The Marina Bay Sands is a casino/ hotel owned by Las Vegas Sands with a lot of different things to do making it it’s own destination of sorts. Arguably the largest draw is at the top of the building, a spot called the Sky Park which has the world’s longest swimming pool that also happens to be an infinity pool (this means you can’t see the edge, giving you a beautiful uninterrupted view). However you can only visit the sky park and it’s 360 view of the Singapore skyline if you’re staying at the hotel. The cheapest it is to stay at the hotel per night will be approximately $400 and upwards of $1,200 depending on the time of year, day of the week, and type of room you get. I did not stay here.
Instead I wandered around the mall a couple of times. Once earlier in the day with my golden bubble milk tea while it was raining outside, enjoying the fun architecture (designed by Moshe Safdie, who you may remember from the rain vortex at Jewel) which is said to be inspired by a card decks and had ever step approved by feng shui consultants.
There’s even the lotus shaped art and science buildings on the grounds which is considered part of the resort. You’ll find a pond nearby it full of water and lotus and that’s where the beautiful twin to the rain vortex at Jewel is. It was fun to watch the rain pour through, however it did not give protection against the rain for very long.
Running through the shoppes is a canal with sampans (a wooden Chinese boat) people can rent ($10) to take them from one end to the other. They were kind of fun to watch go past, and when I was finished at the gardens and utterly exhausted I momentarily contemplated asking one to take me to the other end but decided against it.
Another draw to head towards Marina Bay Sands is Spectra!– A light and water show that can be watched for free at the event plaza.
It’s 15 minutes and you’ll find people sitting near the water way before the show in the hopes of getting a good seat. However once it started everyone stood up and ran forward to get a better look, making it a bit difficult for any children to really see. There are also lots of flashing lights and pyrotechnics so if you have any sensitivity to strobe lights do be careful when deciding to watch the show. Generally (due to special events the times may change so look it up or ask someone before hand) the shows are Sunday through Thursday at 8pm and 9pm or on Friday and Saturday at 8, 9, and 10pm.
Another fun thing to check out is the cascading waterfall that’s very similar to the one at Jewel. It’s called the rain oculus and dumps about 22,000 liters of water per minute. The sampan boats go past here and from there you can view it from below, or if you go to Spectra! you can view it from above. They suggest making a wish, and one of my friends suggested I throw a coin in, however I remembered that the boats go past below and that seemed like an accident waiting to happen so I didn’t. I’m not sure logistically where you’re suppose to make your wish near the rain occulus, but maybe ask a guide or an visitor information spot where is a good area to throw a coin in (or if you can) because you don’t want to accidentally hit someone two floors below with a coin. (And if you can only do it from the boat that’s a rather expensive wish)
Marina Bay Sands (and everything else that’s part of the resort) can easily be reached by the MRT (Bayfront, Promenade, and Marina Bay station via Circle Line, Downtown Line, and the North South Line), as well as bus and water taxi.
One thought on “Spectra! and Marina Bay Sands Shoppes”