Macau: Grand Emperor Hotel (Hotel)

Address: 288 avenida comercial de maca , Macau 00000, China
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Lonely Planet review

Describing the Grand Emperor as kitsch is a bit like calling the Hoover Dam big. The word does no justice to this fantastical and often bizarre Chinese take on European imperial opulence.

You can't help but respect the dedication to royal schtick here even if it is a tad confused. Guards in bearskin hats out front (pssst, we don't think they're real) protect a gilded Lord Mayor-style carriage and a stash of gold bars under the lobby floor. Inside, portraits of frowning royalty look down their inbred noses at the tableside punters. There are other reasons to consider the Grand Empreror beyond the novelty themeing though. It's right in the centre of town and the rooms are every bit as imperial as the breathless marketing blurb suggests. Fit for your average arch-duke, the rooms are fitted out in marble, fine textiles and heavy drapery, with free broadband internet and 37in plasma TVs. If the standard rooms aren't enough, you could always splash out on the Emperor Suite, a 700 sq m extravaganza of excess, with separate rooms for bodyguards and your personal servant...of course.