Stand on a Cantilever Above the Bay
The defining moment of a visit to Marina Bay Sands comes when you step out onto the Sands SkyPark. This 1.2-hectare tropical oasis sits atop the three hotel towers, bridging all of them, with a segment cantilevered off the north tower. The platform is one of the world's longest public cantilevers, and the skyway connecting the towers stretches 340 metres — longer than the Eiffel Tower. From up there, the city and the bay open out beneath you. The infinity swimming pool, at 150 metres, traces the edge of the platform. This is the image you have seen; standing at its edge is another thing entirely.
The resort itself, designed by Moshe Safdie (who says the design was initially inspired by card decks), is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay and a landmark of the city. It opened in stages: the casino first, then the resort and SkyPark in June 2010, with the full integrated resort completed in early 2011. The three towers are broader at the base and narrow as they rise, each with two asymmetric legs — the curved eastern leg leaning against the other — a structural challenge that required substantial temporary supports during construction.
What You Actually Do Inside the Complex
Marina Bay Sands is more than a hotel and a viewpoint. The complex holds a concentration of things to see and do under and around those three towers:
- The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands — a 74,000-square-metre luxury shopping mall, and home to the world's first Louis Vuitton Island Maison, one of the floating pavilions that opened in 2011.
- The ArtScience Museum — a 19,000-square-metre museum that opened to the public in February 2011.
- The casino — 500 tables and 3,000 electronic gaming machines arranged around a four-storey central atrium with four levels of gaming and entertainment. Foreign visitors enter free on presenting a passport; Singapore citizens and permanent residents pay a daily entry levy.
- The theatre — a 2,183-capacity venue that opened with a performance of Riverdance in November 2010.
- The floating Apple store — the world's first, sitting on the water.
- The restaurants — celebrity chef, signature and Michelin-starred dining, with seven celebrity chef restaurants opening as part of the February 2011 celebrations.
- The indoor skating rink — artificial ice, opened in December 2010.
Look for Wonder Full, the 13-minute light, laser and water show that debuted in February 2011 and marked the full completion of the resort. Its first performance accompanied the ArtScience Museum's public opening — a pairing worth remembering when you plan your evening.
How to Make the Most of Your Visit
Give the resort at least half a day, and split it between ground level and the SkyPark. Start indoors during the heat of the day — the ArtScience Museum, the Shoppes and the casino atrium give you hours of air-conditioned ground to cover — then head up to the SkyPark as the light softens. The pool and the cantilevered edge are the highlight; don't rush past them.
Time your evening around Wonder Full. Because it combines light, laser and water, it is best seen after dark, and it is the kind of show that rewards arriving early enough to find a good vantage point rather than treating it as an afterthought. If you are visiting in September or October, note that the Singapore Grand Prix is an on-street Formula One race held in the streets of Marina Bay — book well in advance, as tickets sell out within minutes, and a seat on the main straight puts you where the overtaking happens.
The resort is being expanded to include a fourth hotel tower, an arena and additional convention space, so expect some parts of the precinct to be in transition when you visit.
What Else Is Within Reach
Marina Bay itself is the reason the resort sits where it does, and the surrounding district rewards a longer walk. Directly behind Marina Bay Sands are the Gardens by the Bay, a futuristic garden worth pairing with your visit. The Esplanade theatre — Singapore's world-class performing arts venue and a frequent stage for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra — is also in Marina Bay. And if you want to see where Singaporeans shop beyond the mall, the wider Marina Bay area is one of the places to look, alongside Bugis and Orchard Road.
Start With the SkyPark, Then Let the Bay Pull You In
Decide first when you want to be on the SkyPark — late afternoon, with the evening show to follow, is the natural rhythm of a day here — then build the rest of your visit around it: the museum and the Shoppes while the sun is high, the casino atrium if you're curious, dinner among the restaurants, and Wonder Full to close. From there, the Gardens by the Bay and the Esplanade are a short walk away, and Marina Bay becomes not a single stop but an afternoon and an evening.