With all the travel restrictions in place and no where to go, I finally had a chance to book a staycation at Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I have always wanted to stay at the Marina Bay Sands for the experience but the rooms were quite pricey and in comparison to travelling overseas, it was much lower on my priority. With my last hotel stay in 2019 Dec from my India trip, I decided to treat myself to a staycation at MBS for my birthday and take the chance to recharge when I was notified of a great deal of SGD 299 per night stay.
I first booked my room in September and received my hotel confirmation via email as usual. Since then, I did not look at the email till nearer to my stay date in Dec and only then did I realise that all guest will need to pre-book their Infinity Pool sessions as each room is only entitled to an hour per day. When I finally tried to book a session a week ahead of my stay, the slots were all full. I tried to email them for help but the staff could not promise anything and I was to try again at check in. So very importantly, remember to pre-book your pool sessions the moment you get your hotel confirmation.
On my day of check in, I arrived at 2.30 pm since the stipulated check in timing was 3 pm but alas I did not check the pre-booking of check in slots sent via email to me a day prior to my stay and I turned up in horror faced with this huge crowd at the lobby. There was easily 50 over people crowding at the lobby waiting to check in and the next slot available was at 5pm if I was to SMS for a slot. I decided to get help as my exhibition tickets was timed at 5 pm. Very gratefully, a staff understood my plight and brought me for a faster check in process via their suites lounge.
The suites check in lounge was a separate area just next to the main check in counters which resembles an airport members lounge. There were about 5 groups ahead of me waiting to complete their check in process. While waiting, a friendly staff is ready to serve you coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices and water. I waited close to 15 mins before my number was called and once I sat down, the lady greeted me cheerfully and wished me Happy Birthday as she looked at the records. She was very upbeat and immediately made the long wait forgettable. She was also helpful in helping me secure some slots for the infinity pool since this was my birthday stay.
After getting my room cards, I took another 30 mins to get my room credits of SGD 120 for being a Sands lifestyle member and the credits can be used to offset the hotel charges or any dining establishments part of the program. The corridors are brightly lit and very clean and well maintained.
This is my deluxe room with a view of the gardens. The room is very spacious with one armchair and small table and a long table. The twin beds were like a small double bed and was generally softer than I would like my bed. The pillows in my opinion was too flat and soft so I had to half stack them for the right support.
This is the view of the balcony where there is enough space for 2 to stand but not enough for chairs to sit and enjoy the view.
The bathroom was huge with a standalone bath tub area and a separate shower and toilet area complete with double sinks which is ideal for twin sharing rooms.
All towels and bath robe were vacuumed packed separately for hygiene and virus prevention.
Basica amenities like safe, hair dryer, ironing board, umbrella, bedroom slippers were all provided.
As I received a free upgrade to premium deluxe, the room came with daily top ups of complimentary snacks and drinks.
Coffee was also available with the in room Nespresso machine and capsules provided which is also topped up daily.
The stay is not complete without a visit to the infinity pool and with the help of the check in staff, I managed to get 2 slots, once in the morning and another late at night to catch the different sights. Only guests with slots booked were allowed so the pool was wonderfully not overcrowded which is why I could take many wonderful pictures.
The staff from the coffee house will go around to take orders for breakfast by the pool at a not so friendly price but it is worth the splurge once in a while.
The pool at night has a totally different feel because of the lights from the pool as well as the lights from the skyline.
The pool was pretty cold at night due to the winds and take some time to get used to the temperature. Towels are provided at the pool for each guests and you are required to scan in with your room card ( 1 room card per person ) and they will also strictly keep to the 1 hour slot as they will get everyone to exit the pool once the hour is up. Once everyone has exited, the staff actually disinfects and cleans all the deck chairs before the next group enters which is good during these periods.
Overall, the stay at MBS was pretty good with the view and the 6 star service of their staff being the highlight. The rooms itself are general like any other 5 star hotel and nothing too fantastic to wow me. The bed and pillows were too soft for me and the initial amenities provided was insufficient although rectified upon request.
I liked that they provided 1 room card per guest and an additional card for the electricity slot so the room can be kept at the guest’s ideal temperature. The check in process did take a long time so I had limited time to enjoy the free facilities like the sauna and steam bath. As a good gesture, they also sent a cake to my room for my birthday so I am wowed more by their service and attention to small details to make me a possible returning customer.
Address: 10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018956
Room Rates start from: SGD 446 ( non promotion rate)
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