(Chinese New Year decorations in Macau)

When Macau is mentioned, some people think only of massive casinos. Others are thrilled by its history; many more, though, simply smack their lips with thoughts of its multi-cultural cuisine.

And some just head straight to Coloane in the far south to relax in the shady village that just happens to be home to some of the best custard tarts on the planet!

It's impossible to say which is the best. There are so many facets, so much to see and do. Who could decide what are the most important things to do and see! 

Let's take a quick trip to Macau - and you be the judge.

Macau is tiny – a peninsula and two islands, the total area just 23.5 square kilometres, and since 1999 it has been a Special Autonomous Region of China. 

But the Portuguese influence is strong, and little wonder as it was a Portuguese colony for four hundred years from the mid-1500s. You see it in the Catholic churches, especially in the one landmark everyone sees, the ash-grey facade of St Paul's, built in 1602, which looms over the old town of Macau.

Not everyone sees the other place of worship tucked in behind the cathedral, though, where a small Buddhist temple is lovingly tended by local worshippers. It is this close mix of cultures which makes Macau unique and so interesting to visit.

Nearby, at the 16th-century Mount Fortress, these cannons that once protected the city, now attract only tourists and energetic children.

Looking down over the cobbled streets made from ship' ballast, visitors see this busy pedestrian thoroughfare that  leads visitors into another age. Macau was the world's first Jesuit city and it is not hard to imagine it centuries ago.

However, just a few kilometres south on the island of Taipa, a new Macau has arisen. The casinos for which the city has become renowned draw visitors from around the world. Here Venice has been recreated within sight of downtown Macau's business hub.

With no expense spared, the entertainment, dining and recreational facilities are world class.

The daily water shows are awesome and draw large crowds for every performance.

        

Yet, there is always the underlying reminders of the Portuguese founders, resident until so recently. Street signs, names of restaurants.....

.... and the swirling decorative tiling in many of the squares and pedestrian streets. That Chinese New Year brings golden baubles to decorate them just underlines the friendly mix of Macau.

But nothing says 'Macau' more than the cuisine. Here are shortbread cakes, made only for Chinese New Year, turned out in their thousands and relished by everyone, locals and visitors. 

 

Jerky - dried meat of all varieties – is a local favourite. Order a piece, or a slab to much or take home. And of course Macau's waterside position means that seafood is always on the menu, and never fresher than this.

Coloane is the most southerly of the archipelago. Totally different to bustling Macau and glitzy Taipa, here you can drowse in the sun on a bench, pull up a chair in a cafe that could just as easily be in Lisbon, or...

  

...drop into Lord Stow's Bakery for one of the signature custard tarts which he introduced to Macau, and which have now become synonymous.

Here is the story of how he did it.

From these modest premises, something of a cult following has evolved, as you can see.

But when all is said and done, a meal at a local cafe might be all you need. You be the judge.

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