Marina Bay Sands Singapore

There are plenty of memorable experiences you can enjoy while travelling, and if you want a pool with a view, staying for 2 nights at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore is one for the bucket list. This 57 floor, three-towered hotel boasts more than 2,000 rooms and (of course) the Skypark which has the rooftop Infinity Pool. The view  is magnificent and overlooks Singapore on the other side of the bay. Even if you only stay two nights, it is something to consider putting on your bucket list. Be warned though, despite the pool and it’s view the hotel service and staff can let you down. Although I didn’t really experience it on my stay, many others I know weren’t happy with the hotel – but they did like the pool.
 

I decided to stay at the hotel for two nights as a treat for my 10-year-old daughter as it was her first trip overseas. I booked the flights during a Qantas sale earlier in the year but kept the hotel choice a secret. Of course she had heard about the Infinity Pool and was miffed when I said we weren’t going to stay there. You can imagine her surprise when she finally realised we had two nights there! We arrived by cab from the airport at 8.30pm (MRT is very easy to use to get there if you want a cheaper option) to find the place absolutely buzzing with people. A porter quickly grabbed our bags and gave me a docket to give to reception to have my bags delivered directly to our room. Our check-in was efficient and we were given a room in Tower 3 on the fourth floor.

Instructions on how to access the pool was probably the most important thing and much to our delight, the pool is open until 11pm each night. A walk through the lobby takes you past Towers 1 and 2, several restaurants and shops. It is all interconnected so you just walk and walk and walk until you finally arrive at Tower 3. This place is huge!
Our room was a standard double room. A second bed was delivered, which did make the room a bit squashy. However, there was an ample sized bathroom which included a walk-in shower. I am a big hater of the “SHUB” (SHower tUB) so I was glad about this. Our room faced away from the bay and overlooked the Gardens by the Bay.
Our bags arrived at our room not long after we did so we changed and went straight to the pool deck. When you check in you are given a card. At the pool deck an attendant stamps your card and gives you a wristband so staff can see at a glance that you are a hotel guest. The pool is quite long, more than 75 metres and is divided into three parts. One part is solely for adults, while the other two are shared with children. There are also two spas for adults only, which overlook the gardens. There are towel stations with a large supply of fresh towels, so there is no chance of them running out! For those wanting to relax with a drink on a lounge, there is a drinks service on offer.
For those that haven’t seen them, an Infinity Pool is where the water appears to fall over the side of the building. There is no edge to see unless you swim up to it and look over or stand up on it. However, there is no chance of falling off as it is a fake edge. The pool itself isn’t overly deep, about 1.4 metres. The depth is the same throughout the pool.

Of course there is more to the hotel than the pool. But we left that until the next day.
Our breakfast was at one of the restaurants on the ground floor. It is a hive of activity in the morning so don’t be surprised if you need to queue. We were lucky as tables for two people was easy to get compared to a table for three or more. Once you get in, the buffet caters to all tastes. There are chefs on hand to cook eggs to your liking. The coffee isn’t too bad and hot chocolate is made to order.
After breakfast we went back to the pool for the morning. It was much busier than the night before and there were a lot more families around. The pool is actively patrolled by lifeguards who make sure no one sits on the pool wall (for safety reasons). It seems they are also useful for collecting sunglasses that people have dropped over the wall!

Quite a balancing act you might think? Well thankfully it is only an illusion as there is more than the wall preventing our lifeguard from toppling over and falling 57 storeys in to the bay!
So what does it look like behind the invisible wall? Well behind is a run off area for the water, followed by another wall and past that another walkway and fence, all of which is neatly hidden, giving that impression of nothing being there.

After spending most of the morning at the pool, we decided to venture over to the shopping centre and see what was on offer. Like most of the the shopping centres in Singapore, it is full of designer shops. We skipped those and headed for the food court. One gem about Singapore is eating in the food courts. Cheap meals and really really good! The centre also has an indoor “ice skating” rink. Another feature is a big water funnel. While wandering we stumbled across Din Tai Fung, which is one of my favourite dumpling restaurants. We decided that would be our dinner location for the evening.
Another afternoon was spend up on the pool deck before heading out to dinner and then back for the evening in the pool! Yes we were waterlogged by the end.
So after 2 nights we had to sadly check out and move to our next hotel further in town. Being such a large hotel there is always a queue where ever you try to check out, but they have plenty of staff on hand to make it speedy. Before leaving, we indulged at the Cafe which had an amazing collection of cakes and chocolates.
Before too long we were in a cab heading for our next hotel, much to the disappointment of my daughter, she kept longing for the pool.
It was a nice treat to stay here for 2 nights, but i won’t go rushing back. Yes the pool was great but I feel the place is getting overpriced, and although I didn’t encounter it, a few friends have expressed dismay about the staff attitude. If you really want to stay here, I recommend 2 nights as you’ll get the most amount of time with the pool.
To book visit there website: https://www.marinabaysands.com/
 

Have a question about the hotel? Post a comment below.

 

Note: This is a personal review by the author who stayed here on his own booking which was entirely self funded.