Vila Universal: Manageable Budget Hotel in Macau’s Portuguese Quarter
If you want to live lavishly in Macau, you should stay at the Venetian or other five star hotels that give you easy access to the top designer brands, the casinos and a rich experience. If you wish to explore the Portuguese area of Macau and just wish to drop into the five stars for their shows and casinos, then you need to stay inside the old town to prevent you from walking too much. While there are many places in the old town, most of them are obscenely expensive for the quality of accommodation and the service they provide. The only plus is ease of access to the main tourist attractions. I stayed in the Portuguese old town too at the Vila Universal hotel on Rua de Ferdinande, a short walk away from Senado Square. Below review is based on my recent stay of 2 days and 2 nights here.
1) The rooms in the hotel are big with all typical hotel facilities like large beds, air conditioner, hot shower, attached bathroom, television, etc., but I did not like the fact that the rooms had no windows, the corridor was stuffy, the bathroom was extremely slippery and th shower handle was missing.
2) The other problem here is that the people running the hotel do not speak English and you have to use Google translate for every small bit of conversation.
3) I had to book into this hotel as the other hotels were quoting higher prices and the ones that were cheap were really bad.
4) The plus points about this hotel is its location, location and location. It is a short walk from most of the big casinos, the Portuguese old town attractions, restaurants, famous bakery cafes and shops are all just a short walk away and the free shuttle buses to the Venetian and other hotels on Taipa island stop very close to the street where the hotel is located.
5) The place has decent internet connectivity and don’t have a night time cap in spite of it being a family run hotel.
6) The hotel has no restaurant of their own, but many restaurants are located close to it. In fact, at least 3 of them are located right opposite it.
Personally, I would not stay at this place as my first option. I would always look to find a better place that is worth the money. If you do not have any other options, then this is a manageable option.
1) The rooms in the hotel are big with all typical hotel facilities like large beds, air conditioner, hot shower, attached bathroom, television, etc., but I did not like the fact that the rooms had no windows, the corridor was stuffy, the bathroom was extremely slippery and th shower handle was missing.
2) The other problem here is that the people running the hotel do not speak English and you have to use Google translate for every small bit of conversation.
3) I had to book into this hotel as the other hotels were quoting higher prices and the ones that were cheap were really bad.
4) The plus points about this hotel is its location, location and location. It is a short walk from most of the big casinos, the Portuguese old town attractions, restaurants, famous bakery cafes and shops are all just a short walk away and the free shuttle buses to the Venetian and other hotels on Taipa island stop very close to the street where the hotel is located.
5) The place has decent internet connectivity and don’t have a night time cap in spite of it being a family run hotel.
6) The hotel has no restaurant of their own, but many restaurants are located close to it. In fact, at least 3 of them are located right opposite it.
Personally, I would not stay at this place as my first option. I would always look to find a better place that is worth the money. If you do not have any other options, then this is a manageable option.
