Advertisement
One can’t go to Singapore and not visit Marina Bay. This area has become one of the most developed areas of the city. With a few blocks you see the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, the Singapore Flyer, SunTec city, the Esplanade and Raffles place.
The area is well thought out and constructed. You would imagine that with all of those main attractions in a small vicinity this area would be impossible to navigate. Not the case at all. Marina Bay has all of the main attractions well placed to keep food traffic, water traffic and vehicle traffic moving.
How do I describe Marina Bay and do it justice? The first time I came to Singapore was in 2008. We stayed at the Pan Pacific hotel. A gorgeous hotel that over looks the quay. The Pan Pacific is attached to Marina Bay and has a walkway to SunTec city. Now that the area has Marina Bay Sands across the river the price to stay in this area is expensive!
Marina Square is a wonderful shopping mall that links to the City Hall MRT. There’s a great department store (John Little) here too. On the other side of the shopping
mall there is an out door boardwalk. You can sit there and enjoy a show at the amphitheatre or walk across to the esplanade and enjoy a show there.
Tucked away on the other side of Marina Square, walking towards the Singapore Flyer you will find Gluttons Bay. This is a wonderful place where locals hang out for good local street food. A row of stalls that sell fresh local juices (try the calamansi juice with plum), grilled shrimp, fish, steaming bowls of noodles, fried rice, etc, you can eat like a king/queen for next to nothing. Outdoors, and very friendly, be prepared to share your table with others, first come, first serve. This was my second visit to Gluttons Bay and is a must of you want to experience authentic, local cuisine. One thing I noticed, is that most locals don’t know this area by the name Gluttons Bay. Just ask for the outdoor food area near the Singapore Flyer.
From the promenade you can watch the sun set and see Marina Bay Sands glimmer in the distance. Walking towards the esplanade there is a pedestrian bridge (Esplanade bridge) that connects the Esplande area and the downtown
area. The bridge will take you straight to the Merlion. If you keep walking down further you can find your way to Lau Pat, one of Singapore’s most famous food halls. (That’s another blog). This area will give you view of the amphitheatre, Singapore Flyer and Esplanade area.
Finally, I cannot write about the Marina Bay area without writing about Marina Bay Sands. When I first stayed in Marina Bay in 2008, Marina Bay Sands did not exist. When I was in Bangkok there were many TV commercials about the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Especially that infinity pool which just oozed luxury. Marina Bay Sands opened up in 2010 can only be described as a resort, not a hotel. Developed by the Las Vegas Sands resort, it contains a huge casino, night club, upscale restaurants, hotel and of course uber high end shopping. The hotel is a piece of architectural artwork. Three tall skyscrapers that look like waves caressing a gliding ship, that’s the hotel. Beside the hotel a there is a huge, gorgeous lotus shaped building which is the Art and Science Museum. As the sun sets the skyscrapers reflect the light and change colour, lighting up the
sky. It’s stunningly beautiful. I get emotional just thinking about it.
The best place to take pictures of the Marina Sands Bay is on the Esplanade bridge. Many people try to take pictures from the Marina Bay side, but the pictures are better from a front view.
Marina Bay. One of my most favourite places in the world, I wish I could see this view every day. If you have only one day to spend in Singapore this is the area you should visit. You can see a number of things in a small proximity.
http://www.marina-bay.sg/index.html http://www.marinabaysands.com/ http://www.marinasquare.com.sg/ http://www.esplanade.com/about_the_centre/venues/outdoor_theatre/index.jsp
Advertisement
Tot: 0.101s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 47; dbt: 0.0532s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb