Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Marina Bay Sands is the building that defines the modern Singapore skyline — three soaring 55-storey hotel towers joined at the top by a vast, boat-shaped SkyPark that appears to float a fifth of a kilometre above the city. Opened in 2010 and designed by architect Moshe Safdie, this 'integrated resort' is far more than a hotel: beneath and around it lie a luxury shopping mall, a casino, a lotus-shaped museum, theatres, celebrity restaurants and a waterfront promenade. Its rooftop infinity pool, seeming to spill toward the horizon, is one of the most photographed sights in Asia, and the whole complex anchors the Marina Bay waterfront where the city stages its grandest events and nightly light shows. Whether you stay, dine, shop, gamble or simply admire it from across the water as it glows after dark, Marina Bay Sands is the centrepiece of a Singapore visit and a symbol of the city's soaring ambition.

The crowning feature is the SkyPark, the boat-shaped platform spanning the three towers some 200 metres up, longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall. It is home to gardens, restaurants and bars, and the famous infinity pool — but here an important distinction matters: the infinity pool is reserved for hotel guests only, so the only way to swim in that iconic, edge-of-the-sky water is to stay at the hotel. Day visitors can instead buy a ticket to the SkyPark Observation Deck, which offers a superb panorama over Marina Bay, the Gardens by the Bay, the city and the harbour full of ships. Alternatively, you can enjoy the same lofty view with a drink or meal at one of the rooftop bars and restaurants, such as a celebrity-chef venue or the famous club, often without a separate deck ticket. For the view alone, the observation deck or a rooftop bar both deliver; for the pool, you must be a guest.

At ground level and below, Marina Bay Sands is a destination in itself. The Shoppes is a sprawling luxury mall with international designer boutiques, a canal where you can ride a sampan boat indoors, a rain-oculus where water funnels down from the street above, and a wide range of restaurants and food. The casino, one of the largest in the world, occupies several floors (note that locals pay an entry levy, while tourists enter free with a passport). On the waterfront promontory sits the striking, lotus-shaped ArtScience Museum, whose rotating exhibitions and the permanent Future World digital-art experience are a hit with families. Add the Sands Theatre for big-name shows and a line-up of celebrity-chef restaurants, and the complex easily fills a day or evening even before you consider the views. This concentration of shopping, dining, art and entertainment under one development is part of what makes Marina Bay such a magnet.

Every evening, the waterfront in front of Marina Bay Sands becomes a stage for Spectra, a free outdoor light-and-water show. Choreographed jets of water, lasers, lights and music play out over the bay in a performance lasting several minutes, telling a story of Singapore's journey and best watched from the Event Plaza promenade beside the mall or from across the water. It runs a couple of times each night, typically around 8 and 9pm with extra shows at weekends, and costs nothing — making it one of the city's most popular free evening attractions. Combined with the Garden Rhapsody Supertree show just across the bay, the two free light shows can be enjoyed in a single evening with a short walk between them. Arriving a little early secures a good spot along the railing. For many visitors, watching Spectra with the illuminated Marina Bay Sands towering overhead is the defining image of a night in Singapore.

Marina Bay Sands is reached directly by the Bayfront MRT station, which connects into the basement of The Shoppes, or by taxi and Grab; it is also an easy walk around the bay from the city centre and Gardens by the Bay. Entry to the complex, the mall, the promenade and the Spectra show is free; you pay only for the SkyPark Observation Deck (around US$26 / 36 dollars for adults), the museum, shows and dining, while the infinity pool requires a hotel stay. A few tips: time a visit for the evening to catch the Spectra show and the lit skyline; consider a rooftop bar as an alternative to the observation-deck ticket, since a drink can come with the same view; and combine the visit with Gardens by the Bay next door for a complete Marina Bay evening. Allow a couple of hours, or much longer if you shop, dine and take in a show.