Singapore – Marina Bay Sands

Jean Maldonado — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 22:38:30 +0000

After booking my flight to Singapore, I immediately started looking at the famous rooftop infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands. There’s an observation deck next to the pool, but the only way to get pool access is by staying at the Marina Bay Sands hotel. It’s best to book your stay directly on the Marina Bay Sands website to know exactly what you’ll be getting. There are several room options and after doing some research, I found it would be best to go for a room with Club55 access. You can check the website for the privileges available at Club55, but the highlight is complimentary beverages & canapés from 5 PM to 9 PM. The price difference for a room with Club55 access would be the cost of an evening with fine dining followed by drinks at a bar, so it’s definitely worth it. A complimentary breakfast is also provided to sweeten the deal.

Once you’ve booked your stay, the hotel will reach out 3 days before your stay for you to register your details with them. The check-in time is 3 PM and early check-in is highly unlikely and pool access is only provided after 3 PM. We got there at around 4 PM for check-in and we were upgraded to an Orchid Suite with a City View. Our check-in was at Tower 1 and we had to walk across to Tower 3 to get a lift to our room which was on the 46th Floor. The suite was huge with a living room facing the Gardens by the Bay, and a massive bedroom facing the city. The en-suite bathroom was like another room on its own with a spacious bathtub and separate shower. The room truly offered premium comfort and we spent some time settling in.

At around 5.30 PM we headed up to the infinity pool to take some pictures. We then headed down to Club55 at 6 PM for the complimentary beverages and canapés. It was quite busy but we managed to get a table by the window with a city view. The waiter handed us a drinks menu and then let us know we could head up to the self-serve buffet area for the canapés. There was a good selection of alcoholic beverages including Gin, Whisky, Bourbon, Cognac, Tequila, Vodka, Rum, Wines, and Champagne. There was also a range of hot drinks, beverages, and juices to choose from. Our waiter came around regularly to take more drink orders and to collect our plates. We stayed there until around 8 PM when we headed back up to our rooms to change into our swimsuits. We then headed up to the infinity pool which stays open until 11 PM. After the pool, we got changed and went to check out the casino which was on the lower level. We played a couple of games of roulette and then headed to the rooftop bar of CÉ LA VI in the hotel. This bar turns into a club in the late hours with a DJ on set playing chart music. We stayed until around 3 AM and then headed down to our room to get some rest.

The following morning, we headed up to the rooftop restaurant Spago in Tower 2 for breakfast. This is a very popular spot and there was a queue at this time. We waited for about 10 minutes to be sat down and the waiter pointed out the options in the buffet-style layout before showing us to our table. There were lots of options available including different style eggs, dumplings, buns, noodles, rice, some meats, cereal, bread, juices, and hot drinks. It was a very tasty and filling breakfast with a great view of the city. We were done with breakfast by 10 AM and went to check out the observation deck. There are good views of the city and Gardens by the Bay from here. The checkout deadline is 11 AM so we then headed down to our room to pick up our things and checked out of the hotel.

Kuala Lumpur – 1 Day Layover

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 22:52:27 +0000

Our flight from Hong Kong was scheduled to depart at 11.50 AM. We took a public transport bus from Causeway Bay to the airport which cost 40 HKD¹ each and took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. We were there during the protests so there was heavy security at the airport. It took us about 20 minutes to get into the airport, but once inside, checking our bags and going through the usual security was quick. It was then a 4-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur and we arrived at around 3.45 PM. Going through customs was quite quick and then we connected to the airport WiFi to call a Grab². Our hotel was about an hour away near KLCC Park and cost 74.80 MYR³. Having been to Kuala Lumpur before, I decided to spend a little more on a hotel with a view since the ticket for the Sky Deck Observation Tower was quite pricy. We stayed at the Expressionz Suites which has an infinity pool with a view of KLCC.

After checking into the hotel, we headed up to the pool to catch the sunset. At the reception, they told us there were 2 pools; one with the view of the Petronas Twin Towers on the top floor, and the other on a lower floor. We were told we first had to go to the pool on the lower floor and get a ticket for the pool on the top floor since there was a limit. There was a 10 person limit for the infinity pool with a view and we were about 20 in the queue. We waited in the lower pool for about 2 and a half hours and got to the infinity pool at around 8.40 PM when the sun had already set. It was still a great view but we only stayed for about 15 minutes to take pictures since it was getting a little chilly. We then headed out to the Alor Night Market to get some food. A Grab cost 9 MYR and took about 15 minutes to get there. The market was very busy with lots of options available. After some food, we headed a shisha bar on the main road which had a happy hour going on.

The following morning, we went for a walk around KLCC Park. On my last visit, access to the Petronas Twin Towers was closed for a public holiday, but this time it was open. It was a cloudy day but we decided to get tickets anyway which cost 80 MYR each. The tour of the Petronas Twin Towers first goes to the Sky Bridge. We get about 10 minutes here to take pictures and there are information panels with a map of the surrounding buildings. Next, we head to the observation deck on the 86th floor. There’s a small exhibition here with information on the project of building the iconic towers. We got some great views from up here despite the foggy weather. We were given about 15 minutes to go around the floor taking pictures before getting on a lift back down to the lobby. It was a nice visit but felt quite rushed as we are given a very limited time to go around.

We then walked from KLCC to the shopping malls in Bukit Bintang via the air-conditioned passageways. We grabbed some food there before heading back to the hotel to pick up our bags. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7.35 PM so we left at around 4.30 PM to avoid the rush hour.

Infinity Pool – Maldo Travels

Singapore – Marina Bay Sands

Kuala Lumpur – 1 Day Layover