A pad on Macau’s glitzy Cotai Strip with towering hotels and buzzing casinos as neighbours may not be everyone’s dream home. But for high rollers and those wishing to tap directly into the heady pulse of life in the Vegas of the East, the ritzy apartments of One Oasis are sure bets.

The largest luxury residential development in Coloane, One Oasis’s majestic 12 blocks – totalling 2,600 flats – stand on the southern side of the Strip. Offering sensational 360-degree views of sea, mountains and cityscape, this most convenient of locations is minutes by car to golf course, port, ferry terminal and airport. Easy commuting to Hong Kong and the mushrooming Pearl River Delta cities of China via the 55-kilometre (34-mile) engineering marvel that is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge puts the trillion US-dollar GDP of the GBA (Greater Bay Area) practically on the doorstep.

Unlike the extravagant aesthetic of casinos like the Venetian and the City of Dreams, which are within walking distance, One Oasis opts to swaddle occupants in an ethos of quiet luxury and true elegance. The dominant colour scheme is neutral and earthy, interleaved with a series of specially chosen gold- and Champagne-coloured home-accessory highlights.

Rising Luxury

Phase one of One Oasis was completed in 2013, after a dream team of international designers had been assembled to make the Macau mirage of high-rise luxury living a reality. California-headquartered Moore Ruble Yudell, the design architect, joined hands with project architect Archiplus, a Hong Kong firm with offices in London and New York. Award-winning Hong Kong architect and interior designer Steven Leung, meanwhile, envisioned the exclusive Club Oasis to meet residents’ recreational needs.

Inspired by the vibes of a top-class resort hotel, Leung created the biggest central clubhouse in Macau. Set in beautifully landscaped surroundings, it offers more than 100 lifestyle facilities and services including an outdoor infinity pool, indoor swimming pool, gym, spa, badminton court, snooker room, banquet room and residents’ cinema. Some of the apartment blocks also benefit from a small fitness area in the lobby.

Offering a wide configuration of homes, the development spans studios of 600 square feet and three- or four-bedroom units of more than 2,000 square feet. Positioned at the height of luxury are magnificent duplexes and sky houses measuring a minimum of 3,000 square feet. The triplex show flat featured here, immaculately dressed for the One Oasis launch, spans 5,045 square feet. 

Full View

Instantly striking as you enter this vast, stunning unit are the panoramic ocean vistas. Alain Wong of Hong Kong-based Comodo Interior and Furniture Design, who was responsible for the interior styling, declared at the time: “Facing the Cotai Strip, the magnificent scenery could not be bested by anything the Las Vegas Strip has to offer.”

Other parts of the home overlook endless acres of mountains as well as fairways of some of the world’s most exclusive golf real estate. Zhuhai’s Hengqin Island, a promontory touted as ‘China’s answer to Orlando’, provides another feast for inquisitive eyes. Transformed from a drowsy oyster farm to a 21st-century commercial hub and tourist destination replete with theme parks and cultural experiences, this special economic zone has been the recipient of billions of dollars of development funds.

Opposite the floor-to-ceiling windows in the main living area is a custom-made metal feature wall that glows in hues of rose gold. It runs uninterrupted across two storeys, heightening the apartment’s already spacious feel. It is a testament to the skill of the designers that they have so effectively counterpointed the sheer airiness of the space with a welcoming, warm and even cosy intimacy.

Life Storeys

It’s not too much of a stretch of the imagination to picture the homeowner (and sundry loved ones) getting comfortable on the commodious sofa, first coffee of the day judiciously balanced, while the early-morning sunlight pours in unfiltered through the capacious windows. For the more nocturnally-minded, it would function equally well as a late-night retreat, the perfect spot to enjoy a reflective tipple from the corner-set bar.

Should the mood take them, they could even roll back the carpets and transform the entire space into a fair-sized dance floor. Perhaps it would be wise to warn the downstairs neighbours, however, before things become a little too terpsichorean. 

After any spot of impromptu late-night hoofing, the next destination would almost certainly be the first floor, home to both the en-suite guest bedroom and a more child-friendly sleeping space. The high-ceilinged guestroom also comes with its own discreet spiral staircase, giving direct access to the loft tier and a leisure-cum-study room.

The top storey of this prestigious abode is rightfully reserved for the suitably sumptuous master bedroom. Definitely not going to disappoint even the most demanding of dwellers, it boasts a walk-in closet, an extensive en-suite bathroom and a bespoke study space, fetchingly separated from the bed chamber by rose-gold panelling.

Material World

Maintaining an aura of understated luxury throughout, many of the home’s fixtures and fittings enjoy a well-judged metallic finish, including the skirting boards and wall adornments. By contrast, the stairway linking the first and second levels is leather-clad, with only its handrails maintaining the metallic motif.

While the copious quantity of natural light is given free play within the interior, the designers have not neglected the importance of more artificial illumination when it comes to setting a mood. To this end, a fascinating spherical ceiling-suspended light fixture allows the easy fine-tuning of mood in the living room, while a metal pendant light provides a similar facility in the dining area.

Acknowledging the importance of these added touches, Wong commented: “A truly thoughtful selection of materials was essential if we were going to properly accentuate the inner aesthetic and provide a definitive elegant finish.”

Bridging Families

Tellingly, though, despite the apartment’s undeniably modern feel, it remains wholly geared to housing that most traditional of domestic set-ups – a three-generation extended family. As a nod to this most time-honoured of structures, the home has a dedicated family area, as well as a private lift connecting to what could easily be repurposed as a separate unit for seniors.

Settling in one of the liveliest parts of Macau may be a tempting prospect for younger Hong Kongers struggling with rising rents or stretching to step onto the first rung of the property ladder. Thanks to the construction of the mighty Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge – the world’s longest sea crossing – which has cut previous commuting times by half, more affordable Pearl River Delta living is now highly convenient.

The One Oasis development offers luxury homes for every budget, small or grandiose. Ensconced here, winning big on the Strip can refer to evenings spent dining at your own elegant oval table in a splendid triplex with sweeping sea views rather than gaming at the tables of a dark, cavernous casino.