We have already reviewed the best 5 star luxury hotels in Singapore. In this review, we compare the Four Seasons Singapore Vs. Marina Bay Sands.
Singapore, the gateway to Southeast Asia, is an intriguing country that was created by deeply passionate people following their dreams and aspirations. It’s a place that serves as a canvas for its people’s wildest imagination, where new experiences are created every day, and where foodies, explorers, collectors, action seekers, culture shapers, and socializers meet.
Singapore attracts more than 17 million international tourists every year. To put this in perspective, this is more than 3 times its total population. Some of this may be a result of the 2018 box office movie hit ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. This film is largely set in Singapore and has boosted the Lion City’s tourism even further.
We have already detailed the best hotel club lounges in Singapore. Marina Bay Sands does have a VIP club lounge, and you can access this VIP room called Club55 if you book a club room. This luxurious lounge is on the 55th floor and offers complimentary breakfast at Club55, served with unforgettable panoramic views of the city skyline, Marina Bay, and Gardens by the Bay. You can read a magazine, newspaper, laptop, or iPad while you savor complimentary afternoon tea. In the evening, indulge in complimentary beverages and canapés as a prelude to exploring the glamorous nightlife at Marina Bay Sands. If you are flying out of Singapore airport, you need to read our guide on the best airline lounges at Singapore airport.
Four Seasons hotels are always a safe pair of hands. Wherever you travel in the world, you are guaranteed a brilliant level of service and luxury. Marina Bay Sands is probably the most iconic hotel in Singapore. But, the Four Seasons lacks history. It is a bland modern hotel, and the location is not so good unless you love shopping in Orchard Road. Four Seasons does, however, offer class and superb service.
Marina Bay offers glitz and Instagram shots. The rooms at the Marina Bay Sands are nowhere near as good as those at the Four Seasons. We have compared each hotel below and have then reviewed each hotel separately so that you get more of an idea of which is best for you.
In my opinion, Four Seasons Singapore is a true luxury hotel offering wonderful rooms, amenities, bars, and grounds. This is my top choice, and it appears in our best luxury boutique hotels in Singapore as it is one of the smaller hotels in Singapore, most are huge!
I think Four Seasons is undoubtedly the best hotel when choosing between these two options. However, Marina Bay Sands is also iconic, is often cheaper, and offers unlimited Instagramable photo opportunities, so if you want to show off to your friends at home, this is the one to pick!
- Best For Luxury: Four Seasons Singapore
- Best Rooms: Four Seasons Singapore
- Best For Views: Marina Bay Sands Hotel
- Best For Cocktails In The (Busy) Pool: Marina Bay Sands Hotel
- Most Exclusive: Four Seasons Singapore
- Best breakfast: Four Seasons Singapore
- Best Restaurants For Fine Dining: Four Seasons Singapore
- Queues At check-in: Marina Bay Sands Hotel (feels like an airport check-in, even in the VIP Club Lounge)
- Best For Super Busy Pool: Marina Bay Sands Hotel
- Location: Four Seasons is closer to Orchard Road, whereas Four Seasons is Marina Bay area
- Remember: You can pay to get to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel Skypark without staying there. You don’t need to stay there to experience and photograph the pool!
1. Four Seasons Singapore
Located on tranquil, tree-lined Orchard Boulevard, Four Seasons Singapore provides a welcome oasis of calm in the midst of the city’s bustle. This hotel is not a cheap Four Seasons and is probably one of the best luxury hotels in Singapore for families.
Renowned for its service, each of the hotel’s 255 spacious rooms, including 40 suites, offers a full range of amenities. While this hotel is probably too large to be included in our listing of the best boutique hotels in Singapore, it remains one of the smaller hotels in the city and does feel boutique, even though it has an extravagant 255 rooms.
Foodies can savor Michelin Star Cantonese cuisine at Jiang-Nan Chun, authentic Asian or Western dishes at One-Ninety Restaurant, and cocktails at One-Ninety Bar. Post-sightseeing, you can gently rejuvenate your body and soul under the masterful strokes of skillful therapists at the award-winning Four Seasons Spa, or reinvigorate at the tennis courts, 24-hour gym, and two outdoor pools – one of which is located on the 20th floor, complete with a bar and an unforgettable, spectacular view of Singapore’s city skyline.
2. Marina Bay Sands Hotel
The Marina Bay Sands hotel comprises three 55-storey towers, 2,560 luxury rooms and suites, and 18 different room types. This hotel is enormous, home to an iconic and eye-wateringly high swimming pool that sits across the towers.
This unique structural masterpiece, designed by visionary architect Moshe Safdie, spans the width of all three soaring Marina Bay Sands hotel towers. The SkyPark floats atop the three soaring hotel towers at a height of 200 m (650 ft). This gravity-defying platform stretches longer than the Eiffel Tower laid down and is large enough to park four and a half A380 Jumbo Jets.
It houses a ticketed observation deck, lush gardens, shops, top-notch restaurants, and an exclusive infinity-edge swimming pool with a legendary view. Complementing the retail space are delectable dining options, which include restaurants by celebrity chefs, fine dining, and casual eateries.
To be honest, it’s not my cup of tea at all. I am not great with heights, and this is the world’s largest infinity-edge pool at that height. It comprises 412,000 pounds (191,416 kilos) of stainless steel and holds 380,000 gallons (1,438,456 liters) of water.
Natare engineered this stainless steel swimming pool to allow for the swaying of the three skyscrapers in every direction. There are four movement joints beneath the main pools, designed to help them withstand the natural motion of the towers, and each joint has a unique range of motion. The total range of motion is 500 millimeters (19.68 inches). The SkyPark is designed for wind pressures of up to 2.5 kPa (5,933 lbs./ft² or 250 kg/m²) and wind speeds of up to 105 ft./s (32 m/s). It seems almost unnatural, but you can’t help but admire this marvel of engineering. It shouldn’t work, but it does!
If you do decide to stay in this Disney or Vegas-style massive hotel and want to experience the pool, get a poolside lounger first thing in the morning, before the crowds.
The hotel rooms are very average. The level of luxury is limited by the sheer size of this hotel. 2,500 rooms is not boutique! Expect spectatorship and awe here, but if you are looking for the highest level of luxury, you will not find it here.
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