peninsula rates start lower than in the other two areas, and the trade is space and facilities.

• **Metropole Hotel Macau**, 493-501 Avenida da Praia Grande: three stars, 9.2 from 700+ reviews, from A$71. A restaurant, a café and a 24-hour front desk, on the avenue that runs along the water. It suits anyone who wants a serviced hotel at a guesthouse rate, with daily housekeeping and someone at the desk.
• **U INN**, 30-32 Rua Oeste do Mercado de São Domingos: three stars, 9.4 from 50+ reviews, from A$75. The address is the lane beside the São Domingos market, with wifi, luggage storage and a lift, and the old town sights on foot from the door.
• **Pensão Elegante (Rua da Felicidade)**, Beco das Galinhas 3: two stars, 8.7 from 80+ reviews, from A$49. The lowest rate in this guide, for a small private room with wifi and a lift, and no restaurant or pool on site. Book it for a night or two if you plan to eat out.

Cotai hotels: five stars on one strip

Every Cotai pick in this guide is five stars, and the area still covers a wide range: A$180 to A$372 a night. What moves the rate is the building, the suite size and the facilities, and the address changes little between them.

• **Conrad Macao**, Cotai Strip: five stars, 9.6 from 1,000+ reviews, from A$180. The lowest rate among the Cotai picks, with an outdoor pool, a casino, a spa, a gym and airport pick-up in the same building. A straightforward resort stay without paying for the newest tower.
• **The Venetian Macao**, Estrada da Baía de Nossa Senhora da Esperança: five stars, 9.5 from 2,900+ reviews, from A$237. Rooms are suites, the pool and gym are free, and a kids' club and playground are part of the complex. It works for a family that wants dinner and something for the children without leaving the building.
• **Paiza Lofts at Parisian**, Estrada do Istmo, Lote 3: five stars, 9.8 from 60+ reviews, from A$372. Suites on floors 30 to 37, with a free water park and a children's pool downstairs. The highest rate in this guide, and the one to book when the hotel is the occasion.

Taipa hotels: village food and the airport side

Taipa is the middle ground on price: more than the peninsula, less than Cotai. The village centre around Rua do Cunha is where the food is, and the four-star hotels sit within a kilometre of the street, with the airport and the ferry terminal at the edge of the island.

• **Grand Dragon Hotel**, Rua de Chaves 36-58: four stars, 9.3 from 1,300+ reviews, from A$78. An outdoor pool, a gym and a restaurant, at the lowest four-star rate in this guide. The pick for a family that wants a pool without Cotai prices.
• **Grandview Hotel**, 142 Estrada Governador Albano de Oliveira: four stars, 8.7 from 1,200+ reviews, from A$82. Airport drop-off, a shuttle and a pool are all listed, which makes it useful on a late arrival or an early flight.
• **House of Art**, Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen 586-598: three stars, 9.2 from 700+ reviews, from A$85. A small property with parking, a lift and luggage storage, priced close to the four-stars in the same area, with fewer facilities on site.

Macau hotels by room type: guesthouse, room or suite

What you book inside the building changes the rate as much as the district outside it.

A guesthouse room at A$49 and a four-star at A$78 are one step apart on price, and the four-star adds a pool, a gym and a restaurant. The bigger jump is to Cotai, where A$180 buys a resort room and A$372 buys a loft suite with a water park downstairs.

For two people on a short trip, the peninsula leaves the most money for food, since the room is the only thing you are paying for. Cotai earns the difference when the hotel is the trip: pool days, shows and children who need something to do after dinner. Taipa is the compromise: four-star rooms within a kilometre of the village restaurants.

※ Room rates and booking conditions change with dates and room types. Confirm with the hotel before booking.