MGM Macau

The Maven Meter: MGM Macau Casino & Hotel

(Last updated: May 20, 2020)

INTRODUCTION

Commencing operations on December 18th, 2007, MGM Macau was the second Vegas like resort to open in Macau, after its next door neighbor, the Wynn Macau.  The hotel project was a 50-50 venture between MGM Mirage and Pansy Ho, Stanley Ho’s highly visible and most influential daughter.  She had been the leading candidate to succeed her father as head of SJM, but Ho’s fourth wife, the ex-dancer Angela Leong, took those honors instead in early 2011.  Shortly after, Ms Ho sold 20% of her stock in MGM, essentially relinquishing any controlling interest she had in the property.

MGM’s main goal these days should be to try and close some of the gap between themselves and their most natural rival, the Wynn.  They’ve always lagged behind them significantly in terms of market share, mostly due to poor VIP numbers.  I’ve always found that strange considering that MGM has always had the far superior casino, but I guess that service, luxury and those big plush Encore Tower suites matter much more to whales.

MGM Macau Photo Gallery

MGM MACAU CASINO GAMES

MGM offers a fine assortment of Western games.

Baccarat – There’s no Baccarat on the main floor, only in the high limit areas.  Minimum bet is $1000.

Commission Free Baccarat – Won Banker bets totaling 6 pay 50%.  Minimum bet is $500.

Blackjack – $300 minimum bet, which is slightly surprising.  Most casinos this size only offer $500 games.

MGM’s Blackjack used to be the best in town, as Aces could be split up to 4 times, but that rule is gone now.  It’s still a very palatable 0.16% house edge though.

Caribbean Stud Poker – Payout is a proper 100-1 for a royal flush.  Minimum bet is $300.  Like Las Vegas Sands casinos, players can bet more than $25 on the side bet and then receive higher Flush, Full House and 4 of a Kind payouts.

Craps – They have one table with 3-4-5 odds.  On Monday to Thursday the pass line bet is $200, while from Friday to Saturday it’s $300.

Roulette – Outside/Inside minimums are $50 and $200.

Sic Bo – 7 different bets.  Big/Small minimums are $300.

Slots – Over 900 slots with minimums from 5 cents to $10.  Live Gaming consoles are MGM’s newest addition, featuring $100 Baccarat, and no Roulette or Sic Bo.  As for electronic games, Baccarat ($10), Craps ($50), Roulette ($20), and Sic Bo ($30) are all available.

Three Card Poker – Minimum bet is $300.

MGM MACAU PROMOTIONS

MGM’s VIP rolling program returns the following rates:

Members can get a free room after rolling the following numbers: $300,000 (if involved in the $300,000 rolling program), $1,000,000 (if involved in the $1,000,000 program) and $5,000,0000 (if involved in the $5,000,000 program or higher) within a 14 day period.

This offer can be claimed up to a maximum of 3 times a month.

MGM MACAU HOTEL

MGM’s 35 story hotel has 600 rooms in total, with prices that are usually $200 or $300 Mops cheaper than the Wynn Macau on most days.

Your best bet is to book ahead of time, as reservations made 14 days in advance get 20% off.  That’s the figure I used in the room rates below, which include all tax and service charges.

The highlight of MGM is the gorgeous Grande Praca, accessible via the main lobby.  It’s especially ambient at night, when the black sky busts in through the skylight dome, providing the perfect backdrop for the brightly lit facades and terraces.

It’s not too shabby in the day time either, although I think the butterfly decorations were removed in 2019.

In my opinion, it’s the most beautiful section of any hotel in Macau, and well worth visiting even if you’re not staying at MGM.

MGM MACAU DINING

MGM has a good mix of Asian and International restaurants.  Prices on average tend to fall on the high side.

Aux Beaux Arts – Aux Beaux Arts has some good hype around town, but it’s overrated in my opinion.  Soup and appetizers go for $80 to $200 while oysters are $50 and meat favourites $200 to $488.  Caviar is the most expensive item on the menu, running $888 or $1088 while seafood platters are $700/$1388 and sharing dishes for 2 or more people $250 to $780.

A 3 course set meal is offered in the evening for $388, which includes 1 appetizer, 1 main and 1 dessert.

High tea happens on the weekend from 3 pm to 6 pm, with the price $288 for 2.  They also have a different menu then featuring sandwiches and pizza for $108 to $148.

A Sunday Brunch menu is composed of eggs ($70 to $90), mains ($180 to $288), shared dishes ($450 to $1200) and grilled ($200 to $488).

For a review of my disappointing dinner at Aux Beaux Arts, please click here: Trip Report II.

Aux Beaux Arts is located in the Grande Praca and is open from 6 pm to 12 am on Monday to Friday and from 11 am to 12 am on Saturday and Sunday.

Rossio – One of my favorite restaurants in Macau, Rossio specializes in high end international buffet dining.  The seafood section, in particular, is extraordinary.  Prices and buffet times are as follows:

Breakfast (Daily): $200

Monday to Friday Lunch: $268
Saturday & Sunday Lunch: $368

Monday to Thursday Dinner: $468
Friday to Sunday Dinner: $498

Please note that children 7 to 12 are half price, and those 6 and under eat for free.

Don’t forget to add 15% to all of those prices.

For a review of my dinner there, please click here: Trip Report I.

Imperial Court – Imperial Court used to offer a lot more set meals.  Now they’re only down to a few.

Dim Sum Set: $128/3 kinds, $248/6 kinds, $318/8 kinds
4 course Set: $258
7 course Set: $1,180   *Minimum 2 people

The rest of the menu is a la carte:

Dim Sum (lunch only): $42 to $150

Appetizers: $85 to $208          Chef’s Recommendations: $140 to $800
Soup: $68 to $348                     Seafood: $148 to $580
Meat: $160 to $498                   Poultry: $180 to $550
Barbecue: $138 to $380           Vegetables: $148 to $238
Bird’s Nest: $380 to $988        Rice and Noodles: $168 to $268

Hours are from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm Monday to Friday, and from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and 6:00 to 11:00 pm Saturdays and Sundays.

North By Square Eight – Square Eight used to offer a small buffet but they’ve scrapped that concept and divided the restaurant in two, with one side dealing in Northern Chinese cuisine and the other half offering Southern Chinese favourites.  Here is the menu for the Northern dishes.

Appetizers: $45 to $90
Soup: $60 to $398
Dumplings: $60
Northern Chinese Noodles: $70 to $80
Northern Chinese Specialties: $80 to $488
Seafood: $180 to $230

Afternoon Tea: $78 per set, from 3 pm to 6 pm

North By Square Eight is located opposite the casino floor and is open 24 hours.

South By Square Eight – South by Square Eight deals in Hong Kong and Cantonese favourites, and the early returns have been very positive.

Appetizers: $45 to $85                 Rice: $95 to $100
Soup: $38 to $198                          BBQ: $100 to $198
Dim Sum: $40 to $50                   Specialties: $98 to $240
Southern Noodles: $58 to $98   Vegetables: $60

They also have supper or breakfast sets for $68 (2 courses).

Square Eight is located opposite the casino floor and stays open 24/7.

Pastry Bar – I walked by the the Pastry Bar a million times and thought they only sold desserts, but I was way wrong.  The menu is actually quite substantial, with soup, salad, sandwiches, curry, pizza and pasta all available.  The standard prices for any dish falls under $100 while breakfast is just $58.  There’s also a 4 course set available for $120, while afternoon tea is $288 for 2 people.

On the left side of the Patisserie they also sell a lot of almonds, nuts, ginseng, and chocolate.

All Day Breakfast: $58
Soup: $68
Salad, Pasta, Rice, Sandwiches: $88
Pizza, Curry: $98

The Pastry Bar is located in the hallway linking MGM to One Central Mall and is open daily from 10 am to 8 pm.

MGM MACAU POOL

MGM’s small rooftop pool offers some pretty smoking views of the South China Sea and Taipa.

Winter guests though are out of luck, as the pool closes down for three months every year, between January and March.

Otherwise the pool keeps hours daily from 8 am to 10 pm.

MGM MACAU SPA

MGM guests get no use of the facilities at Tria Spa unless they pay to get in, with the door pass $460.  If you’re interested in a treatment instead, the spa offers 120 to 150 minute Wellness Rituals for $1980 to $3280, while 60 to 90 minute body massages are $780 to $3520.  There’s also various body wraps and scrubs for $680 to $1380 and facial treatments are $580 t0 $1980.

Unfortunately, their Couples Massage and Romance Package have both been discontinued.

If your treatment exceeds $750 then you are allowed to use the sauna, steam, jacuzzi or flotation pool afterwards free of charge, for as long as you want.  Please note that the latter two are community facilities, open to both men and women, so bathing suits are required.

Tria Spa is open from 10 am to 4 am.

BARS

Now that the Lions Bar has closed for good, MGM is down to only one proper bar.

ABA Bar – Sophisticated lounge type venue, ABA’s menu consists of a lot of bourbon, whisky, gin, rum, tequila, and vodka, with most selections in the $65 to $280 range.  Beer is a very affordable $55 to $65, while aperitifs are $65 and cocktails $95.

As for wine, full bottles run between $280 and $880 while glasses of reds or whites are $78 to $180.  Champagne lovers will have to drop between $400 to $1280 for bottles and $90 to $258 for single glasses.

ABA Bar also has a small food menu with tapa selections like sea prawns, oysters and croquettes $68 to $108.

**As of January 2020, ABA Bar is currently closed for renovations**

ABA Bar is located beside Aux Beaux Arts and keeps hours daily from 5 pm to 2 am.  It’s not open on Mondays.

Pool Bar –  Pool Bar has more food than beverages on the menu with appetizers $110 or $115, pizza $148, sandwiches $88 to $138 and noodles and rice $128 to $166.  Beers are to $60 or $65, while coffee, tea and juice are $40 to $65.

Located right beside the pool on the third floor, Pool Bar hours are from 8 am to 8 pm daily.  In the winter, it closes down though.

SHOPPING

With One Central Mall accessible via the MGM lobby and casino, you don’t even have to go outside to access over 200,000 square feet of overrated marked up designer clothes, cosmetics and bags.

In normal circumstances I believe that you can never beat the house, but you probably have a better chance going against casino dealers than your wife and say, Mr Fabio Caviglia.  She’ll probably double down next with Hugo Boss and Ermenegil Do Zegna, and that’d only be the beginning.

I don’t know what the house edge on that action would be, but I bet it’s somewhere around 444%.

THE LAST WORD

MGM gets my vote as the third best hotel on the old Macau peninsula, behind the Wynn Macau and Grand Lisboa.

The casino is top notch though, particularly notable for its good assortment of Western games and Craps table, the only place that still has one on the old Peninsula.

MGM MACAU LOCATION

MGM is located directly behind the Wynn, right beside the One Central Mall and lavish Mandarin Oriental hotel.