If you happen to’ve by no means heard of the Marina Bay Sands, you’ve undoubtedly seen it. Google Singapore, a tiny Southeast Asian metropolis, and each different picture will embrace the resort’s three sloping towers with a “SkyPark” prolonged excessive.
Whether or not it seems to be like a ship, three decks of playing cards, or is just an ingenious design by architect Moshe Safdie, the constructing has develop into synonymous with the Singapore skyline because it opened in 2010 — and now, it’s lately undergone a billion-dollar renovation, majorly upgrading greater than 1,000 rooms in Towers 1 and a couple of. (Tower 3’s transformation is coming).
Throughout my first keep in 2018, I spent hours within the Instagram-famous 500-foot rooftop infinity pool, swimming from finish to finish and taking in each angle of town between strokes. My second keep was for a piece convention, a commonality for a lot of friends on the Marina Bay Sands.
Inside this huge built-in resort is a conference middle, on line casino, museum, eating places, and retailers. I’ve shared elevators with exhausted coworkers, teenagers plotting the proper pool photograph, and high-rollers coming back from a playing session.
There may be a lot happening on the Marina Bay Sands that it usually seems like greater than a resort. It’s its personal microcosm of Singapore’s fame as a monetary hub, a cocktail bar haven, and the poshest place in Asia.
When Taylor Swift performed in Singapore, she stayed in one in all its swankiest new suites with 24-hour butler service. And when town comes alive for the Singapore Grand Prix, the towers are filled with motorsport followers on the lookout for a observe view. My subsequent go to to Singapore shall be to (hopefully) watch Lewis Hamilton end P1 because the race automobiles zoom across the resort.
For shopaholics, the resort’s luxurious buggy service will take you from Louis Vuitton Island to an Apple retailer surrounded by water in seconds flat. Households can soar on the resort’s Sampan boats and float by way of its luxurious buying middle. If you happen to’re feeling fortunate, strive your hand on the world’s largest atrium on line casino’s 600 tables and 1,600 slot machines. Then, go to the ArtScience Museum, which has a rotation of imaginative and immersive reveals. The myriad methods to entertain your self on this grownup playground are dizzying.
I’ve spent afternoons face-down on a therapeutic massage desk 55 tales within the air and evenings sipping Singapore Slings at its rooftop lounge CÉ LA VI. When you don’t have to depart the resort grounds, lacking out on Singapore’s UNESCO-recognized hawker middle tradition, pastel-colored shophouses, and vigorous Chinatown can be a disgrace. And once you return, sweaty and exhausted, your pillowy mattress coated in Frette and Mascioni linen shall be there ready.
Right here’s my overview of Marina Bay Sands, a vacationer attraction meets structure icon.
Marina Bay Sands
- Due to its huge refurb, its inside design — significantly in its monumental suites — is putting and complicated, with calming colours and high-tech touches.
- The well-known and sprawling rooftop pool is simply accessible for in-house friends.
- Marina Bay Sands is smack dab within the sightseeing coronary heart of town; you possibly can stroll, taxi, or take Singapore’s wonderful public transport system steps from the resort.
- There’s at all times one thing occurring, from VIP occasions to celebrity-chef appearances; a keep right here feels unique and thrilling.
The Rooms
With 1,850 rooms and suites spanning 55 flooring and three standalone towers, chances are you’ll suppose you’ll be packed in like sardines, however beginning rooms listed below are practically 500 sq. ft. Break up between the Sands Assortment and the ultra-ritzy Paiza Assortment, eight room classes vary from the Sands Premier Room to the Paiza Signature Suite.
All its rooms really feel plush and chic with Champagne golds, chrome finishes, gentle timber, and muted velvet furnishings. In keeping with Singapore’s high-tech sensibilities, all rooms embrace wi-fi charging stations, huge 75-inch flatscreens, and Dyson hair dryers. If you happen to’re uncertain whether or not to decide on the Metropolis View or the Bay View, go together with the Bay — there’s nothing like wanting on the glittering Supertree Grove at night time.
My brand-new Sands Premier Room felt lightyears away from the earlier beginning class room I’d stayed at right here just a few years earlier. It wasn’t simply the high-end materials blanketing each inch, however the quantity of area, particularly the marble-clad rest room with double sinks, soaking tub, and rain bathe. One other good contact is the bespoke cocktail trolley in every room and the lacquered Asian armoire filled with native goodies and specialty tea.
For these splurging with its Paiza Assortment, perks like a VIP arrival service, a butler on name, and entry to its non-public lounge are all included.
Meals and Drink
With near 50 meals and beverage choices unfold round Marina Bay Sands, 11 of that are within the precise resort, even the pickiest eaters will discover one thing. The massive number of eating places ranges from American favorites like Roberta’s Pizza and Black Faucet Craft Burgers & Beer to Asian musts like Ippudo and Din Tai Fung.
There’s wonderful eating by movie star cooks like Daniel Boulud, Gordon Ramsey, and Wolfgang Puck (e-book at Spago Eating Room for unbelievable metropolis views). There are additionally informal choices, together with quite a lot of informal Western and French cafes, in addition to fast sushi and pho.
Overwhelmed? We don’t blame you. In case your head is spinning with meals fantasies, I recommend slurping up some soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung, savoring the Peking duck at Mott 32, and splitting the signature meatballs at LAVO Italian Restaurant & Rooftop Bar — simply make sure to ask for a desk with a view.
Actions and Experiences
On the subject of Marina Bay Sands, there’s a lot to do and so little time.
The SkyPark is undoubtedly a significant draw for friends. This rooftop space spans practically three acres and is massive sufficient to park four-and-a-half jumbo jets. And whereas reserved completely for friends, I like to recommend arriving on the infinity pool space early within the morning for peace and selfie-free area.
Different actions embrace hitting the slot machines, buying at any of its 19 flagship shops, watching Spectra (an out of doors gentle and water present), or seeing one in all its Broadway exhibits. And when you might want to calm down, its Banyan Tree Spa has all the things from Thai massages to physique scrubs. The resort’s Technogym-equipped health middle is positioned within the conference middle (ask somebody to information you there; in any other case, chances are you’ll by no means discover it.) However for a novel exercise expertise, e-book a yoga, HIIT, or sound meditation class on the SkyPark with unbeatable views over Singapore.
The Spa
Positioned on the fifty fifth ground of Tower 1, the Banyan Tree Spa has 12 remedy rooms adorned with Asian floral patterns, soothing water options, and heat colours. It presents web page after web page of full-body therapies, together with a Radiance Revival facial, an Ayurvedic therapeutic massage, and a Turmeric Honey Cleanser physique scrub. Singapore is already one of many world’s cleanest cities, however you’ll really feel like a brand new particular person after a remedy right here.
Household-friendly Choices
The resort’s Sands Assortment consists of 33 Sands Household Suites, full with bunk beds and enjoyable animal-themed wallpaper. Little ones additionally get an Journey Pack with a lion stuffed animal to discover the “Lion Metropolis.” Plus, there are quite a few interactive methods to maintain the youngsters busy, together with the ArtScience Museum and the Digital Gentle Canvas, that are completed in collaboration with teamLab.
Accessibility and Sustainability
There are 20 ADA-compliant rooms designed for wheelchair use and 29 elderly-friendly rooms that includes rails and showers with benches. All frequent areas, together with the SkyPark, are accessibility-friendly.
Marina Bay Sands is working to cut back its carbon footprint, already chopping it by 24.4 p.c since 2014. Its SkyPark is powered by 536 photo voltaic panels, the resort’s fleet of automobiles is electrical, and suites are outfitted with energy-efficient expertise and management methods to regulate consumption based mostly on occupancy.
Location
It doesn’t get extra central than this. A fast 15-minute drive from Changi Worldwide Airport lands you between the Marina Bay waterfront and the Gardens by the Bay. Lots of Singapore’s greatest points of interest are inside strolling distance, together with the Singapore Flyer, the Supertree Grove, and the Nationwide Museum of Singapore. If you wish to enterprise additional to neighborhoods like Kampong Glam and Duxton Hill, the Bayfront MRT is a two-minute stroll away.
How you can Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep
Marina Bay Sands has its personal rewards program, Sands Way of life, which is free to join and provides members offers on eating, buying, and actions. The resort additionally presents keep packages, so verify its web site for the most recent offers.