Marina Bay Sands - Singapore
The place to see and be seen
Marina Bay Sands is perhaps Singapore’s most coveted address, home to the famous Sands casino, the world’s highest infinity pool and is a dining destination galore. But the property’s setting, at the mouth of the Marina, means it has the best of all worlds: access to the heart of the city, and the barrage. The soaring atrium makes for a dazzling arrival, and if you turn your attention away from its curves and lines, you’ll watch a fashion parade of revellers striding through the marvel of a lobby. Developed and built at $8 billion Singapore Dollars, this colossal Moshe Safdie-designed mega structure is the most expensive resort property ever built. It's not a hotel for lovers of the understated or frugal, but more a utopia for the pretend and real tycoons and high flyers. Get into the act and Marina Bay Sands is great fun.
The top things to-do in Singapore do not come any bigger than Marina Bay Sands. It has over 2,200 sleek rooms and the triple towers are joined by the world’s biggest cantilever boat-like roof that houses the sky park. This has gardens, restaurants, an observation deck and the 150-metre infinity pool. It is an iconic landmark of Lion City that can be seen from nearly all angles of the island - and it is one not to be missed.
MBS gets a variety of visitors at all times of the year, with a large amount of footfall arriving to gawk at the sky garden and casino. With so many people here to see the public sights, it's hard to distinguish travellers from hotel guests. Needless to say, however, this hotel is also busy from all the food traffic. So the property is almost always busy-to-crowded.
The Room
Interiors are a vision of old-new chic, with brushed bronze metalwork, teal tambour cocktail cabinets, fine beige carpets and floor-to-ceiling windows. The theme continues into the marble bathrooms featuring bronze showers and freestanding tubs, stocked with aromatic Hermes amenities - these quickly found my way into my bag. Beds are plush, and the goose down and feather pillows could seduce an insomniac to sleep. I also like the fact that you can call housekeeping and request hypoallergenic pillows.
The property offers a cluster of suites going at around £4,000 a night, where guests have access to a 24-hour butler service, karaoke lounge, jacuzzi, private gym, in-suite hair salon and an immense living/dining room zone with a colossal grand piano. This is pure opulence, and even the loos are built with sensors so they rise when you approach them - saving you from any unnecessary labour.
The sheer size of the hotel means that rooms are located in various towers with an array of views of the skyline - with either a city view of the city or of Gardens by the bay - and the consistency of quality is admirable.
Facilities and features
It's hard not to feel regal as you waltz around the shops, which are overshadowed by the looming majesty of the hotel's façade. Contemporary features have been seamlessly integrated into the hotel's luxurious environs, mimicing that of it's sister properties in Macau and Las Vegas. The world's largest rooftop infinity pool is on the 57th floor, but you’ll have to book a room to use it. It's disgustingly social media-worthy that non-guests have tried sneaking into the area just to steal a shot - myself included...
Unrivalled views from the Fitness Centre
There really is something to keep everyone occupied; Sunrise yoga at the skypark? Check. Personal training sessions with Singapore's best instructors? Check check. Fancy a night out without leaving the building? Check check check. From the award-winning Banyan Tree Spa, on-site Marquee nightclub and more than 170 world-class retail stores at The Shoppes to throw your money at, you could easily spend an entire weekend in the building and never feel the need to leave.
Restaurants
This wealth of choice carries on into the dining options - where there are over 80 options spread over the hotel and mall ranging from Michelin stars to local favourites. The resort is home to nine celebrity chef restaurants: Spago by Wolfgang Puck, Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay. Daniel Boulud's Bistro and Oyster Bar, two-michelin starred Waku Ghin by Tetsuya Wakuda, and one-michelin starred CUT by Wolfgang Puck, to name a few.
Dinner at Spago
Being Wolfgang Puck’s first venture into Asia - and the original in Beverly Hills being his first venture ever - Spago serves up Californian cuisine fusing global accents with his famed favourites. Helmed by Executive Chef Greg Bess, it has been consistently our family favourite since it opened.
Breakfast at RISE
The breakfast buffet spread at RISE and Spago gives new meaning to power breakfast, offering an immense spread of almost too much choice. Opt to have breakfast at RISE, upstairs in the skypark at Spago, or in the comfort of your own room.
Booking a suite gives you complimentary access to the hotel’s Club 55, an exclusive lounge serving breakfast, afternoon tea and evening canapes with unrivalled views of the city below. Free-flow wine, champagne and beer is served all day - for a mere top up of $60 SGD for extra suite guests, this addition is definitely worth it.
And so?
The setting of two key scenes in Crazy Rich Asians truly lives up to its glamorous reputation. I stayed here for 3 days, and loved every minute of it. The hotel is chock-full of things to do if you end up exhausting the Singapore sites early. It is a firm favourite of mine in Singapore, and it soon will be yours too.
Thank you Bhavna, Elise, Max and the MBS team for such a memorable stay.
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue Singapore 01895