Crowne Plaza Macau by IHG

You are choosing a substantial Crowne Plaza hotel rather than a small dive lodge: 208 rooms across 17 floors, with the practical comforts expected from a full-service city base. The hotel team speaks English, French and Chinese, so you can deal with the useful things without resorting to underwater hand signals in the lobby.

The atmosphere suits a diving trip built around recovery and convenience. Air-conditioned rooms, an indoor pool, a gym, a restaurant, a bar and free Wi-Fi give you somewhere to eat, cool down and switch off between outings. Excursion assistance is also available when you want to see something beyond the hotel.

The address is The Residencia, Tower 7, Rua da Perola Oriental, Macau, Macau. The hotel stands in Macau, with the city centre described as 7 km away, so this is a city base rather than a stay dropped directly into the middle of the sightseeing crowds.

Macau International Airport is about 5 miles away. The surrounding sights include the Grand Prix Museum, Macau Fisherman's Wharf and Fortaleza do Monte, giving you several straightforward options for a day on land when the sea is not on the schedule.

Parking is available at the hotel and nearby, while car hire and airport transfer services are also available. The transfer can be arranged with the hotel, on request.

The room selection is unusually broad, ranging from single and twin arrangements to larger triple, quadruple, quintuple and sextuple options, as well as suites, apartments, family rooms, villas, cottages and bungalows. For a couple, the practical choice is a double room or a suite; for two divers travelling separately, twin beds avoid the nightly negotiation over who has occupied the entire mattress. Larger categories give groups more room to spread out, although the exact layout depends on the category you book.

Views are a recurring part of the choice: city, sea, ocean, water, lake, garden and bay-facing options appear across the room range. A sea-view room is the one to consider if you want the scenery to do some work while you recover, while a city view keeps the urban side of Macau in frame. Several categories also offer suites with one bedroom, including sea-view versions.

The more fully equipped categories include air conditioning, blackout blinds, a desk, minibar, fridge in selected rooms, safe, television, Wi-Fi, bottled water, bathrobes, slippers and toiletries. Private bathrooms are widely available, with showers, baths or both depending on the room. Blackout blinds are particularly useful when your body clock has taken a personal dislike to the time zone; the equipment varies by category, so check the room details before booking.

The hotel has one restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a buffet option available. There is no need to turn the evening meal into another expedition when you are hungry, damp and operating on the final reserves of your air supply.

Breakfast can also be taken in your room, and a bar and coffee service cover the less ambitious moments of the day. A dietary menu is available on request, which is useful when your post-dive appetite and your usual meal routine are not speaking to one another.

The meal arrangement depends on the room booking you choose, so check what is included before confirming. Bottled water is available, and the hotel also offers room service.

The indoor pool is the obvious place for an easy, low-effort swim when you want movement without committing to another full outing. It works particularly well on a rest day, or when the weather has decided that dry clothing is an optional extra.

A gym and fitness equipment are available for those who still have energy to spend. Everyone else can make use of the pool, the bar or a quiet room with the air conditioning doing the heavy lifting.

The hotel can help with excursions, while the nearby Grand Prix Museum, Macau Fisherman's Wharf and Fortaleza do Monte offer concrete reasons to leave the building. Babysitting and a children's play area are also available, although guests checking in must be at least 18.

Check-in is available from 2pm and check-out is at 11am. Early arrival and late departure can be arranged on request, subject to an additional charge. Guests checking in must be at least 18 years old, and the hotel is non-smoking.

Airport transfers are available on request, and car hire can be arranged. Parking is available for hotel guests, with additional parking arrangements for visitors. Express check-in and check-out, a 24-hour-style reception service, concierge assistance, luggage storage, a safe, currency exchange and an ATM cover the less glamorous but genuinely useful parts of travel.

Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are available, with some services charged separately. The hotel has a lift, accessibility facilities and wheelchair access. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the hotel, and medical support includes an on-site first-aid facility with a doctor available on request.