Macau · Neighbourhood ·
Cotai Strip
路氹城 · The reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane where Macau's giant integrated resort complexes are built — a concentrated Las Vegas-scale casino-hotel landscape that represents Macau's transformation into the world's highest-grossing gaming jurisdiction.
About this neighbourhood
Cotai is the 5-square-kilometre reclaimed land strip between Taipa and Coloane islands, completed in 2006, that became the site of Macau's second and substantially larger casino-resort district. The strip was developed on a Las Vegas-strip model by Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which built the Venetian Macao (opened 2007) as the anchor project and subsequently the Palazzo, Four Seasons, Parisian, and Londoner complexes.
The Venetian Macao is structurally the largest casino floor in the world by square footage — 550,000 square feet of gaming space on the ground floor of a 3,000-suite hotel complex that reproduces Venice's Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, and St Mark's Square interior at scale. Gondoliers in costume punt visitors along an indoor canal beneath a painted sky ceiling; the entire recreation operates within an air-conditioned envelope that maintains a permanent Las Vegas temperature regardless of outdoor weather.
The scale of Cotai reflects Macau's extraordinary position in global gaming. Macau's gaming revenue — which peaked at $US 45 billion in 2013 — is several times larger than the Las Vegas Strip; the territory's gaming industry has made it the highest per-capita GDP jurisdiction in Asia and produced the densest concentration of luxury hotel rooms in the world within a 5-square-kilometre zone.
Galaxy Macau, the largest competitor to the Venetian on the Cotai Strip, includes the Banyan Tree, Hotel Okura, Raffles, JW Marriott, and Andaz brands within a single super-complex connected by internal circulation systems.
What to see
The Venetian Macao (a full recreation of Venice's canal district indoors — canals, gondolas, painted sky ceiling), the Londoner Macao, the Galaxy Macau complex, the Studio City Warner Bros Hotel tower.
What to eat
The integrated resorts contain hundreds of restaurants at every price point — celebrity-chef restaurants (Gordon Ramsay, Joël Robuchon's legacy brand, Roberta Sudbrack), dim sum at the Cantonese restaurants in Galaxy, traditional Portuguese at Cotai's smaller dining venues.
Transit
Free shuttle buses from the ferry terminals and border crossing. Taxis within Cotai. Walking between the major resorts is possible but distances are substantial.
Where to stay
The integrated resorts are the primary accommodation — Venetian Macao (the largest hotel building in Asia), Galaxy Macau, Sheraton Grand Macao, Four Seasons Macao, Londoner Macao, Studio City.
Hazards & notes
The casino interiors are designed to disorient and encourage extended stays — natural light, clocks, and exits are deliberately minimised. Problem gambling support services are available within Macau (telephone 2850 0600).