We visit The Marina Bay Sands, a colossal new hotel in the Marina Bay district in Singapore.
It feels like you can’t look up in Singapore without seeing the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Even in a city with so many skyscrapers, the magnificently odd three–towered landmark looms large on the skyline. Of course it wants to be noticed, and rightly so.
The Marina Bay Sands is a casino, museum, shopping, dining, theatre, convention centre and hotel complex in the new Marina Bay district of Singapore. It opened earlier this year, and with 2,561 rooms and suites within its three 57 storey towers, it is the biggest hotel in Singapore.
Riding along the top of the three towers at The Marina Bay Sands is what might be described as a giant surfboard, upon which sits a 150-metre infinity pool, the ‘Sky Park’, an expansive observation deck with palm trees, two restaurants and a bar. You definitely won’t feel like you’re in an ordinary hotel anywhere else in the world as you take in the incredible views.
We arrived at the lobby in tower 1, which is an enormous buzzing atrium full of people coming and going, a grand Anthony Gormley sculpture hanging from the ceiling and a huge Sol LeWitt behind the check-in desk.
For such a large, busy place, check-in at The Marina Bay Sands was friendly and helpful and we were moved swiftly to our room in tower 1. The rooms are all about luxurious understatement, with a view to die for.
The bed was unbelievably comfortable, and the room spacious and well decorated, with original art, modern Asian and deco styling giving a special touch. His and hers marble bathrooms were spacious with a huge bath in the walk-in shower room.
We were originally tempted to try one of the celebrity chef restaurants in the Casino and Shoppes area (The Shoppes area boasts over 800,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space), with options like Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud, but in the end we were seduced by the idea of eating al fresco at the Ku De Ta restaurant and club on the roof.
The view from The Marina Bay Sands was pretty incredible at night, with Singapore glistening below. The pan-Asian menu of small plates was perfect, which meant we didn’t have to pick just two! Our favourites were the crispy-sticky squid, tempura soft-shell crab and miso-roasted black cod.
After dinner we had a cocktail outside at the Ku de Ta club and bar, which had a stylish and international crowd enjoying the view after a hard day’s work in the nearby financial district.
There was an awful lot to keep us busy the next day without leaving the premises. Breakfast was served at the restaurant in the sun-filled lobby atrium, with a full range of international breakfast options – from dim sum to pancakes and bacon.
Breakfast was followed by a few hours of relaxing at the pool on the very comfortable day beds and loungers.
We could have stayed there all day, but did not want to pass up a chance to visit the Artscience museum, a lotus flower shaped building on the marina with exhibitions about Van Gogh and of treasures found from shipwrecks in the surrounding seas over the years.
With museum legs and empty bellies, we decided to try out the food at Rasapura Masters, a very superior food court in the Shoppes at Marina Bay. Singaporeans take their food courts very seriously, and this one is no exception. The selection of regional specialities from South East Asia was mouth-watering; we eventually settled on chilli crab, fried oysters and Singapore noodles, all delicious.
Once more fortified, we ventured around the Shoppes, which range from Banana Republic to Bottega Venetta, stopping for a coffee along the Venetian Canal and people-watching at the indoor skating rink.
After an afternoon of shopping we had run out of time so could only briefly look in on the spectacular casino, which was what would be expected from the company that owns the Sands in Las Vegas. Mrs Brown was also disappointed that we did not have enough time to enjoy the Banyan Tree spa, but we had to leave something for our return visit!
For further information on the Marina Bay Sands or to make a reservation, please contact your concierge.
Website: www.marinabaysands.com
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Phone: +65 6688 8868
If you would like Bon Vivant’s travel concierge team to book your next bespoke trip to Singapore or any other destination across the globe, contact us now to enquire about our services.
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