The Celebration After Resignation: Starting Anew with The Parisian Macao

Since graduating from university, my roommate and I have mostly kept in touch online and haven't had the chance to travel together for a long time. This time, with both of us being between jobs, we decided to take a trip to Macao. Even though we don't live in the same city and couldn't discuss the travel details face-to-face, we quickly settled on the departure time, hotel, and must-visit spots after two consecutive nights of video calls. Let's start with the hotel. We both instinctively agreed that hotels under the Sands Macao brand would be a great choice, such as The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao, Conrad Macao, Sheraton Grand Macao, and The St. Regis Macao. In the end, The Parisian Macao was unanimously chosen as the highlight of our trip.

Having done my research, I knew that The Parisian Macao offers complimentary shuttle services. Right after clearing customs, I followed the signs to the pickup point for the hotel's shuttle. My friend joked that I had become more reliable after not seeing each other for over a year—ha ha! Within just over ten minutes, we arrived at the hotel. Seeing the giant Eiffel Tower replica at the entrance, I knew I had made the right choice for this trip.

The hotel lobby feels no different from a European cathedral, exuding the romantic humanistic charm of the Renaissance. Even the reception desk is beautifully designed.

The hotel's facilities are top-notch, with several swimming pools and a gym, but we decided to skip those—after all, back in college, the 800-meter run was enough to nearly kill us both.

We booked a Champagne Suite, famous for its reputation. Actually staying in it ourselves felt almost surreal! The room's decoration deserves a perfect score—full of Instagram-worthy aesthetics. With two large beds and floor-to-ceiling windows, I could already imagine how cozy it would be to lie in bed at night and enjoy the view.

The living room and bedroom are semi-connected, with a unique layout.

The elegant vanity and clean bathroom grow on me more and more!

Shopping for girls is an indispensable part of travel. The Shoppes at Parisian is packed with flagship stores. My friend even made a list of many familiar shops. To snag her favorite items, she suggested we head to the mall early. We took the escalator up to the shopping center—staying at The Parisian Macao makes everything so convenient.

The Shoppes at Parisian continues the French style, with an amazing shopping environment! The I.T store we wanted to visit is at Shop 341-342a on the third floor. It's a relatively large store with a wide variety of products.

I.T carries many brands, and you might just find something you like. The shoes and clothes are trendy and reasonably priced, especially during sales—it would be a shame not to indulge!

My friend has a great figure and is a walking clothes hanger. Even back in school, she knew how to dress. This trip, I asked her to help me with some styling advice to see if there's still hope for me—ha ha!

Next, the Breitling watch store. My friend dragged me in—another high-end brand I'm not very familiar with. It's located at Shop 332F on the third floor of The Shoppes at Parisian. The men's watches there are really bold.

My friend planned to buy a birthday gift for her boyfriend and was looking for a couple's watch set. The world of the wealthy—I'm jealous! But this time, I got to see many fine watches. Even though I can't afford them now, one day I will!

The staff gave us a detailed introduction to the style, craftsmanship, and advantages of these watches—I was really tempted!

The Parisian Eiffel Tower is one of Macao's landmarks, comparable to the real Eiffel Tower in France. Since international travel is difficult due to the pandemic, why not visit Macao? Here you can experience authentic European architecture and even ascend to the 7th and 37th floors of the tower for a breathtaking visual feast.

The weather was gorgeous that day. Standing on the tower, I felt so close to the clouds that I could reach out and touch them. We lingered for ages on the Love Lock Bridge. My friend even video-called her boyfriend, and I ended up being force-fed a lot of PDA. But seeing her happy made me happy too—I hope I can attend her wedding soon, hehe!

We not only explored every corner of The Parisian Macao but also enthusiastically visited the adjacent The Venetian Macao to check out The Grand Canal Shoppes. Before coming, I couldn't believe a mall could be built like this—with canals, bridges, boats, and even a man-made sky, as dreamlike as a fairyland! We wanted to try the gondola ride, but the queue was too long, and we didn't want to waste time, so we just became spectators. Here's a tip for peak travel times: book in advance for hotels, restaurants, and attractions online—it saves a lot of hassle!

The Grand Canal Shoppes is also a fantastic shopping mall. I spotted over a dozen brand stores. One of them was EA7, Armani's sportswear line, located at Shop 939 on the third floor. Most products are sporty, and prices are a bit steep. My friend and I went in and learned that with any purchase of regular-priced items totaling MOP 2,000 or more, you get a free EA7 thermos.

Another must-visit in The Venetian Macao is teamLab SuperNature near the Cotai Arena. We booked a package online, and the price was quite reasonable. It's suitable for all ages—we saw many parents with kids, making it very lively.

teamLab's specialty is immersive interactive experiences. There are so many scenes, each theme full of surprises. My friend kept snapping photos from the moment we entered—it's a piece of cake to take artistic shots here.

Being so close to high-tech left me stunned. I silently praised the teamLab design team thousands of times—we're all human, but why is the gap so huge?

I didn't expect sunflower elements—so dreamy. My hands trembled a bit while taking photos, eager to share them with family.

The longer I stayed at The Grand Canal Shoppes, the harder it was to leave. We stumbled upon a high-end cake shop at St. Mark's Square and caught it during a promotional period. The small shop is called Lady M, a dessert brand from New York.

A mille-crêpe cake with a drink costs MOP 120; other cakes with a drink cost MOP 110, and adding MOP 8 gets you a fresh milk tea. We ordered the English Rose Milk Tea—lightly sweet with a lingering rose fragrance.

We chose the Rose Mille-Crêpe and Osmanthus Mille-Crêpe cakes. Both used floral notes to balance the sweetness of the cream—just perfect. Still craving more, my friend and I packed two more cakes to take back to the hotel. We're really big eaters!

When planning our itinerary, my friend and I decided we must visit all four shopping malls under the Sands brand. So next we went to Sands Plaza, which has a completely different vibe—a Southeast Asian jungle adventure feel.

MLB—I love wearing their baseball caps in summer. They're stylish and comfortable. Since we stumbled upon the store, we went in to check out new arrivals and maybe snag one.

The store didn't look big from the outside, but inside it was packed with goods. The variety of cap styles and colors exceeded my imagination. The staff was very enthusiastic, letting you try them on and helping you find the right size.

MLB's winter down jackets felt very soft. I tried one on—it was so warm I didn't want to take it off.

At K107 on the first floor of Sands Plaza, there's a Koi Kei Bakery stall. It's not a proper store—more like a pop-up stand. But even so, it attracts many tourists buying souvenirs, because it's all about the taste. When visiting Macao and thinking about what to bring home for family, most people's first choice is Macao souvenirs.

My friend grabbed several packs of dried meat, saying she'd snack on them while watching shows at the hotel. What a cozy life! Almost forgot to share good news: at Koi Kei Bakery stores within the Sands Shopping Malls, all regular-priced items are now 20% off!

Why did we leave The Shoppes at Four Seasons for last? Because the luxury brands there made us hesitate, haha! Taking advantage of the good weather, we strolled near the hotel and somehow ended up at The Four Seasons Hotel. Since we were there, we had to go in and see the world.

The Dior, LV, and Chanel stores were quite busy with customers. After discussing it, my friend and I decided to just check out Chanel. We went in with a mooching attitude, but the staff treated us very well, and we never felt awkward.

The purple bag made my girly heart melt—I want it so much! Small bags like that are my weakness. My friend secretly checked the price on her phone, and instantly my mood soured.

Besides bags, the shoes and clothes were also irresistible. For the first time, I truly appreciated the value of luxury brands—I guess I need to work harder to earn money!

They even had jewelry—a specialty store is indeed impressive. Since I couldn't afford the big items, I decided to buy myself an accessory as a keepsake. My friend and I each picked a pair of earrings. Even though they were still pricey compared to ordinary accessories, buying them made us happy!

I'm really grateful for this Macao trip. It helped both my friend and me, two jobless individuals, find a new direction. Life is a journey, and both good and bad are part of the scenery. All we can do is try our best without regrets. Instead of daydreaming, it's better to take steps forward—there's nothing more reassuring than being on the road! I never thought I'd become so enlightened after having such a blast in Macao. Everyone should travel more to broaden their horizons!

Travelogue Index: 1. Romantic Parisian Macao 2. Visiting I.T and Breitling 3. Parisian Tower 4. Grand Canal Shoppes 5. teamLab SuperNature 6. Sands Plaza 7. Shoppes at Four Seasons

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