On my last trip to Singapore I decided to splurge and spend two nights at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to find out for myself if it is worth the high price. I will elaborate on the reasons I enjoyed my stay in my full review below but for me the short answer is yes the Marina Bay Sands is worth it for a night or two.
Marina Bay Sands Review
Marina Bay Sands Price
Before I get into my full review, I wanted to answer how much it costs to stay at the Marina Bay Sands. The price of a room obviously depends on the type of room and your travel dates but it can vary significantly day by day. For example, when I stayed at the Marina Bay Sands, room prices for Thursday and Friday were about $200 lower than they would have been if I had also stayed on Saturday and Sunday. If you have some flexibilily and are thinking about staying at the Marina Bay Sands I recommend using a website where you can check a calendar of room prices so you can pick the cheaper dates.
The price also varies depending on the type of room, your view (you can face the sea or the city) and by floor (lower floors are slightly less expensive as they don’t have as good of a view). Prices start at S$399 a night (about $300 US) for the lowest price room.
Marina Bay Sands Location
The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is part of the Marina Bay Sands complex which also houses restaurants, a casino, stores and more. The Marina Bay Sands is walking distance to several major attractions like the Gardens by the Bay, the Helix Bridge the waterfront promenade and the Merlion so it is a convenient base if your time in Singapore is short.
Marina Bay Sands Room
Our room was on the 48th floor and had a Harbour View. We had a tiny balcony with a great view of the harbour and Gardens by the Bay at a distance.
The room was nice and we had no complains. There was a fully stocked minibar but you could also call and request a real fridge.
Marina Bay Sands Service and Amenities
All the employees provided excellent service and housekeeping even folded up some of the towels into cute animals.
The gym was excellent. In addition to a great view it was pretty large and had a large collection of exercise machines.
Infinity Pool
So the most important part of the review is the pool since the famous infinity pool is the reason most people stay at the Marina Bay Sands.
The pool can only be accessed by hotel guests. Hotel key cards (one key card per person) must be scanned when entering and exiting the pool area.
At 150m long, the pool at the Marina Bay Sands is the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool. It has a great view of the city skyline.
You can order drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and food at the pool. Here are links to the breakfast menu and the lunch/dinner menu.
The Infinity Pool is split into three sections: an adults-only area, a family-friendly section, and a dedicated children’s pool.
The pool is open pretty long hours: 6am – 11pm daily (subject to closure at 9pm on special dates). Singapore is hot and humid all day and night so it is always hot enough to swim in the pool.
I visited the pool twice – once in late morning and around sunset (unfortunately it was cloudy that day so the sunset was not very beautiful). In the morning, there were plenty of empty chairs. The pool was busier late afternoon after check-in but we still found chairs right away.
I was a bit worried I would not enjoy the pool because I had read it could get crowded but I did not find the crowds to be an issue and I was able to find a chair for my towel even during the busiest time. Yes there are a lot of people at the pool but since the pool is so large and there are so many chairs it did not feel that crowded. The water in the pool was pretty warm so it was very comfortable to lounge in the pool and enjoy the view.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the Marina Bay Sands pool. I might be biased because I really enjoy swimming and lounging in pools but I found it to be super relaxing.
Is the Marina Bay Sands Worth It?
As I mentioned in the intro, yes I think the Marina Bay Sands is worth it. While rooms can be pricey, the pool is a great place to relax and enjoy great city views.
There are also other reasons to stay the Marina Bay Sands in addition to the pool such as location, great service and a great gym. The hotel is large and busy so it is not a great place to stay if you like smaller boutique hotels or personal attention but that is not an issue for me as I usually stay at large hotels. Honestly, I did not have any complaints or problems with my stay.
If you do decide to stay at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, I would recommend staying 2 nights rather than 1 night if your budget allows for a couple of reasons. First, due to the check in and check out times, you might not get a full day at the hotel if you only stay for one night. Also it frequently rains in Singapore which could limit your pool time. Usually it only rains just for a short time, but on our last day in Singapore it rained on and off most of the day (fortunately it was after we had checked out of the Marina Bay Sands and moved to a different hotel in Singapore).
Would I stay at the Marina Bay Sands again? Yes I would stay at the Marina Bay Sands again for a night or two if I had time to enjoy the pool.
Has anyone else stayed at the Marina Bay Sands and did you think it was worth it? Would you stay there again?
Still not sure if the Marina Bay Sands is worth it? Click here to read Tripadvisor reviews.
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I’ve stayed twice, most recently this passed May. I splurged for a suite that turned out to be quite nice. Faced the Gardens by the Bay, my main interest, with a small balcony. Another nice feature is included breakfast at the Restaurant on the pool deck with excellent views of the Gardens. The included happy hour was very crowded and had moved to an indoor location a floor down from the roof deck. Great service. Although I hate to give money to The evil Sheldon Adleson
How can you review it (and say that “it was worth it”) without disclosing what it cost you (whether it points or cash, etc).?
Check-in looks like a zoo, as the lobby(s) are basically inside a giant, long shopping mall. I walked through (from one end all the way to the other, all 3 towers worth) on my way to the observation-deck elevators.
Good point, I added a section about the cost of a room. I paid $432 per night but the cost varies so others could find a cheaper price depending on their travel dates or pay more for a larger room with a better view.
Yes check in is definitely busy and took longer than usual but it was not too bad.
My husband and I stayed there, after staying at the Conrad Singapore and the Kayon Ubud in Bali. MBS is no comparison – not worth it. We put it in the “one and done” category, and one night would have been sufficient. The buffet breakfast was awesome, the pool was great (and loved that they actively policed kids in the adult pool), but there were too many people and it was just too big for our tastes. We are glad we stayed there to get to experience the pool, but I’ll be looking at the Conrad Singapore when I return.
I’m with Chris. I’m glad we did it but will probably not do it again. The pool was way too crowded and noisy. Bucket list, check. Will check out other hotels in Singapore next time I’m there.
I’ve stayed at a couple of other hotels in Singapore and enjoyed them as well but have yet to stay at the Conrad Singapore. Will keep it in mind for my next visit.
I stayed at Marina Bay Sands for two days last December and it is good that I changed my mind to book for 2 days and not the supposed to be 4 days. I checked in at Holiday Inn Express on my 3rd and 4th day. I can say that the Hotel is good for an experience of the infinity pool and the Marina Bay Sands itself. It was peak season so I expect crowd in the pool and everywhere. I was just luck that the weather is favorable sunny but not too hot. I went to the pool early morning so I was able to enjoy the Jaccuzi and the pool with less crowd though for me natural spring water is still the best for swimming and we have lots of that here in the Philippines.
I share your sentiments, having stayed there myself once. The pool really was spectacular with incredible views. I also found the staff excellent.
It’s really gratifying when I see pictures or video of Singapore and MBS and am able to recall what it was like to be and stay there instead of just wishing and hoping to someday.