TurboJet ferry, Hong Kong Airport to Macau

After you arrive at Hong Kong airport, you can transfer to the ferry as if you were transferring to another flight, meaning you don't go through passport control and the ferry staff will move your luggage from the plane to the boat. But the 50-minute crossing to Macau only takes place seven times a day, so you may have a couple of hours wait anyway. You are bussed down to the grim ferry terminal where you spend up to half an hour hanging around before taking your seat on the boat. As the ferries tend to travel half-full, economy class, (HK$215, one way) is comfortable enough for the short trip and you can purchase snacks and drinks. First class (HK$315) has bigger seats, a free sugary snack and a drink, plus priority departure.

Gloomy in the dark
On the way back, you have to pay HK$20 more for either class. You go through passport control in Macau, pick up your bags at the airport and then check-in for your flight at one of the transfer counters inside the airport. While the ferry trip can be gloomy in the dark, at one end you get a sweeping view of the neon extravagance of Macau's waterside casinos and at the other, the towers of Hong Kong look like rows of computer servers glittering in the distance. 6/10

The Venetian, Macau

Monstrous in every sense of the word, The Venetian is a colossal building decked out in an ostentatious and seemingly endless succession of patterned carpets, faux Rococo paintings, vast ceiling frescoes and gold chandeliers. There are two huge, lavishly-decorated lobbies on the ground floor, but the focal point is a vast casino, which is a sea of roulette tables and slot machines. One floor up, is an extensive shopping and eating district made up of canals lined with smart retail outlets and a wide variety of eateries, ranging from street food stalls to flashy restaurants. Opera-singing gondoliers ply their trade on the canals, while street entertainers in eighteenth century garb entertain the passing shoppers. Above them is a fake blue sky complete with clouds giving the impression of perpetual, but slightly gloomy, daylight. While you can easily find anything from a Gucci handbag to a Sony camcorder, it is much more difficult to purchase more ordinary items, such as shampoo or headphones, at a reasonable price.

Portofino, The Venetian, Macau

A newly-opened, stylish and spacious Italian restaurant, Portofino boasts an outside terrace overlooking swimming pools, giving guests at The Venetian a rare opportunity to enjoy al fresco eating. Even the large and contemporary indoor dining area is bathed in natural light. The menu features everything from antipasti to pizzas to fancy seafood dishes. Unfortunately, the very thin pizzas tend to be slightly soggy and rather bland. Moreover, the service can be very slow and erratic. 6/10

Blue Frog, The Venetian, Macau

Probably the hippest bar in The Venetian, which isn't saying much, the Blue Frog strives for a party vibe. But McSorley's, next door, is often more popular and the frog doesn't always have enough punters at its many small tables to create an atmosphere. Still, the cool, dark decor is a blessed relief from the ostentatious gold fittings of the surrounding resort. The bar sticks mostly to standard international drinks brands, such as Carlsberg and Kilkenny, at international prices. A double Baileys, for example, will set you back about HK$120. To eat, there are burgers, sandwiches, steaks, salads and other western food, plus a broad selection of hot breakfasts during the daytime. Despite its nightspot pretensions, the Blue Frog is a good venue for a leisurely brunch, particularly if you can get one of the handful of sturdy and comfortable chairs. Among the better dishes is the salmon eggs Benedict, served with squishy potatoes. While the fish can be a little anaemic, the eggs are nicely presented and taste good. 6/10

Cafe Deco, The Venetian, Macau

On the ground floor of The Venetian resort, Cafe Deco is a sprawling open-plan, open-all-hours, restaurant with 1930s-style decor, specialising in an extensive breakfast buffet (HK$192 for adults). With its huge UFO-shaped lights, zig-zagging floor tiles and black ceiling, dotted with spot-lights, Cafe Deco feels like a very-kitsch spaceship. Despite the one thousand seats, you may still have to queue for a table when the nearby convention centre is in service. Once you sit down, the numerous staff are quick to offer you an insipid coffee or tea. The buffet has everything from cereals to tropical fruits to smoked salmon to cold meats to hot western dishes to dim sum. Brits may find the omelets, scrambled eggs, rashers of bacon and sausages watery and lacking flavour. Reasonable value given the huge choice, but the food could be a lot better. 5/10

McSorley's Ale House, The Venetian, Macau

A heavily Irish-themed pub spread over two floors near The Venetian's conference centre, McSorley's brown leather armchairs, red leather sofas and wooden tables are usually occupied by groups of off-duty business people swigging pricey pints of Guinness or insipid Carlsberg lager. Inside, the noisy drinkers are surrounded by presumably-fake Irish memorabilia, brown wood, 'gold' trimmings and signs in a Celtic font, while the 'outside' tables rest on the dizzyingly-patterned carpets of the Venetian. The menu is mostly pretty standard pub fare, such as lasagna, calamari and fish and chips, plus a selection of speciality burgers. In the beef and Guinness pie (HK$95) there are some tender pieces of meat under a large and fluffy pastry quiff. The pie is accompanied by a serving of creamy, but modest, mash potato. Despite the Irish pretensions, McSorley's large screens generally show English Premiership football matches. The only things missing are daylight, folk music and the Irish. 5/10

Air New Zealand, Business Class, London to Hong Kong

Don't arrive too early for the 9pm Air New Zealand flight to Hong Kong, as the large Star Alliance lounge at Heathrow's Terminal One is a soulless place. Although the buffet includes some respectable chicken curry, you will probably eat better on the plane. Like the Virgin equivalent, Air New Zealand's business class section has diagonal, high-tech seats, which, with the help of a thin mattress and a plump duvet, turn into quite comfortable beds. Aim to be at the front of the grey, spartan cabin, where there are only window seats and it is a little quieter. The Kiwi cabin staff are warm and friendly, but service is suitably leisurely for a twelve hour flight.

Quantum of Solace

The second outing of Daniel Craig as a taciturn and athletic James Bond, Quantum Solace is a brutally action-packed flick that traverses the globe from Siena to Port-au-Prince to Bolivia before a short epilogue in Siberia. The incisive cinematography, the exotic and effervescent locations and the stylish sets make for a very watchable movie. But the plot, which takes up threads from Casino Royale and has a vaguely environmental theme, is hard to follow, the acting one-dimensional, the product placement excessive and the violence somewhat repetitive. The best scene sees the camera switching repeatedly between apparently real footage of Siena's madcap bareback horse race and the invincible Bond chasing a treacherous MI6 agent through the city's atmospheric medieval street scape and buildings. At the other end of the spectrum, the last big scrap, set in an exploding eco-hotel in the featureless Bolivian desert is rather anticlimactic and contrived. Particularly unconvincing and out-of-character is the scene where Bond appears to be about to shoot his Russian-Bolivian love interest to save her from being burnt to death. 7/10