Travel: A Brief Photo Walk of Marina Bay (SINGAPORE)

I love exploring cities just by walking around, and from what I’ve gathered so far, Singapore the perfect place for that. Its transport system is one of the most advanced in the world, but the sun is shining and there are lots to see on foot. I was lucky enough to stay at the gorgeous Fullerton Bay Hotel on my last visit here, and so decided to make the most of it by exploring the Marina Bay area. Here is a map of the route I took, which took about 50 minutes in total:

1. The Fullerton Bay Hotel

The Fullerton Bay Hotel. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

The Fullerton Bay Hotel is the newer, more modern sister of The Fullerton, which is located just across the road. Although the Bay branch is slightly smaller in size, it is by no means less superior. Our room had a private balcony with a lovely view, breakfast was always delicious, and the staff were all very polite and helpful. But its best hidden little secrets lie on the rooftop: the pools. There is one big pool with deck chairs and little tables laid out along the shallowest side, and two smaller jacuzzi infinity pools that show off one of the best views of Marina Bay. On a lucky day you may even get the entire little pool to yourself – bliss!

2. Marina Bay City Gallery

The Marina Bay City Gallery. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

Singapore is very proud of its urban planning – and with good reasons. While most buildings located on prominent skylines around the world all try to compete against and outdo each other, the ones here seem to coexist in harmony. This is mostly owing to the careful and sometimes very strict hands of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). There are two City Galleries in Singapore, and while the one in Tanjong Pagar is no doubt more impressive (keep an eye out for an article on this that will be coming soon!), the Marina Bay branch nonetheless provides a quick and interesting insight into the island’s city planning strategies.

3. Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

The Marina Bay Sands, which opened in 2011, is one of the world’s most expensive casino resorts. Developed by American firm Las Vagas Sands, the building is quite something to behold, boasting over 2000 rooms and the biggest elevated infinity pool on the planet. It also takes part in the nightly Wonder Full light show, during which lasers beam across the Bay to music. Apart from the hotel, the Sands also comprises of a huge convention centre, two theatres, a string of high-end restaurants and a shopping mall amongst other features.

4. The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands 

Inside the Marina Sands Shoppes. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

With 800,000 square feet of retail space, The Shoppes is a self-dubbed ‘shopping mecca’. It is home to pretty much every luxury brand as well as some newer emerging labels. There are also cafes and restaurants to rest tired feet, and an ice rink for the more adventurous (although its floor is actually made of cold plastic rather than real ice). But its most unique feature is probably the Sampan ride, inspired perhaps by The Venetian Macao. For S$10 per person, visitors may enjoy a mini boat trip around the mall, which includes an up close and personal view of Ned Kahn’s waterfall art piece ‘Rain Oculus’.

5. The ArtScience Museum

The ArtScience Museum. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

The lotus-shaped ArtScience Museum is yet another part of the Marina Bay Sands. Being spoilt by free shows in England, I was a bit disappointed to find that the exhibitions here all require an admission fee, although they certainly look very impressive. There is currently a Harry Potter and an Andy Warhol show going on, which will be there until 30th September and 21st October respectively. The museum consists of 21 galleries and has a total floor space of 50,000 square feet.

6. Helix Bridge

Helix Bridge with Marina Sands Hotel in the background. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

The Helix Bridge offers a spectacular view of Marina Bay, especially at the four designated viewing pods. A joint venture between Australian and Singaporean architects, the bridge’s design keeps the city-state’s temperamental weather in mind, so that its users are sheltered from both the scorching sun and heavy rain. Its unique and complex shape follows the double-helix structure of the DNA, and if you look closely you’ll find that there are pairs of alphabetic letters along the floor, which are actually meant to represent the base pairs of nucleic acid!

7. The Float@Marina Bay

Floating Platform. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

The world’s largest floating stadium, The Float@Marina Bay, is where the Singapore National Day Parades have been taking place since 2007. It can fit 30,000 seated spectators and can support over 1,000 tonnes. The platform also hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games in 2010 amongst other major – mostly sporting – events.

8. Esplanade

The interior of Esplanade. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

Nicknamed ‘The Durian’ in reference to the tropical fruit due to the shape of its exterior, Esplanade is Singapore’s most prominent stage and music venue. There are two main performing spaces – a theatre and a concert hall – with another Outdoor Theatre right by the waterfront for free open air shows. Aside from being a centre for the arts, Esplanade also has a bunch of restaurants and quirky shops for the casual walk-in visitor.

9. Esplanade Bridge

Esplanade and Esplanade Bridge. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

Finally, to end our walk, we crossed the flower-clad Esplanade Bridge to get back to the Fullerton Bay. The Merlion Park lies at the end of the bridge, where a huge statue of Singapore’s mascot – a mythical creature with a lion’s head and a mermaid’s tail – stands tall. A two-meter Merlion cub may also be found next to it. If you go at the right time (which we didn’t) you will even get to see the big Merlion spouting water from its mouth as a symbol of prosperity.

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Check out Marina Bay’s official website for more info about what to do in the area!

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