Hello My Steeming Pals!
Once in a lifetime
“Enter”…. with a click on the keyboard the booking and payment went through. The hesitation was gone and a smile grew over my face as the confirmation message appeared on my screen. I had reserved a room (one night only), in one of the most iconic and perhaps exclusive hotels in the world… or so I thought.
I gathered my things quietly that morning at the backpacker hostel and hesitantly told the girl at reception that I would be back in a couple of days. Then, outside in the mid morning heat I waved down the first red TransCab Taxi that passed me by. “MBS” I said to the driver nonchalantly and noticed his eye brows rise with a hint of surprise. I sat in the back seat without saying another word and silently we drove off from the Kallang district and into the slow downtown Singapore traffic.
The MBS
The hotel resort has an astonishing shopping complex on the ground floor area radiating from the hotel lobby. There are convention centres, theatres, cinemas, an ice skating rink, an art-science museum and, of course, at the heart of it, a huge casino with around 1000 gambling tables and over 1300 slot machines.
Checking In
I was full of expectation as the taxi pulled up and dropped me off at the main complex entrance. I grabbed my bag, left the cab, and quickly walked inside. The bright marble clad lobby bustled with people speaking foreign languages from all over the world pulling tidy trolleys and suitcases. The place was alive and busy but, there were queues at the check in desks, actually very long queues that made the place feel more like an airport departure hall than a five star hotel reception area. A little perplexed I got in line and hoped to be dealt with quickly.
Forty very long minutes later my passport details were copied and I was handed a key to my room located on the seventh floor, in tower number three. Across the endless lobby I marched, past polished jewellery shops, inviting restaurants and some weird huge pots, twice the height of a man, that contained small, lonely looking trees.
The wait for the elevator seemed endless, so much that a number guests also standing with me gradually reached the point of mumbled profanity as they punched the buttons on the unresponsive elevator call consoles. Finally, one of the four lifts opened its doors and with relief we were ushered to our hotel room floors above. A quick glance at my watch told me it had taken me an hour to get to my room from the moment I entered the lobby.
The brown and beige decor of my room felt like a tribute to interior design from the seventies. My room was clean, bright, of a good size with a TV, a desk, a well stocked minibar and a small balcony looking on to the iconic “Gardens by the Bay” area. I liked it. It was pretty much what I had hoped for and things started to look better on this once in a life time extravaganza I had undersigned to.
The Pool
Next, was the famed MBS roof top pool I just had to see. There were instructions to follow for this and a dress code to adhere to. Diligently I put on my swim wear, donned the white poolside robes provided by the hotel and left my room with a sense of urgency. I sensed this was the highlight of my stay and wanted to make sure I didn’t need to fight for a sun lounger with a few hundred or so other guests who also felt like a dip in the water.
I met a sizeable number of these, at the elevator bottleneck, all wearing white robes and with solemn faces. Once again there was muffled spoken profanity, again the elevator call consoles were punched and slapped. I wondered whether this was some sort of hotel quirk or prank or perhaps a favourite pastime for guests at the MBS. Gloomily, I prepared myself for a long wait, prayed to the elevator gods, and joined the queue for a lift to the very top floor of tower three.
The pool area on the Sky Park was truly amazing. The views of Singapore’s sky line with the banking district on one side and the harbour on the other, were absolutely phenomenal and kept me transfixed in a gaze I found hard to break especially after dark.
The pool and poolside area were large enough for countless guests and although constantly at full capacity I found a sun bed to myself pretty easily. The swimming pool bar had friendly staff that served refreshments to the tables and bathers at the water’s edge and I noticed that the Singapore Sling was the cocktail of choice to casually sip while cooling off. There were hot tubs and masseurs available too for extra pampering if so desired.
I jumped into the world record holding swimming pool and joined the crowd of obsessed, selfie taking guests at the pool’s infinity edge with camera in hand. There was no way I was gonna miss out on taking pictures here!
The Casino
I spent most of the day on up in the Sky Park sipping cocktails and dipping in and out of the pool until well after dark. Later on in the night, I ventured down to the casino. The roulette and black jack tables dominated the scenery and some were particularly busy. Hundreds of Singapore dollars were played away mostly by Chinese punters with sizeable winnings for a lucky few and some painful losses for others. It was curious to notice how is was the ladies who seemed to have most of the cash for bets that night. I came away from one table 50 Sing. dollars better off, which was enough for me!
My Exit
In the morning I left the comfort of my massive king sized bed, gathered my things and reluctantly closed the door to my comfortable room behind me. I felt refreshed and in a good mood, until I turned the corner to the elevator landing area. I pressed the button on the lift call panel and crossed my fingers in hope. Lights flashed, numbers appeared on the elevator door side panel displays with arrows pointing up then down. It looked a bit like a slot machine from the casino on the ground floor. Fifteen minutes later I had made no progress at all, no elevator had given me the slightest sign of acknowledgement. Frustrated I turned around and searched for the emergency exit. Seven flights of steps and a steel door at the end led me to an inconspicuous exit on the high street not too far from the hotel taxi stand. Perfect.
So what do I think?
So, my friends.....what to make of the Marina Bay Sands?
Far from being a just hotel the MBS is gradually turning into a tourist trap. Let's face it, if it weren’t for the roof top pool and the views from the Sky Park there would really be little reason to choose the MBS as a place to stay in Singapore.
Would I go back again?
Maybe. I’m pleased I went but there are better five star hotels in Singapore for sure. Ones where the elevators work efficiently for example, and ones where breakfast is included in the price as well.
Some facts
The MBS is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation (USA) and cost 8 billion dollars to build.
The MBS Hotel complex employs around nine thousand people
Discounted rates for the MBS can be found on most hotel booking web sites. Occasionally prices are at their lowest for Monday afternoon check ins.
Lady Gaga, Tiger Woods and Snoop Dogg are just some of the US celebrities that have stayed at the MBS …….and no doubt went for a swim in the pool too…