So, we were deciding whether to go somewhere during the 1-week term break in March… but when you really only have a few days and don’t want to end up packing and unpacking and transferring from cabs to airplanes with kids in tow, a staycation seemed quite ideal.
Good thing too that we stayed close to home this time because I got hit by a really bad bout of viral conjunctivitis on Saturday that left me spending a few hours at Singapore General Hospital’s Accident & Emergency unit. We wouldn’t have made it past the airport customs with my red swollen eyes!
So this past weekend, we managed a quick getaway with some friends for a relaxing three-day-two-night stay at Marina Bay Sands. We got one room with the sea view and another with the bay view. The sea view is peppered with ongoing construction – it should be much nicer in a few months time.
Our rooms on the 22nd floor were spacious with standard amenities. In-room Cable TV (almost permanently locked to Cartoon Network!)…
Free WiFi high-speed internet (for surfing/iPhone-ing to our hearts’ content!)… Mini bar with complimentary TWG tea & Robert Timms coffee…
..And then of course the luxurious double beds - perfect for lazing around on…and for the boys to make soldier trenches – they stacked pillows and climbed in and out for over an hour, amazing to watch..
And finally, the BATH TUB.. no hotel stay would be complete without it! The kids took at least two long baths a day… at one point, three of them were playing in the bathtub together!
Outside, the highlight of MBS is its Infinity Pool and Sky Park on the 57th floor. It was quite simply breath-taking. Tall waving palms, inviting white poolside deck chairs, clear blue skies painted with picture-perfect white clouds, shimmering infinity pool with the city skyline stretching out as its backdrop.. We were impressed and we fell into step with the rhythm of relaxation in the heart of the city.
The swimming pool links to the Sky Park where you can take in the full expanse that is Singapore (I left my my camera in the room when I went on my walk and was too lazy to head back to get it, so no landscape pictures – OOPS!)…
IN AND AROUND MARINA BAY SANDS
We walked around to check out what else MBS has to offer. Besides the upmarket shopping areas, the Wonder Full light and water spectacular – a 13-minute show at the Event Plaza at the waterfront - was enjoyable and left the kids in awe. It’s entertainment a la Dubai and Las Vegas, combining giant water screens, lasers, LEDs and video projectors to create stunning visual effects, choreographed to a inspiring locally-composed original score and Sam Cooke’s ‘What a Wonderful World’… It was a memorable end to our stay!
For most part we spent our time in the hotel rooms, including eating in! We had Rasapura’s local delights, Korean Kraze Burgers, Cold Stone Creamery and takeaways from Marina Square’s Carl’s Junior, Lau Pa Sat…
Marina Bay Sands is a huge swanky venue – targeting business travellers, conventions, luxury shopping and dining. It isn’t quite a child/family friendly venue. The pool - whilst impressive - allowed only arm floats which isn’t ideal when you have younger kids; and as the kids pointed out, even the kid’s pool “doesn’t have a slide or playground”! The skating rink does present something different and was good fun for the 7-year-old girls – our boys unfortunately are under the age/height limit so they had to sit it out. We didn’t go to the ArtScience Musuem this trip – preferring to maximise the hotel stay.. save something for another outing!
And food, well, the options within MBS are largely between overpriced foodcourt fare and expensive celebrity restaurants. The “in-betweens” are quite uninspiring. Good thing MBS is located close to Marina Square / Suntec City / Lau Pa Sat and we are blessed with wonderful hubby/daddy who can’t do without a daily dose of leg-stretching, so we were brought some good (and decently-priced!) takeaway meals to supplement the MBS fare!
All in, it was a good break, stress-free and relaxing – we left very nicely re-charged! Happy holidays!
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