As a old customer of this hotel, I must say that service and food are probably the best in Macau.
But unfortunatly, they closed the Embassy (one of the best bar in town and the soul of this hotel) to make another shop.
Sorry to say but Mandarin Hotel in Macau looks like a shopping mall for luxury brands. No entertainment, it is certainly not the idea I have of a 5 stars hotel. On my side, I moved out....

This is how a hotel should be run. clean rooms, good food(excellent breakfast), very helpful concierge. Could find no faults.

Stayed at the hotel with my husband in weekend for birthday celebration. We booked the spa package with the hotel website and it was good value for money. If you book room only, you would properly find it not worth the money.

Accommodation
We got the basic room facing the pool. As we were well aware beforehand that the hotel was not brand new and in fact quite dated, we were happy with our room. All normal amenities were available in room and the fruit plate was a bonus. The bathroom was finished with small-size ceramic tiles which you could hardly find such low finishing standard in other 5 star hotels. But afterall, I was satisfied with my room.

Food
We tried both the Cafe Bella Vista (1 lunch & 1 breakfast) and the Naam Cafe (1 lunch & 1 dinner). Except the breakfast, we were very satisfied with the other three meals with regard to the cafes' aura, food quality & presentation, services and price. Unless your package includes breakfast, dont try the buffet breakfast here. Not worth the money at all.

Pool
Nice pool with water slide and surrounded by vegetation. Beware that the water temp is quite low (around 26C) despite that it is already a heated pool. Moreover, if you are not staying in the club floors, you have to pay HK$55 for using the indoor locker. If you dont pay the extra, you could only use the free standing outdoor metal locker. Just cant understand why the hotel management do such stupid thing in a 5 star hotel. People choosing Mandarin Oriental are preapred to pay a relatively higher price for better service and facilities. As the minimum cost for a room only in the weekend is already HK$2000++, a hunderd dollars higher makes no big difference. But once people thought that they had already paid a higher price, they dont expect that they are allowed only to use an outdoor metal lockers unless they pay extra. Many public pools and beaches in HOng Kong have better lockers than that in the Mandarin Macau!!!!!

Gym
I didnit use the gym but my husband said that it was quite well equiped and the trainer was quite attentive and professional.

Spa
Both my husband and I had treatment in the spa. Skill of the therapists varied. My therapist was good and my husband's therapist was just so-so. The changing room was tastless but the treatment room was acceptable with an outdoor jacucci yard and shower. Afterall, worth a try.

Services
Not impressive and in fact below standard for a renowned hotel brand. I saw a few times that the two doormen were talking to each other and not keen on opening the door for the guests. In the taxi line, I heard that the staff were talking about that the previous guest gave him five dollars for opening the taxi doors.

Although, I did not give high marks to the hotel, I still enjoy my weekend getaway in the Mandarin Macau. In fact there were not many good un-gambling oriented 5 star hotels to chose from in Macau. Wynn Macau is grand and new but too many loud speaking tourists. Worldstar is nothing special, just another gambling oriented hotel. Westin may be a good choice but it is far away from the city centre.

Booked hotel thru Expedia. Hotel is located a short distance from the Ferry Terminal.

Obtained what appeared to be a 'regular' room, with a view of the main road for about $180USD. A little noisy. Room size was adequate, maybe 30-35 sq meters. Furnishings were excellent and the room was clean. Bathroom was much like any stateside hotel/motel. Not impressive. Small bathtub/shower combo. Bathrobes, safe available in room. You can watch FOX and CNN. There's coffee service in room along with a mini bar that can be opened by requesting assistance from housekeeping. There is nothing open in the lobby until around 7am (sorry no Starbucks) and there is little available along the main road as far as coffee or breakfast fare. You are pretty much stuck with the hotel offerings. There is no wireless internet available; as is becoming the case in nicer Hong Kong hotels.

The cafe restaurant has a nice buffet breakfast for a cost of about $20-25USD. Excellent staff and service.

Hotel has a good reputation. If you like to shop for fine French fashions the lobby is full of high fashion outlets...Dior etc; but not much else. The hotel is located next to the Sands Casino and other chinese casino operations. Be aware that in Macau, the casino games are mostly Bacaret (sp). Some Black Jack, Caribean Poker and Slots. The chinese clientel comprise over 98% of all gamblers. Noticed that the minimums at card tables at the Sands and Wynn Casino were about 200MOP, which is about $25USD.

If you are expecting a 'Las Vegas' experience, you will be disappointed. The Chinese come here to do some serious gambing and the amenities associated with Las Vegas/Reno are lacking. There are several other large US casino operations under construction; so maybe this will change as competition increases.

Old Macau (city center) is about a 20 minute taxi ride. You can see some of the Portegese influence in the architecture; but it is mostly disappearing in favor of rapid commercial development; so characteristic in Asia these days. There are a couple of nice 'Macaunese' style restaurants within a short taxi ride of the Oriental. The hotel staff can direct you.

Macau is pretty much the place to gamble for Asians. A short visit is appropriate. Air polution is bad; as is most of China these days. Even with a sea breeze, you're never away from the dense smog.

Jet Ferries, Inc offers fast ferry service between Hong Kong and Macau. Book Deluxe Class for a small upcharge. ..located on the 'upper' section of the boat...good views and food service. Its about a one hour trip. If you are leaving Macau for Hong Kong and are needing to get right to the airport, they offer a special ferry direct to the airport. Good alternative as they will check your bags, and take you by bus to the boarding areas, without the hassel of normal customs and immigration. You still have access to all the duty free shopping and food court, the Hong Kong airport is noted for.

Happy travels.