Bonjour, bloody hell.
My favourite hotel in Macau, damn it. It was.
The hotel is old — from 2008, the same age as the Grand Lisboa.
But location plus view — top, top tier.
I’ve already covered the price and the set-up.
95 dollars a night, plus a second night free with Explorer.
The whole style revolves around French courtliness.
The Japanese, Taiwanese and Macanese are mad about French culture.
So much so that 25 years ago I moonlighted as a part-time Frenchman.
Stop! Or grandad will be off on one of his yarns.
Back to the hotel.
This year, not without complications.
In November the government didn’t renew the casino licence.
And then the wine hit the decanter.
Firstly, the free shuttles were cancelled.
Secondly, they closed the lounge, and the bars too.
I found out at check-in, when the young Filipino receptionist started suggesting dinner options.
It hadn’t occurred to me, so I never thought to check. And then — a proper drop-the-monocle moment.
All the more painful because since the morning my every thought had been about the mashed potato.
They used to make it here in the finest traditions of Joël Robuchon (butter at a one-to-one ratio).
You may find this funny. But for a man who has been scraping by on noodles and rice for four months now — not in the slightest.
In previous years they also handed out free vouchers for the casino food court.
Now there’s just the standard voucher in the Accor app for a single drink.
Room and breakfast are on video. Upgraded exactly one level: from a king to a superior.
P.S. The Eiffel Tower is in the photo. Afternoon tea from 15:00 to 17:00 is free for loyalists — which, as a Brit by adoption, I regard as a basic human right.
For people untouched by the trials of status, the price is 53 dollars ☕️
