Singapore's cityscape architecture is not known for its creativity before the early 2000s but all that changed when the 144-meter high Parkview Square was completed in 2002.
Known fondly as the Gotham City building, it was built in the art deco style popularized in the 1920s and while it might not look like much from afar; the devil is in the details.
Dotted with numerous sculptures and statues in and around the building, it was said that a photoshoot would set you back by as back as S$5,000, and that was the amount I heard about a decade ago.
Whatever the case, my purpose of visit was to check out Atlas Bar, which was, at one time, listed as Asia's top bar in the world! I have been trying to secure a reservation for their high tea, without any success, and it was decided that I would just walk in!
I didn't bring my DSLR; a shame as the pictures taken would have been much better, I feel. Nevertheless, this was a iconic sight to behold; a 3-storey gin tower said to house over a thousand gins! Not that it matters for me since I drink more beer than gin.
The whole bar exuded a classic aura of opulence and I think it would be even nicer at night, although I always prefer natural illumination for easier photo taking.
We weren't seated immediately as the bar was full at about 3.30pm and it was a wait of about 30 minutes before we were given seats near the windows where the setting sun warmed us! p.s. it was hot!!
Capturing the signature ATLAS memento; it's time to go up to the second level.
Do note not to bring your drinks, and flash photography is disallowed.
Let's walk up! It's great that the establishment thought of having this option as otherwise; many customers would be jostling to capture shots on the ground floor and these could be a disturbance for fellow customers.
Elevated view on the second level. With an impressive 15-meter high ceiling, with steel-like columns and murals, I was in awe of the sheer glamour of the designs. There appeared to be a walkway right beneath the ceiling; I wonder if public can access.
Noticing there were stairs leading up the gin tower, I enquired and understood that the other side was off limit. Bet many would take the bottles of gin as props for selfies.
Last shot of my friend as more and more people were coming up to take photos! Do keep in mind to limit your photo-taking to no more than five minutes.
Drinks' time! Pilsner Urquell from the Tap beer and The Grand Pour champagne cocktail. Mine was the beer given how hot it was and it was a delight to have, although I still have better affections for Japanese beer.
Lobster Roll - we weren't too keen with more food as two hours had yet to pass since lunch at Beef Sukiyaki Don Keisuke! A visual treat, the lobster meat was crunchy and nice, and went well with the toasty, crisp brioche bread; a cheaper alternative to burger and lobster where the lobster roll cost S$46 now!
Carrot Cake - moist and delicious, with plenty of walnuts and without being overladen with sugar! I must check out the recipe that a friend shared with me previously.
Orange Blossom Martini - said to have hints of chocolate and orange, I am afraid my unrefined taste buds didn't manage to catch any of those hints, except for a lil bit of mintness!
A few other random photos. Atlas Bar opened at the same time as Parkview Square which put it at an age of more than two decades. Although it's no longer Asia's top bar, it still commanded a pretty reputable global rank of 67 according to the list here.
Rainbow due to a reflection!
Personally, it's another item struck off my humble bucket list, where we paid almost S$150 for two persons. Any learning points? Once is enough even though it's a place where you might be able to impress your dates; I prefer KOMA though.
Friends who know me well would be aware I am not the kind of person who would splurge on hotels; about 10 years ago, the budget for a hotel room couldn't even exceed S$50! However, there's one particular dream hotel that I had been wanting to stay at and it's located right here in Singapore.
The iconic Marina Bay Sands. There were many comments about the design in the beginning; some said it's like a cruise ship stranded atop of a building, superstitious ones mentioned the three towers signify three incense sticks or even gravestone. Whatever the case, we can't deny that its presence changed Singapore's cityscape.
Started operations in Singapore 11 years ago, I never had the opportunity to stay there as I simply couldn't stomach the hotel rate of more than S$300 a night; that's six times my budget and to pay so much for a local staycation is just not my cup of tea.
Opportunity came knocking a few months back when Alex got a text on his mobile phone; a complimentary two-night stay at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) given his membership with MBS loyalty programme! Fast forward to 6 May; our arrival at the entrance of Marina Bay Sands' Tower 3.
Stepping in; the high ceiling with skewed sides drew our attention. As this area is open to the general public, I had actually been to this area, just in a different capacity; from a curious, secret fan to an official stayer.
After checking in, it's time to go up! Due to the pandemic, enforcement was in place to ensure only registered guests are allowed to take the lifts and the service staff would verify your name on the system.
For your reference! MBS "permits a maximum of 5 unique individuals" in each room on any single day and they should not stay beyond 10pm. p.s. this was in June before the heightened alert kicked in and regulations might change.
Level 34 - the common floor for both lift lobbies; one covers level 2 to level 34 whereas the other takes charge of level 34 to level 57. And our room; conveniently located on level 34. Well, somewhat mid floor that wasn't too low as we expected a lower floor given that that room was free.
Without doubt, it's a spectacular view of the Singapore skyline! And given my recent purchase of DJI Pocket 2, let's play around with its functions.
Here's a short, 10-second, time-lapsed video for your viewing!
All the notable monuments, places of interests in front of me; which one could you recognise from the above photos? Merlion, Asian Civilisation Museum, Victoria Theatre, Parliament House, Fullerton Hotel, Clarke Quay, Anderson Bridge; what else?
Corridor on level 34. Windows on both ends and I know of them would likely be blocked by the neighbouring Tower 2.
The above was the view on the other end; overlooking the Marina, Bugis, Kallang areas which would include Singapore Flyer, the National Stadium, Floating Platform (venues for National Day Parade, River Hongbao) etc.
Resting my feet; obviously not!
I was taking another time-lapsed video! Love how the clouds change over that short period of time. Now that I am more comfortable with the usage of DJI Pocket 2, I shall remove that panning option!
This corner allows me to take a look-up view of the end of the MBS rooftop; quite similar to a huge helium airship in the air.
Room
Time for us to check out the hotel room assigned to us; room number 3412. Coincidentally, the room for our last staycation at Parkroyal Collection (Pickering) was 1234!
Back when keycards started to replace physical keys, many of us would try all means to stick something into the holder so that air-conditioning would continue to run so that the room would be cool upon our return. No need for that in MBS as a temporary keycard was placed in the holder.
Our decently-sized room; in Alex's case, he didn't like huge rooms and in our recent staycation at Sentosa's Equarius Hotel, the room was large and it kind of freaked him out a bit. Shall share more when I post a review of my stay.
I always find such lonesome sofa chair to be a decorative item; for us, it's usually either a place for us to put our belongings or to place our towels over.
Same goes for this but to be fair, hotels to me are merely places for me to sleep and I am not a heavy user for their amenities, even for their gym and pool. This tabletop would be important in my next staycation as I am trying out the work from hotel concept!
In the past, having a mirror facing the bed are bound to have a lot of rumours pertaining paranormal activities within the hotel room. Nowadays, with rooms getting smaller, I do think it's not that uncommon anymore.
Don't you just love it when hotel provides both in-built USB charging ports and universals sockets in your room?! It's so much more convenient for travellers and having the USB ports should be at least a basic necessity.
This set of big drawers at the TV console can even hold our luggage; p.s. we had emptied out the luggage before placing it inside. Can't afford the repair / replacement cost if the drawer collapses.
Complimentary bottled water on the bedside table. Hotels normally only provide two bottles but not in MBS; there were four bottles. Wait, what's that card?
Name of our designated guest service agent who helped to clean up our room! It's always good to see a name and damn; he had such nice handwriting!
Mini-fridge; stingy me would know to touch only the bottled water (yes, we were provided with six bottles in total) as the other snacks and beverages should be chargeable. Point is; according to the notice pasted on the fridge door, they are complimentary and replenished daily! Felt so loved!
Wardrobe with bathrobes, slippers, ironing board, in-room safe, extra pillow / blanket and a hairdryer in one of the drawers.
Sustainability message should you want to do your part by reusing your linen and towels. I am not that particular about linen if it is just a two night stay but towels should be changed daily as I use it at least twice a day.
Now, the balcony view; available only if your room faces the Singapore Straits. Maybe for the next round of stay, we would request for a city view which was said to be more breathtaking.
Narrow balcony; you can't even place a chair there! Maybe that's what the sofa chair is for; open up the doors, turn the sofa chair the other way and enjoy both the views and likely the bites from mosquitoes.
Photos taken at night and the next morning! No time-lapsed video as I didn't bring a flexible mount to hook up the DJI Pocket 2. Maybe next time.
How could I forget about the bathroom which was technically three components with a washup sink in the middle of both the toilet and shower.
Sad, no bidet.
Double sadness, no rainfall shower. I am okay with no bathtub as it's a literal waste of time. Furthermore, if we need to soak, I believe the rooftop infinity pool would be a better option, just that you can't strip naked.
Toiletries and bathroom amenities for your reference. The Roberto Cavalli brand is said to sell "luxury clothing, perfume and leather accessories". Atas.
Gymnasium
Known as the Banyan Tree Fitness Club, this hotel gym is located on level 55 of Tower 2, same level as Club 55; the "exclusive lounge for Club Room, Grand Club Room and Suite guests".
Registration is via SMS and once your queue is called, you are given 15 minutes to enter the gym. Once I signed in, I had to check-in via the Tracetogether app and the counter would pass a bottled water, a wet wipe and a small towel.
Pretty well equipped but I was stopped from taking more photographs due to personal privacy concerns. Fine, I am good with following rules and regulations; given that I am Singaporean all my life.
Panorama of the city skyline on level 55! No personal privacy concern. There's also a sauna / steam room / hot bath in the gym but queue is separate and you would have to indicate accordingly in your SMS request.
Infinity pool, the World's Longest Elevated Swimming Pool, was just above us! I am not an architecture student and finds it mindboggling that the support for the pool was concentrated at just three major points via the three towers.
Infinity Pool
Let's proceed now to level 57 of tower three, where the infinity pool is! Each tower has their own entrance and my choice for tower three is merely convenience.
Scene as we stepped out; for many people, the view beyond the fence would captivate them and first timers like us would just automatically walk towards the fence.
Photos taken over two days. It's the same view at room 3412 although as far as elevation is concerned, the height gave better eyes-in-the-sky moments.
Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore; I would be going there in August as I have an upcoming cruise, my first after 26 years! Shall be taking Quantum of the Seas by Royal Caribbean International though, instead of Genting Dreams, the cruise ship in the above photo.
Noticing a path on the left side but it was blocked. That would be the The Sands SkyPark, including the observation deck. Hotel residents would be given free complimentary access; just use your room keycard would do.
Entrance to the world's longest elevated swimming pool, at 146-meter long, on the right side, after you step out from the lift lobby. Advance booking is required due to the pandemic and as with the gym, you are required to bring along your phone for check in via the tracetogether app and your keycard.
For more photographs and details of the infinity pool, please click here.
Others
One big advantage of staying in Marina Bay Sands is that the Bayfront MRT station, serving both circle and downtown lines, is connected to the hotel, albeit nearer to Tower 1. From here, we can easily jump onto the train to Chinatown (3 stops) where we can have a traditional, local breakfast at Zheng Ming stall or to Promenade (1 stop) where I can indulge in beef rice bowl from Sukiya.
Prefer somewhere nearer or want to eat more expensive food, right in front of the hotel would be the The Shoppes; aside from high end luxury goods that I can't afford, you may also find michelin starred restaurants like CUT by Wolfgang Puck and Waku Ghin by Tetsuya Wakuda.
Outside The Shoppes is also a great place to soak in the night view of the cityscape and it appeared to be quite popular among family and friends. If not for the social gathering restrictions put in place due to COVID-19, I believe there would be a lot more people around.
More photos for your viewing pleasure; including a panorama, the lotus housing the Artscience Museum and "the first Apple Store to sit directly on the water".
