Hi, it’s Solyn. This is our last morning in Macau, and it turned into the most useful half-day of the trip.
Two things came out of it. One: the indoor walkways between the Cotai resorts are a trap. Two: you can get to the airport from here for free, and I wasn’t even a hotel guest by that point.
The wrong turn
We’d just picked up egg tarts at the Venetian and were heading for Don Don Donki.
The Parisian and the Londoner are connected to the Venetian indoors, which sounded like the comfortable option in August. So we followed the signs and kept walking.
And walking. About twenty minutes in, I realised I had no idea where in the complex we actually were. The signs pointed forward; forward kept going.
“We’ve been walking this long and we’re still not there?” So we went outside.
Big Ben was right in front of us.
From there it was under ten minutes on foot to Don Don Donki. Outdoors, in a straight line, past the two things everyone comes to Cotai to photograph.
The lesson: the indoor route exists, but you can’t tell where you are inside it. Outside you can see the landmarks and navigate by them. Take the outside route.
We didn’t go up the Eiffel Tower — there’s an observation deck, but it was our flight day and we only had time for photos. Worth saying, though: it looks small from a distance and noticeably bigger once you’re under it.
Don Don Donki
Here’s the honest report: it’s the same as the one in Japan. I half expected a different selection abroad and there really isn’t one.
That turned out to be the appeal. You get to buy the Japanese things without being in Japan.
I bought the Big Cola purely because I’d never come across it, and the rayu because that’s the Donki staple.
And the Pokémon cards, obviously. Buying them somewhere you’re travelling is half the point of buying them.
About thirty minutes inside was enough.
The free shuttle to the airport
This is the part worth writing down.
Don Don Donki sits in the Studio City complex, and Studio City runs its own shuttle bus. Coming out of Donki, the shuttle depot is on your left, and one of the routes goes to the airport.
It’s genuinely free, and nobody checked anything. I had already checked out of my hotel that morning and wasn’t a Studio City guest at all. I asked whether the bus went to the airport, they said yes, and I got on. By that point in the trip, Macau’s shuttle system had trained me not to think twice about it.
Some specifics:
- Not direct. It stops at a few places before the airport. Around 15–20 minutes all in.
- There’s a luggage hold. Every shuttle we took in Macau had one. A suitcase is not a problem.
- We didn’t check the timetable — a bus happened to be waiting when we walked up, so we took it.
If you’ve read the other Macau posts here, this is the pattern: we barely spent anything on transport all trip. The last leg to the airport was free too.
Dim sum at the airport
We landed at the airport with time to spare, so we ate.
Zen Dim Sum is on Level 2 of the departures area — after security and after you’ve dropped your bags. That matters: it’s the last-meal option, not the kill-time-before-check-in option.
It was good, not a pilgrimage. The mapo tofu was the first I’d had made in mainland Chinese style, and it was solid. The shrimp dumplings likewise. Neither is a reason to arrive early, but if you’re hungry before a flight this will do the job properly.
Airport prices, but reasonable ones. There was no menu board I could photograph, so I can’t give you figures.
One tip that isn’t about the food: we paid with the last of our cash and put the difference on a card. Spend down your remaining patacas here. You won’t want them at home.
- Don’t trust the indoor walkways. They connect, but you can’t tell where you are inside them. We walked 20 minutes and got nowhere.
- Outside is faster. Venetian to Don Don Donki was under ten minutes on foot, past Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower.
- Airport shuttle: Studio City runs one. The depot is on your left as you exit Don Don Donki. Free, and nobody checked whether we were guests — we’d already checked out elsewhere.
- Journey time: 15–20 minutes. It stops at a few places first, so it isn’t direct.
- Luggage: Every Macau shuttle we took had a hold. A suitcase is fine.
- Eiffel Tower: There’s an observation deck. We only had time for photos.
- Zen Dim Sum: Level 2 of departures, after security and bag drop. Airport prices, reasonable ones.
- Spend your last patacas at the airport. We paid cash first and put the difference on a card.
Would I come back?
Yes, and I already know what I’d change.
I’d book hotels I haven’t stayed in. Every Macau resort commits to a different theme, and that’s most of the fun — I’ve now done two trips and I’m starting to see how the place fits together. And I’d eat more. That’s the part I keep leaving on the table.
Every trip ends with the same feeling. This one was scheduled tightly and I still wanted longer.
— Solyn