If you’re not aware, Macau is considered the Las Vegas of China. In fact, they have many of the same hotel/casinos. The Parisian, MGM Grand and The Venitian have their own strip, just like Vegas. However, I’m not a fan of gambling or Las Vegas. So I propose this question: Should you stay away from the Las Vegas of China? I stayed at The Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 which is nowhere close to the strip and I loved it here!

The Sofitel in Macau at Ponte 16 is located at Rua do Visconde Paco de Arcos, Macau. It butts-up against the river that borders China. It’s on the furthest island.

It’s a French chain and even though this hotel is in China, they greet you in French. As you arrive you hear “Bonjour.” It’s cute!

Technically, Macau is still a SAR which means it’s a Chinese territory that once belonged to the Portuguese. It’s kind of how Puerto Rico is a US territory but we don’t call it the United States.

To make it more confusing everyone says Macau is China… It will be soon though… but that’s a longer story for another day.

Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16 Review

The Sofitel in Macau is great. This is my second time at this amazing hotel. Although this time around, our room wasn’t as grand as the first time but that’s not a bad thing.

For starters, my mother and brother were in one room. My partner and I were in another room. We had identical rooms. Each room contained a king-size bed, overlooking the river. What used to be a small village on the other side of the border is now a giant Chinese metropolis. There are many more skyscrapers under construction. It’s incredible to watch the Chinese grow so rapidly. It makes the US look so inefficient by comparison.

Anyway, we got a club level room for both. Although each room was more expensive it saved us a whole lotta money.

The benefits of the club lounge include a breakfast buffet, lunch, full-on high tea, cocktail hour and a dinner buffet.

This came in handy because since this trip is more for my mother and brother it saved them having to eat at restaurants each day.

Needless to say, we took advantage of all of it!

The Sofitel Macau Hotel Room

The room itself is basic but very cute. The size is big enough for two. It has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the river.

The bed is comfortable. It has a chair and desk to lounge on and do your work in case you need to.

The restroom is big. It has a giant, big window overlooking the bed. So if you want to take a dump while your hubby watches. It’s perfect. I know you like that freaky stuff!

There’s also a blind to close it. Don’t worry guys.

The Hotel

The hotel is pretty. The AC is always on high blast. The lobby has a great coffee shop and a museum called the Micheal Jackson Museum. We walked in to see the Michael Jackson artifacts. It also looks like they’ve made it smaller. Most of the items I saw 6 years ago were no longer here.

Near the elevators, they have a great picture of Paris where you can pose and take pictures. It was weird but cute. It’s a French hotel so I get it.

If you’re wondering if you’ll be missing out if you stay at a hotel away from the casino strip, I should let you know that this hotel also has a casino. My mother loves to gamble so we walked around and showed her what it was like.

They have everything a regular casino has… Well except smokers. I’m surprised no one was smoking. China doesn’t care about indoor versus outdoor smoking. That’s mostly an American thing. The rest of the world doesn’t care about that.

We also quickly drove by the strip and it looked desolate. I’m sure the inside of the casinos are busy. In fact, Macau now makes more money than Las Vegas every year. Although, I also heard that gambling is a serious thing here in Macau. Not like in Vegas, where it’s a fun thing.

In any case, my mother was excited to see all the gambling in action.

Since this hotel is situated on the most northern island you’ll find all of the old historical attractions walking distance from the hotel.

I should mention, The Sofitel Macau is nowhere near the casino strip.

However, I highly recommend this hotel. It’s walking distance to all types of street food vendors. Shopping avenues and beautiful sites are very close.

One of my favorite things about getting a club level room is the concierge service. You have a separate check-in desk. As an introvert, I tend to avoid the crowds. So, it works well.

What I Didn’t Like

Nothing I’m about to say is “make it” or “break it,” just so you know. However, there are a few little things that I didn’t like that I think you should know.

To start, my little brother and mother were supposed to have two twin beds. They gave them a room with only one king bed. It was fine and neither of them had an issue with it. The bed was big enough. Perhaps they didn’t have any rooms left. Not a big deal but they should’ve told us.

I love hotel key cards. Am I the only one? Usually, hotels give you two keys if there are two in one room. This is great and all and even though they did, one key was used for the light switches. This means, my partner and I shared a key. Also, not a big deal, but if you’re like me and lock yourself out of every building imaginable, it might be better to get another key, just in case.

Lastly, I don’t remember the crowds in this hotel last time I was here. Although I do love the hustle and bustle of an Asian metropolis. I was shocked to see this hotel so crowded. It made my introvert senses retreat in panic. Not a big deal, just be mentally prepared if you’re an introvert as well.

If all of this sounds good to you, then you’re going to love this hotel. I know I did. I say leave the casinos for Las Vegas and stay on this side of Macau. I’m pretty sure you will absolutely love it.

Let Me Break It Down For You:

The Sofitel Macau at Point 16 is a great hotel. Prices start at around $115 per night. Our room was about $125 per night for a club level room.

This means you get access to the club lounge which gives you a free breakfast buffet, a free lunch buffet, free high tea every day, free cocktails all day long, free cocktail hour in the evening and even a free dinner buffet. I’d say it’s a pretty good deal.

The Sofitel Macau is not in the casino strip. It’s on the most northern island. It’s walking distance to many historical sites and food vendors.

It has great amenities, like a pool and a gym.

It has a great Michael Jackson themed café and museum.

The Sofitel Macau also has its own casino if you’re into gambling.

Macau is amazing and this hotel makes it even better!

Interested in booking The Sofitel? Book it using Booking.com.

The booking.com link above is an affiliate link. That just means if you book The Sofitel using the link above I get a commission. Don’t worry prices will remain the same but you’ll be supporting my blog. I thank you in advance!

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