In search of a hotel to spend a couple of days in Macau, we visited this place and had wine & tapas on the terrace so that we could catch the spirit of the whole place.

First, it is far from everything but a 40 minutes walk will take you back into town, so this no real issue for those who do not mind walking.

Now, the substance. Well, I am sorry to say this place is not what it is supposed to be. Service is pretentious and not efficient (had order wrong), the food is bad, the design of the place looks tacky cheap chic - it is hard to believe, the views from the terrace lead to a car park with the sea hidden in the background, the pousada is litterally set next to a motorway and is not quiet. This hasn't got the laidback atmosphere some other review suggested.

Will never consider staying there.

In searching for properties in Macau we happened upon the Pousada de Sao Tiago in a few guidebooks and it was coming up deeply discounted on Asiarooms.com at $110 per night (including tax and service but no breakfast). We figured that was a good value for a room in a distinctive and unique five-star property in pricy Macau. We were wrong…

The property itself is close to hardly anything except the A-Ma temple (10 minute walk). There are no restaurants or stores nearby and to get to Senado Square on foot takes at least 40 minutes. Although it has nice views of the harbor, unless you have a car or want to take a lot of taxis it is not in a good location for sightseeing or gambling (which are about the only reasons tourists come to Macau). The structure of the hotel is quite unique in that it is built into the walls of a historic fort but this means that there are lots of architectural quirks and many flights of irregular stairs (it is not handicapped accessible). It does have some nice details and a charming outdoor terrace for drinking and dining with great views over the water. The public spaces are in need of some updating on furniture and fixtures to keep the look historic and classy, rather than just tired and worn.

Our room was tattered and dated to say the least. The furnishings were historic reproductions but appeared to just be worn out, with many chips, cracks and scratches. Walls and floors were in much the same condition with battered plaster and paint specked terracotta tile. The bathroom furnishing were circa-1970 and badly in need of updating. It was comical to us that there was a “bath menu” in the restroom. The idea of someone paying $25 to have a “luxurious pampering aromatherapy bath” drawn in that chipped, pink, moldy-caulked tub is an absurdity! Our room overlooked the swimming pool that was also in serious need of updating. This must be the only 5-star hotel in Asia with green Astro-turf carpet for decking on its swimming pool. The hotel had WiFi Internet access but you had to purchase a prepaid scratch card for the absurd rate of $29USD for 24 hours and they did not sell smaller blocks of time.

By far the best part of our stay was dining in the hotel’s restaurant. The food and service were exceptional. Prices were reasonable, and the ambiance was relaxed and romantic. The hotel is a far better place to come for dinner than to stay.

One caveat: The hotel was in the process of renovating its rooms so our review of the space may not be accurate in the near future. Glancing into a room under construction, it looked like it will be nicely appointed once finished. We can assure you that a renovation to the ENTIRE properties’ private and public spaces is badly needed! Along with the renovation came a lot of construction noise that we could easily hear in our room from about 9:00am through 6:00pm. Many of the corridors were covered in filthy carpet scraps in an attempt to prevent the ceramic floor from getting scratched. But they were left in place our entire visit and it made the whole space look really tatty. We were not informed of the renovation or noise issue when we made the booking and were not told even when we checked in!

Overall, it was not a five-star hotel in any respect. From our experience, Asian hotels generally set the worldwide standard for quality, service and value. The Pousada de Sao Tiago is not remotely in the same league as any 5 or 4 star property in which we have visited on this continent. We’ve stayed in hotels with better service and facilities that were one-star for ¼ the price. If you are interested in the historic aspect of the property, just go there for drinks or dinner but stay elsewhere, there are far nicer places in Macau!

In the desert of style and taste that is Macau's selection of hotels, Poussada de Sao Tiago is a welcome oasis. A small converted fort that gives you some idea of what Macau used to be like during its Portugese colonial days it was a pleasure to stay here. We stayed in a superior room but we saw the standard rooms and they looked great too. There is a pleasant outdoor area along the outer stone walls of the fort where you can eat and drink outside or just read a book in the sun (there is also a small outdoor pool).

This a charming 24 room hotel fine for weekends, nice pool when the sun can break through the polution haze covering the Pearl River. My suite was well outfitted no grumbles but there are only stone steps to each floor so you get a free work out walking to your room. Breakfast is good while the dinner menu is limited and not inspiring. This is not a Hyatt so don't expect those plastic frills it's a nice place run by nice people. A short walk around the corner overlooking the Tower there are many good restaurants I liked Ali's Curry House, very good value super food and fair priced wine list.

I've stayed at the Hyatt in Taipa and that's OK (talk about hard beds) but my favorite in Macau is the Westin down in Coloane. Unfortunately the Westin is way off the beaten track so do consider the Sao Tiago for a weekend break.

My family and I have just returned from a weekend in Macau where we stayed at the Pousada de Sao Tiago. I had read all of the reviews on this site before we booked our stay and so would like to add my opinion.

From arriving at the Hotel we felt nothing short of disappointed. This hotel claims to be 5 star but falls well short of this mark. On arrival, there was noone waiting on the door to greet us or to help with our luggage up the large flight of stairs.

As we checked in, the receptionist became flustered as it became obvious that one of our rooms was not ready, although we were much later than the 2:00pm check-in time. When we asked why this was the case we were not offered an apology only a statement that they had charged the last guests $50 HK to remain in the room. It was only on request from one of my companions that a small fruit basket was sent to the room later in the day as recompence.

The room itself was reasonably well appointed, although some annoyances were a broken wall socket, walls in need of redecoration due to damp and a cockroach the size of a small tank laying in wait in the ensuite basin.

Apart from a young Phillipino waitress all staff were disinterested and unfriendly. Food was removed from the table without asking and before we were able to finish it. When asked where the food had gone the waiter left the room shaking his head. We found the dinner menu to be very limited and requests for variations to the set items were met with bewilderment.

At night, the hotel bar closed at 11:00pm to residents and again the door and reception were unmanned allowing anyone to enter the hotel unchecked.

Checking out was a trial in itself with staff returning back to us several times after realising they had made mistakes although we had given *them* an itemised list to avoid any such problems. Finally, the driver of the hotel courtesy bus service, was unable to speak English and took us to the wrong ferry terminal making us late for our departure.

Tragically, the hotel had great potential and could have been wonderful, but the Awards listed on the wall from 1989 & 1982 said it all - i.e. living on past glories. I agree whole-heartedly that this hotel is something different and has far more ambience than a typical Asia hotel, but this alone is not enough to warrant the 110 UK pounds per night.

This is a hotel in need of a major facelift and desperately needs new management in order to reach standards expected of a hotel claiming to be of a this quality.

We stayed in the hotel in October 2004 which is one of the best season in Macau. Before turning into a hotel, it was a fortress. Therefore, the hotel still maintains the historical feel.

The room is furnished by European carved wooden furniture, which is very unique.

The front desk was very helpful in many ways.

Overall, this is very nice hotel. We definitely will go back and stay there again.

We stayed in the Pousada de Sao Tiago in December 2003 as an overnight trip during a week in Hong Kong. The hotel was charming, comfortable, and quiet, and gave us a much-needed break after the craziness of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

We wanted to see Macau for history and architecture, not for gambling, so we weren't interested in staying in one of the hotels near the casino. We also were hoping for some place restful; in Hong Kong, we'd been staying at the Marco Polo at the tip of Kowloon, and we wanted a quiet breather. The hotel was perfect for this -- it's a small hotel built on top of the battlements of the old fort. It's located on the south tip of the peninsula; it would have been a long walk to the center of town, but there were plenty of short walks that didn't require taking a taxi. Walking along the ocean side near the hotel that evening was great; even better was being walking distance from the A Ma temple and the maritime museum.

We spent most of the afternoon and evening sitting on their deck (the old battlements) looking out over the water, looking up at the tree shading the patio and just relaxing. We also had dinner and breakfast at the restaurant. The staff made us feel welcome, but weren't intrusive; it felt like a small hotel rather than a luxury hotel, and we loved that feeling. Dinner was good, but wasn't earth-shaking; we'd be glad to eat there again. Breakfast was huge. Our day was spent wandering through town.

The room was also good -- not luxurious, but good. Solid, carved european furniture, tile floors, good bathrooms. It was the equal of any good hotel; if you're expecting luxury an a huge, modern room, though, you'll be really annoyed. If you like historical 1920's hotels (think the Ahwahnee in Yosemite Park), you'll be in heaven.

For us, it was the perfect place to stay. Macau was also one of my favorite parts of the trip (Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau). Macau reminded me of some of the outlying parts of Hong Kong -- less crowded and older than Kowloon or Hong Kong may seem, and it also suggests to me what Hong Kong might have been like 30 or 40 years ago. Its European heritage and its longer history were a nice contrast ; I loved walking through the old Protestant cemetary and reading the gravestones of sailors and merchants from the 18th century. I also loved seeing Zhuhai (one of the Chinese special economic zones) across the water, its new buildings brightly painted.

I'd go back in a minute, and Pousada de Sao Tiago would be the only place I'd stay. Their room prices may seem high compared to the rest of Macau (though we paid around $100 a night with a Cathay Pacific deal), but considering how much cheaper they are than the hotels of Hong Kong, I'd not hesitate to go there again.