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On a Venetian cloud

True to its name The Grand Canal Shoppes

You need a map just to find your way around the resort, you can ride a gondola down its indoor shopping mall, you can play golf surrounded by skyscrapers on the seventh floor, and there are no hotel rooms; only luxurious 750-plus sq ft suites.

Sounds grand? You have no idea. The Venetian Macao Resort-Hotel is more than just a place to stay in; it’s an experience in itself. The resort has been the site of high-profile international events such as the Pete Sampras – Roger Federer exhibition match in 2007 at its 15,000-seat indoor CotaiArena ( remember the photos of the two tennis legends looking rather sheepish as they shared a gondola ride together?), Celine Dion and Avril Lavigne concerts (not together, of course, though that might have been interesting), and the upcoming IIFA Awards which will see a constellation of Bollywood celebs descend on the little peninsula off the coast of Mainland China.

There was, however, nothing remotely glamorous about yours truly when I arrived at the resort, thanks to one of those flight connections that are designed to make you feel as miserable as possible when you reach your destination.

I have to say my first glimpse of the Venetian Macao, sister property of the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, wasn’t exactly restorative. It seemed mind-whirlingly immense, with North Suites and South Suites, multiple lobbies, and vast distances to walk between each. The fact that the ground floor echoed with the sound of hundreds of slot machines and tourists trying their hand at Baccarat only made me feel more disoriented (Macao is rapidly evolving into Asia’s Las Vegas, and the 5,50,000 sq ft gaming floor at the Venetian is one of the largest around).

The décor of the hotel, as its name suggests, is in the style of Venice — more specifically, the style of Renaissance Venice, all high arches and gilt, paintings on the ceiling and plush, deep-pile carpets. Since I’m a sucker for the romance of the Renaissance, I found myself being charmed in spite of myself, and by the time I reached my suite, the Venetian had more or less won me over.

The immense Italian marble-tiled bathroom-and-dressing room made me feel like some heroine in a period movie. And the gorgeous bed with its faux canopy and the sunken living room, all pale blue and ivory silken fabrics and understated elegance (with requisite flat-screen TV and hi-speed internet connection, of course) didn’t hurt.

The winning over was complete when I hit the Grand Canal Shoppes the next day.

That has to be the centrepiece of this 10.5 million sq ft property, with three blue canals running through it and pretty stone-cobbled squares where you can find classical musicians and street performers in elaborate period costumes. The 330-plus shops and 30-plus eateries on either side of the canals may be aggressively modern — MEXX, Mango, Aldo et al — but their facades are charmingly and authentically Old Venice, right down to their quaint flower-laden balconies.

Even the perennially-blue skies above are remarkably real, with soft lighting that lends the entire shopping area a romantic glow.

By the time I’ve polished off my Haagen Dazs ice-cream and been soulfully serenaded by my gondolier in Italian, the sceptic in me has been silenced (“What’s the need for a make-believe Venice in Asia?”), and I’m totally sold on this unique shopping experience.

By day two, I’ve learnt to orient myself in the immense resort by figuring out where I am with respect to the Grand Canal Shoppes (naturally). The seventh-floor golfing and the decadent Venetian pools surrounded by graceful statues, tall plants and cosy cabanas have to wait; ZAIA, the Cirque De Soleil show is my next order of work.

The only permanent show by the Quebec-based company in Asia, you can watch it in the specially-built 1,800-seat ZAIA Theatre, where colourful jugglers and clowns come together with incredibly skilled gymnasts and funky street performers in one awe-inspiringly grand spectacle.

The whimsical 90-minute production has glitteringly beautiful sets and costumes, and I feel like a little child who’s been to a circus for the first time as artistes fly and glide overhead and do impossible acrobatics midair.

Once ZAIA ends in a shower of heart-shaped balloons over the audience and I’ve returned to earth, I decide to try my luck at the casino (seems wrong not to while in Macao somehow).

However, since my excessively cautious version of gambling consists of putting in about five dollars into a slot machine and giving up when I’ve won zilch, I’m done pretty quickly. That’s okay; at the Venetian there’s always something else to keep you occupied.

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