Anyone travelling to Singapore cannot avoid it. The giant Marina Bay Sands hotel occupies an important place on the skyline. The reason you should spend at least one night at the hotel? You can swim on its roof – in the world’s tallest infinity pool and with a stunning view of all of Singapore.
As a skyscraper lover, I had to and would sleep in this beautiful hotel. And so we did. I tell you all about our experience at this special hotel.
Marina Bay Sands: the iconic rooftop pool
For those unfamiliar with Marina Bay Sands, this gigantic hotel is home to the world’s largest and tallest infinity pool. The pool, which is only accessible to hotel guests, is 150 metres wide and is 195 metres high.
An overnight stay here is – to put it mildly – not cheap. But trust us, it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we thought it was worth every euro.
From hostel to luxury hotel
Unfortunately, our first backpacking trip together is almost over. For five weeks, we slept in cheap accommodation. Guest houses, hostels, cheap hotel rooms…. Time to end the trip in style. A highlight at the end of the trip. Pretty well thought out, I think.
We booked our hotel room months in advance through Booking.com and took the cheapest room.
We arrive at the reception of the Marina Bay Sands hotel with our backpacks. When the friendly gentleman behind the reception asks where we are from, I start talking about how beautiful I think Singapore is. In love with the countless skyscrapers, and how sorry I am that it is our very last night. Whether it was because of my enthusiasm I don’t know, but the friendly gentleman decided to give us a hotel room on a higher floor 😱
Sleeping on the 45th floor
We open our hotel room on the 45th floor. WOW. What a view! We have a balcony overlooking Gardens by the Bay. From the ground, the Super Trees look gigantic, from here they look so small. Extraordinary! We explore our room, what luxury we are not used to.We take a call, me from the bathroom and Denis from the bed. Because we can. What a lot of space.
Enthusiastically, I start taking the last selfies of the trip.
On the roof of Marina Bay Sands
Upstairs.We take the lift to the 57th floor.We decide to have a pint first.I look at the price list and gulp.What.One. Prices.$18 for a bottle of beer.I tell the waiter we are sharing a bottle.Denis looks at me funny.We explore the rooftop of Marina Bay Sands. What a beautiful view you have here. And so different from every part. We change clothes and dive into the pool. We are not the only ones. Thank goodness only hotel guests are allowed here, otherwise it would be even more crowded.
We swim about 200 metres up and have a breathtaking view of the whole of Singapore. We see all the skyscrapers and other buildings from a whole new vantage point.
It is very cloudy, but we still get a pretty nice sunset. What a treat this is.
The Gardens by the Bay light show from a different perspective
At 20:00 sharp, we are back on our balcony. The Gardens by the Bay light show begins.How cool to see it from this height!Very different from experiencing it from the ground.From the ground, you are among the crowds looking up, from here, the people seem to be just ants.
TIP: If, like us, you’re staying at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, make sure you know the times of the Gardens by the Bay light show!
After the light show, we go for something to eat in the food court of the Marina Bay shopping centre. At the hotel, it’s a bit too expensive anyway. Then we go back up on the roof and take some more photos.
The view is even better now, I think.And the joke is, it’s super quiet here now.
Meanwhile, I am used to the prices, we are no longer in Bali, but in affluent Singapore and on one of the world’s most beautiful rooftop bars. I happily order a few more pints at $18 each. You only live once, right?
Dining, going out, shopping, skating or gambling? It’s all possible!
The Marina Bay Sands hotel consists of more than a hotel with infinity pool.
On the 57th floor, you will find not only the pool, but also a nightclub and a restaurant.
We didn’t eat there ourselves, but we did enjoy sitting on the terrace where you have a completely different view than from the pool. Are you going to spend the night here? Definitely don’t just linger at the pool or hot tubes. Take a walk around, the views are different from every point, but equally beautiful.
And there is much more to do in the gigantic Marina Bay Sands complex. There is another casino, skating rink, a huge shopping mall with luxury brands and (of course) a food court where you can eat delicious local food for a few Singapore dollars.
Alternative: Observation Deck
As you’ve noticed, we can really recommend an overnight stay at Marina Bay Sands.
If you still find it too expensive – we understand – you can always opt to go to the Observation Deck. You won’t be able to get in the pool, but you can still enjoy the amazing views. You can buy tickets for less than €20 each via GetYourGuide.
Whether you opt for the Observation Deck or a night at the hotel, you can’t leave Singapore without having seen this view!
Fun facts about the Marina Bay Sands hotel
- The Marina Bay Sands hotel has a whopping 2,561 hotel rooms and consists of three hotel towers connected on the roof by a 340-metre-wide Skypark.
- The hotel is the 6th largest hotel in the world, but thus no hotel has a larger or higher rooftop pool.
- There are 250 trees and 650 plants on the SkyPark, which are self-watering thanks to the drip irrigation system.
- Rainwater is collected on the roof of the ArtScience museum and is used to flush the toilets, among other things.
- Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Aerosmith, The rolling stones, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Ashanti, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and many others have gone before you.
- Had you already read that this the infinity pool is 195 metres high and a whopping 350 metres wide? This is the largest and tallest infinity pool in the world!
- Always wanted to eat at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant? It’s possible at the Marina Bay Sands shopping centre: Bread Street Kitchen.
- The construction of the Marina Bay Sands hotel cost a whopping €8 billion.
- It also has one of the largest casinos in the world with 600 tables and 2,500 slot machines.