It’s one of those sights that you simply can’t peel your eyes away from. Not when you’re at the edge of the pool overlooking Marina Bay and downtown Singapore, nor when you’re lounging on a chair staring across the water and enjoying the full “infinity edge” phenomenon. Walk over to one of the jacuzzis on the other side and you’re overlooking the ocean and Gardens by the Bay — hundreds of ships are in view, all the way to the horizon. Even better is the scene at night, with the entire city and marina lit up brilliantly against a beautiful dark sky. If that’s not enough, occasionally remind yourself that you’re on a massive boat that’s sitting atop the three giant hotel towers, 57 floors up from the ground.
Needless to say, our night in Marina Bay Sands was worth every penny.
The hotel itself is simply enormous, connected directly to the MRT (subway), a casino, club, and shopping complex with every high-end store you could imagine, making Rodeo Drive look shabby. Even the lobby was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before — it was strikingly huge, yet not unnecessarily flashy or overstated. A giant metal piece of art hung from the ceiling near tower 1 registration, which looked like a big orgo molecule with C-C single bonds in every direction. At night, a live band played from one of the bars in the lobby, creating a unique ambiance in such a massive space. (I’m guessing we were the only group who took the MRT from the airport, and one of few groups of young 20-somethings spending a night in the hotel.)
The six of us had three rooms in total — Yukun and I were on the 22nd floor, and we all had a fantastic view of the ocean. We spent most of the first day in the hotel, either at the infinity pool or in the delicious food court downstairs. Marina Bay Sands is so connected to everything that we didn’t even see the hotel from a distance until 10pm that night, when we headed to Gardens by the Bay for some nighttime photo shots of our accommodation.
After soaking in the infinity pool at sunset and at night, we strolled around Marina Bay and headed to sleep on some wonderfully comfortable beds.
The following morning, our late check-out was at 12pm so Yukun and I took one last dip in the infinity pool and jacuzzi. I hunted down a lounge chair that was as close to the pool as possible, and tried to take a few mental pictures so I could remember the view forever.
For lunch, Paul recommended getting the pork rice porridge from the food court, which turned out to be amazing. Way better than oatmeal, without a doubt. Asian food has really been hitting the spot over the past few days, mostly because Frankie and Yukun are pros at knowing which dishes to order. Now I’m really starting to understand why Americanized Asian food in the U.S. often just doesn’t cut it.
After check-out, Ranvir, Paul, Yukun, and I headed to the National Orchid Garden, a nice respite from the city-heavy touring that we’ve been doing in KL and downtown Singapore. We thought the whole area was beautiful and enjoyed the scenery, and I’m sure orchid aficionados would be blown away by the diversity. They even had a section of VIP Orchids, so I’m sure this place is a big deal. We liked seeing the carnivorous plants, because insect-eating plants are awesome (and are located inside the “Cool House” — a nice temperature when you’re in equator sun otherwise).
I split off from the group since my flight to Tokyo was earlier at night than theirs to Taipei, and headed back to Marina Bay to check out the famous Merlion statue — a famous symbol of Singapore. It was nice taking in the sights one last time and seeing Marina Bay Sands from across the water. It’s really breathtaking.
In terms of Singapore itself: it’s probably the safest, cleanest, most efficient, and well-organized city that I’ve visited to date (although we’ll soon find out if Tokyo or Seoul is the real leader in these categories). The airport bathroom even had an sanitized digital sign that asked you to rate its cleanliness. Singapore is notorious for issuing fines for just about anything — littering, chewing gum, spitting, smoking, etc. Moreover, they still practice caning for certain offenses, and there is a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking. The U.S. might have some cash/jail time fines like these, but the enforcement is beyond serious in Singapore, and CCTV cameras are everywhere. This makes the city incredibly safe and clean. (The picture of the subway station is just one example.) We certainly didn’t hesitate to obey, and checked ourselves before opening a water bottle or granola bar on the subway. Nobody felt like getting caned on this trip.
Other random tidbits:
– Singapore is a very international city — signs were usually in at least 4 languages, and as many as 6 or more.
– They use “alight” instead of “exit” on public transportation. For example, “Please allow other passengers to alight before boarding.”
– Changi airport seriously needs to be reduced in size. It took me 30-45 minutes in just walking time from the MRT to my gate, not counting immigration, security, etc.
– Security was at the gate, not before a section of gates like in every other airport. This means there are no bathrooms, food, or water while you’re waiting for your plane at the gate, and you have to pee like a dehydrated racehorse when you finally get on the plane. I guess even Singapore can make terrible decisions at times.