Madagascar comes to Macau
Everyone knows that Macau has lots of attractions for adults, but what about the kids and teens?
Well, recently I swam on a beach, played awesome video games and visited Madagascar - all under one roof on the Cotai Strip!
First I went to the Galaxy Hotel's Madagascar 3 Summer Carnival.
The East Square of this enormous hotel is lined with Madagascar 3 characters, paraphernalia and attractions.
Walking through the themed archway I was greeted by heavy thumping beats, accompanied by the chorus, 'I like to move it move it'. If that doesn't put you in a summery mood, I don't know what will. Plus I got a chance to meet Alex, the film's awesome lion.
There was also an opportunity to have some good old-fashioned carnival fun, with ring and bean bag tossing, face painting and a caricaturist.
There was also an assortment of snacks, slushies and Madagascar toys and sweets to buy. And if you just want to sit back and enjoy the film, it opens on August 2 at the hotel cinema, which is equipped with 3D screens.
I'm not an outdoorsy type, but the hot summer weather provided an ideal environment to dive into the really cool, outdoor water activities.
Galaxy shipped nearly 350 tonnes of white sand to create an outdoor beach area called the Grand Resort Deck.
Here you can catch some waves in the pool or relax on the sand in a deckchair under an umbrella. There are hot tubs to warm you up if you spend too long really chilling out.
Not far away there are lots of great activities for smaller folk. Kids' golf, a giant bouncy castle and paddle boats are on offer, while for more creative types there's T-shirt decorating, paper folding and treasure hunts.
Yoga, tai chi and fitness classes are also available for those looking to sneak in a workout.
For even smaller kids, the colourful world of Kidz Island is an indoor entertainment containing a padded play area complete with a merry-go-round, balloon pool, neon-lit slide and dress-up area.
Typical boy that I am, I was more interested in the digital entertainment area across the corridor.
The Galaxy Video Arcade features some cool simulation games involving driving, dancing, playing guitar and drumming.
There are also X-Boy 360s, PS3s and the motion sensor game Kinect, along with computer terminals loaded with enough games to keep players (and possibly their parents) happy for hours.
The Summer Carnival ends on August 3.
