HE MGM MACAU somehow combines luxury lodgings and a high-adrenaline vibe with a living art museum, stunning in its scope and spread. As you roll in, smiling faces greet you with a warm intuitive flair. Service is on rails. It’s an arrival like no other, from the bronze Dali dancer pirouetting under a cloud of crimson blown-glass ‘flowers of paradise’ by Dale Chihuly — whose works adorn beckoning arched corridors — to the vast skylit Grande Praça with its inviting European accents. Across the central plaza is the POLY MGM MUSEUM hosting ancient cultural relics and contemporary artworks of the enclave’s maritime history.

Perched at the edge of the reclaimed NAPE peninsula, the hotel is exciting for both individual travellers as well as families looking beyond the ho-hum. Think exclusive shopping at the seamlessly connected One Central Macau with its huge list of distracting brands. Think surround entertainment at the new 1,400sq m Fantasy Box with its

retracting seating that can free up more space for events and shows. Weddings and gatherings are catered for in an intimate, sophisticated ballroom. Think beauty, detox, and wellness treatments at Tria, or step into a well featured gym, or the alfresco pool with grand sea views. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment? No problem.

The attention to detail is nowhere more evident than in the VIP lobby, an intricately textured marble oasis with a classic lounge. Beyond this lies the hotel’s storied Imperial Court, an award-winning Cantonese restaurant. The culinary experience at MGM MACAU is a gastronome’s smorgasbord with no less than eight venues from the French Aux Beaux Arts to Sushidan at Rossio, each immaculately presented.

Weighing in at just 580 rooms — svelte for an integrated resort — the MGM MACAU offers an intimate and gracious art-palate-and-museum experience in sumptuous surrounds. It is easily one of Macau’s best luxury hotels.