Hác Sá Reservoir Barbecue Park: Coloane Village Travel Guide

Smoke, water and a hillside behind it

Coloane is the part of Macau the casinos never reached. Hác Sá Reservoir Barbecue Park sits at 1918 Estrada de Hac Sa, where the road bends towards the black-sand beach. A small reservoir lies here, ringed by wooded slopes, with barbecue pits set out near the water.

It is a country park, not a theme park. You come for a walking path that follows the shoreline, a children’s glass slide, and the chance to cook your own lunch outdoors. It stays fairly low-key, so it suits anyone who wants a slower afternoon than the Cotai Strip offers.

Walking the reservoir loop

The path traces the edge of the reservoir. It is the main reason many people come, barbecue or not. The ground stays gentle, which makes it a fair walk for families and for anyone who wants green space without a real climb.

Plan on an hour or two if you add the slide and a slow loop. If you want something tougher, the park sits on the edge of Coloane’s hill trail network, so you can carry on into the woods. Bring water, because shade is patchy in places.

• Good for: an easy shoreline walk, kids with energy to burn, photos of still water against the hills
• Pack: insect repellent, sun protection, a bag to carry out your rubbish

Running a Macanese barbecue the right way

A barbecue in Macau or Hong Kong has its own rhythm. Each person holds a long metal fork and cooks their own food over a shared pit, a skewer at a time. Typical things to bring:

• Chicken wings, often brushed with honey towards the end
• Fish balls, beef balls and sausages
• Corn on the cob and slices of bread for toasting
• Charcoal, firelighters and long barbecue forks

Supermarkets in Macau sell ready-packed barbecue sets for exactly this. Shop before you head out, because the park is quiet and away from the shops. Arrangements for the pits can change, so check with the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) before you go about whether they are first come, first served or need booking.

Leave your pit cleaner than you found it. Damp your coals properly before you walk away. In summer the hillsides dry out between storms, and park staff take fire risk seriously.

Getting out to Hac Sa

The park is on the southeastern side of Coloane, close to Hac Sa Beach. Public buses heading for Hac Sa Beach, including routes such as 21A, 25 and 26A, will get you within walking distance. Confirm the current route and stop on the DSAT bus app before you set off.

A taxi from the Cotai hotels takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Getting a cab back out of Coloane is harder than getting one in, especially in the evening. Note your bus stop before you light the coals, or arrange a ride home in advance.

You can pay bus fares with a Macau Pass card or in coins. Patacas and Hong Kong dollars are both widely accepted around Coloane.

When the weather works

Macau summers are hot, humid and wet. Typhoon season runs roughly from June to October, and storm signals can close outdoor areas at short notice. October to December brings drier, cooler air, the best conditions for standing next to a fire.

Google lists the park as open 24 hours. Even so, the trail and the slide are daytime activities, and the nearby beach and restaurants feel more alive before dark. Weekdays tend to be calmer than weekends and public holidays, when families from the peninsula head south for the day.

Pairing it with the rest of Coloane

You can easily make a full day of this part of the island. Some nearby stops:

• Hac Sa Beach: Macau’s best-known beach, named for its dark sand, a few minutes away
• Fernando’s: the long-running Portuguese restaurant beside Hac Sa Beach, if you would rather someone else did the cooking
• Coloane Village: the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, a pastel-fronted square and Lord Stow’s Bakery, known for its egg tarts
• Coloane Trail: the longer hill path for walkers who want more than the reservoir loop

A sensible order is the trail in the morning, the barbecue at midday, and the beach or the village in the late afternoon.