MACAU

Gambling, greenery and glitz in a cultural mix.

Macau is a city with two faces: the fortresses, churches and food of former colonial Portugese masters speak to a uniquely Mediterranean style on the China coast. And yet Macau is also the self-styled Las Vegas of the East. The last few years have seen once-sleepy little Macau booming.

Today's Macau woos commerce and tourism like never before, taking a tradition of gambling to new extremes. While the profileration of mega-casinos means there's plenty of places to try your hand with Lady Luck, many of Macau's pleasures are relaxed and laidback, architectural and atmospheric.