Singapore with Toddler Part 2: Backpackers in Marina Bay. Our First Time at 5 Star Hotel

Waking up to a marvellous view, falling asleep to even a better one. Inbetween – incredible views from a pool, walks in futuristic Gardens, admiring wonders of a no less futuristic Arts Museum, and marvelling at a full of colours laser show from the windows on the 44th floor. An amazing combination, isn’t it?

Our incredible 7 weeks’ journey through half the Globe was coming to an end and the last stop before returning home was in the amazing Singapore.

Unlike our first time in Singapore, when we rented an Airbnb room, now we were having a completely different place to stay – the iconic 5-star hotel with the famous Infinity Pool – Marina Bay Sands.

A taxi drove us through the gleaming city to the glossy luxury of our hotel. From all the lights it was bright outside, almost like at day. We were tired and sweaty after a long flight from Sydney. And in the trunk of our brand new taxi car, there were our backpacks, with obvious traces of use on a long journey. The porters, all dressed up and smiling, unloaded our less-than-spik-and-span backpacks and baby gear on their shiny trolly without blinking an eye. And, taking our reservation details, disappeared with all our possessions in the polished corridors of the giant building.

We were eager to get to our room as soon as possible, to finally change, shower and rest. And we were wondering when our things would arrive at our room.

The porter appeared right after us, perfect timing. A small tip made him smile and talk. He gave us lots of recommendations on what to do and answered many questions before we could even think of them.

We had chosen the city view and could enjoy a laser show every night, together with the myriads of lights of the night city. That’s the only way we could see the night lights, for the time being, having a toddler who needed an earlier bedtime.

There is something magical about watching the city from above – it looks like a toy world, with all its hustle and bustle, changing every second, interesting and diverse, colourful and never-stopping. And you are watching all that, seeing no dirt and staying in your calm and comfortable bubble.

Look up and you see the sky so close, with clouds forming and dissolving and planes piercing it with their silver bodies and white tails.

The Marina Bay complex is huge and luxurious, there is even a canal with gondolas inside, not to mention numerous stores and restaurants.

The Marina Bay Sands hotel offers numerous discounts if you book a room there. Not interested in wasting time on shopping, we made use of the offer to enjoy the incredible views from the Infinity Pool and the Sands SkyPark Observation Deck.

The Infinity Pool is surely the highlight of the hotel. It is only accessible for the residents of the hotel (why we decided to stay here, in the first place). The view is unbelievable, even our baby girl got super excited when she saw a pool with such a view.

Oh, and jacuzzi with a view are there too!

The public in the pool is no less interesting: there are families with kids, like us (there’s a pool for adults only too), there are people sipping cocktails and sunbathing, everybody is making selfie at some point, some go as far as wearing party dresses and makeup (early in the morning). Others don’t care about instagrammable photos but try to catch attention of rich guys, wearing super sexy bikini and showing off the results of plastic surgeries.

As hot as the air and the pool’s views were, we couldn’t stay there the whole day and went out to explore the nearby area.

Gardens by the Bay is an incredible creation – amazing to admire at day, and even more so at night, with all the colours, changing patterns and an extraordinary atmosphere.

The Children’s Garden is a kid’s paradise, with a few playgrounds, separate for toddlers and bigger kids, including 2 water sprinkle areas, with the same division. During the day the playground equipment gets very hot and it’s only possible to play in the shadow or in the water area.

On our check out day, we went to the Art Science Museum (with 15% discount as the hotel residents) – a great way to spend a day in an air-conditioned place.

Unlike most of the museums, which focus on the past, this one focuses on the future – adults and children can experience modern technologies in a playful way, those things you don’t see in everyday life.

And for a tired toddler it was a good place to nap at some point – sleeping outside is impossible in that hot and humid climate.

Where to eat in this luxurious area without breaking a bank?

Spending the day at the Gardens by the Bay, we choose to have lunch at a little cafe right there, with a limited choice of food but very convenient location. And they’re very child friendly (like Singapore in general).

The Marina Bay complex has a big section with all kinds of places to eat: from expensive restaurants to an open space food court. We decided to try the latter. At first. But it was so crowded and hectic that it was impossible to find a seat. That is, for us, used to European slow pace and some kind of order. Asians are masters in spotting and occupying the vacant seats before you can even see it. We just couldn’t complete with them. Hunger was growing, so we gave up and went to search for a restaurant. All of the less expensive ones had a queue, but in the end you guaranteed were getting a table. It’s also much calmer inside the restaurant than at the food court, where that much turmoil can be exhausting and distressing, especially for a toddler.

Surprisingly, prices for breakfast were same or didn’t differ much between restaurants in the mall and the one on top of the Marina Bay Hotel. The abundant choice and the incredible views were convincing enough. It was also a beautiful opportunity to celebrate Alex’s birthday.

We had a birthday cake too! Marina Bay sent a delightful chocolate cake to our room (without any extra charge). I don’t know whether they would do that if I didn’t ask but, anyway, it was a beautiful gesture and a pleasant surprise for Alex.

Another pleasant surprise from the hotel was the opportunity to leave the bags at a special storage room (a big one – the service is obviously popular) and to have a shower AFTER the check out. Having our flight is the evening meant we spent the whole day out and about and were so grateful for this opportunity to refresh ourselves before the long flight.