Marina Bay

Marina Bay Sands

★★★★★

Marina Bay Sands is the hotel with the pool, and there is no honest way to describe it without starting there. The infinity pool on the SkyPark, Level 57, stretches about 150 meters along the top of the three towers, and its edge seems to drop straight into the skyline; it is open from early morning until midnight and only hotel guests with keycards can use it, which is the main reason many visitors book at least one night. The pool is busy in the middle of the day, so the trick is to go at opening or late at night when the city is lit up. The rest of the hotel is a very large, very efficient resort of about 1,850 rooms and suites, all renovated in a multi-year transformation that finished in 2025: the main Sands Collection rooms are calm and contemporary, with large windows facing either the city skyline across the bay or Gardens by the Bay and the Strait, and family suites include a children's room with bunk beds. The Paiza Collection of suites, at the top of the market, adds butlers and very large spaces. Below the towers is the integrated resort: the casino, the Shoppes mall with its indoor canal, the ArtScience Museum, theatres, and a long list of celebrity-chef restaurants, plus Jin Ting Wan, a Cantonese restaurant that opened on Level 55 in 2025. Bayfront MRT is in the basement, and Gardens by the Bay is a bridge away.

The experience is big and busy by design. Check-in can involve queues at peak times (online check-in and the app help), the lifts are well organised but crowded around pool hours, and the public spaces are full of conference delegates, shoppers and casino visitors. Guests who expect a quiet boutique stay will be disappointed; guests who want the spectacle, convenience and a front-row seat on the skyline will love it. Rooms are now in good condition after the renovation, with modern bathrooms and smart controls, and the beds are excellent.

Choosing a room: city-view rooms face west over the bay to the CBD towers and the Merlion and are the classic choice; garden-view rooms face Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Strait, which is especially pretty at sunrise and when the Supertrees light up. Higher floors cost more and are worth it. Families should look at the family suites. Club-level and Paiza options include lounge access and a calmer arrival. Rates rise sharply at weekends, during the Formula 1 race in the autumn and over major holidays; midweek stays are better value.

Make the most of it by planning around the pool: swim at sunrise, take a dip again at night with the skyline lit, and use the SkyPark gardens and the rooftop bar. The Spectra light show over the bay is visible from city-view rooms and from the Event Plaza, and the Gardens by the Bay light show is a short walk away. One night is enough for many visitors who simply want the pool; longer stays work well for families and anyone who will use the resort's restaurants and shopping.