Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore stay and review
Location:
The iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore has been on our bucket list for a very long time, so when we were invited to go on a cruise from Singapore to Dubai we knew we would have to fly in a couple of days before so we could stay here first. Unfortunately we only had time for two brief nights before embarking on our 17 night voyage but we were still excited. We arrived late on our first night following a 24 hour journey from our home to Singapore via Dubai. We had a pre-arranged taxi booked to take us from the airport to the hotel which took about 20 minutes. Although this was pre-booked, taxis are easy to find in Singapore and relatively cheap, especially if you use the basic blue or yellow cabs rather than the white or black luxury elans. Travelling to the hotel in the dark though we were awestruck by the hotels size and architecture as it lit up the night sky. Our taxi dropped us off at Tower One entrance which is the main check-in reception area and concierge desk. There is another check in desk in Tower Three but this had reduced hours and is secondary to the one in Tower One.
As we arrived late at night we only had time to briefly explore the hotel before flaking out in our room. The next day we were up early to get as much sight-seeing in our one full day as possible (see our Singapore in a day blog or 4K vlog). The hotel itself is part of a much larger complex consisting of a convention centre, a large shopping mall and casino, a museum and two theatres, which are all easily accessed via an underground pass using an elevator from the hotels main lobby. The shopping mall is home to an array of high end shops, a hawker food centre, lots of cafes and restaurants, an indoor canal (complete with punts) a large water feature and an indoor light show.
The shopping mall also allows direct access to the Skypark Observation deck for non-hotel guests, at a cost of $26 each. Hotel guests have free access to the Skypark observation deck using their room cards to enter the lifts and the deck itself. From ground level, the Observation deck is the large overhang area of the rooftop floor which gives visitors a 270 degree view over the city, the Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Straits. It is a large decked area with a small bar and gift shop selling Marina Bay memorabilia.
The hotel is also perfectly located for visiting the Gardens by the Bay with a skybridge traversing Tower Two of the hotel to connect the shopping mall to the Gardens. After dark visitors to Marina Bay can also take in the magnificent Spectra water and light show which takes place just outside the shopping mall. Also accessible from the underground pass between the hotel and the mall is a metro station which gives easy access to the rest of Singapore without having to go outside. The metro is easy to use, cheap and modern. We used it to get to a variety of places around Singapore, and although taxis are also relatively cheap, we found the MRT to be convenient and easy to use.
Room:
There are 2561 rooms at the Marina Bay Sands with a variety of room categories to choose from. We had booked a King size garden view room for S$500 Singapore each night on a room only basis. As we were checking in we were quite surprised to be asked if we wanted a smoking or non-smoking room and had to wait a while for the receptionist to find us a room on a non-smoking floor. We were eventually allocated a room in Tower One on the 19th floor which was convenient since we had lots of luggage with us. Up the lifts we alighted at floor 19 to find our room over the atrium near the lift.
The room itself was more than we could have hoped for. As you entered the room there was a large bathroom to the left. This housed an impressive freestanding oval bath with a wet room type shower in the same area. A glass half screen divided this area from the sink area which housed a double sink unit and a large mirror complete with a separate magnifying shaving mirror. Under the sinks was a shelf for the plethora of luscious white towels they had set out for us - four large and four small as well as a large bundle of facecloths too. In a separate glassed off area was the toilet, complete with a conveniently placed telephone!
Walking from the bathroom to the bedroom there were four large wardrobes housing an iron, ironing board, bathrobes, a large (laptop size) safe, four drawers, a hairdryer and laundry bags. Opposite this area was a large full length mirror. Through to the bedroom there was a large queens size bed adorned with beautiful white linens and furnished with a very large bedside table on each side, perfect for keeping all our sundries on. Each side had a wall light and reading light with two USB chargers and sockets on each side.
There was a small lounge area with a very comfortable blue velour seat with footstool for lounging on. At the end of the bed was a dressing table with wall mounted TV over it. Within the dressing table were large drawers housing tea and coffee making facilities and a large array of glasses. On the other side was a mini bar fridge and snack tray. Again there were plenty of sockets and charging ports for all of our devices. The wall facing the bed also had an extra large mirror covering the entire whole wall.
There were plenty of lighting options to create a range of amibiences and the curtains were electronically controlled with a setting which closed them when you left the room but opened them when you came back in, clever! We were also pleasantly surprised to find we had a large balcony looking out over the Gardens by the Bay. On the balcony were two padded arm chairs each with its own little side table. Though the weather was very warm and humid it was lovely being able to enjoy a bedtime cup of tea out on the balcony overlooking the lit up gardens before we retired to bed.
Public areas:
The main check in desk is located in Tower One at the widest part of the 250m long lobby. The main lobby runs the length of the three towers and houses a variety fo restaurants, bars, boutiques and the hotels gift shop. Just behind gate reception are is Renku, a relaxed bar serving cocktails, high tea and a small range of bar food and small dishes. hanging above this and filling the lofty heights of the lobby is an impressive Anthony Gormley art installation.
Behind Renku is a buffet style restaurant, called Rise, which is also the main venue for breakfast if this is included in your package. Moving into the centre of the lobby to Tower Two is Adrift restaurant featuring Californian celebrity chef, David Myers, and serving Asian inspired American grill fare. This is a lively restaurant with a club type vibe to it in the evenings. Next to Adrift is Blossom, a fine dining Chinese restaurant.At the end of the lobby, next to the tower Three reception desk, is a small cafe style eatery, called Sweet Spot, perfect for a coffee and pastry first thing in the morning.
Aside from the ground floor lobby area the next public area is on the 55th floor, where you’ll find the Banyon Tree spa, the impressive gym and the Club 55 executive lounge. This area is reserved exclusively for club members and suite guests during the day but is open in the evening for drinks and light bites, offering socialist wine flights and a number of premium wines.
The highlight of this hotel is the 57th floor rooftop area which houses a pool area for hotel guests, as well as bars and restaurants open for hotel guests and non-guests to take in the stunning view over the city. The pool area is open from 6am to 11pm and hotel guests access this area using their room card. The pool is 151m long and divided into three sections, one of which is adult only, There are comfortable sun loungers to one side of the pool and the excellent waiting staff will bring guests drinks or bar food while they relax by the pool. The other side of the pool is Instagram heaven with an infinity edge looking out over the city, offering magnificent views either by day or at night. There is also a lounging area looking out over the Gardens by the Bay with more loungers and two large hot tubs.
Between the two lounging areas in the middle of this floor are Spago restaurant and Spago lounge and bar, both of which are open to non-residents. Spago restaurant is a fine dining venue featuring renowned American celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck. Spago lounge and bar sits next door to the restaurant and offered a more informal atmosphere and menu. At one end of the pool area is CeLaVi, a lively bar with a large outdoor terrace offering panoramic views over the city. At the other end is Lavo, an Italian restaurant which again offers diners wonderful views whilst they enjoy their classic pizza or pasta dishes.
Overall we were extremely happy with our stay at the Marina Bay Sands. We had long wanted to stay there and had high expectations and it definitely met our expectations. Our main regret is that we didn’t stay for longer and didn’t have time to make the most of this magnificent hotel and its facilities. Although we managed both a daytime and night-time swim in the infinity pool, we could easily have spent longer lazing up by the pool drinking cocktails. We also didn’t have time to visit any of the hotels restaurants or bars which we would definitely do if we stayed again, we especially liked the look of Spago. And I suppose the highest recommendation you can give a hotel is that we can’t wait until we visit Singapore again, because we will definitely be booking a few nights at the Marina Bay Sands hotel.
If you enjoyed this hotel review why not take a look at our review of the Electra Metropolis Hotel, Athens.
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