This is our review of the world-famous Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. We booked a two-night stay here as a pre-cruise treat before embarking on our highly anticipated multi-month trip aboard the brand-new Disney Adventure.

We initially booked a A Weekday Retreat package which includes daily buffet breakfast and S$100 in Resort Dollars for around $600 a night. However, thanks to a bit of a check-in mishap and a stroke of luck, we received a surprise upgrade to the ultra-exclusive Paiza Collection Suite.

We’ve stayed in some incredible hotel rooms and cruise ship suites around the world, from Royal Caribbean to Celebrity and Cunard. But we have to admit, this experience was completely unexpected. Here’s our honest take on whether this iconic hotel is actually worth the hype — and the money.

Location & Arrival

Let’s be upfront: our first impression wasn't exactly five-star. Getting out of our taxi was a struggle due to the sheer volume of traffic outside the hotel.

Inside, the scale of the building is genuinely staggering. It consists of three massive towers, with more construction underway. It’s visually impressive, but honestly, the lobby felt more like embarkation day on a 4,000-passenger mega-ship than a luxury hotel. It was chaotic, loud, and felt like a massive thoroughfare.

We arrived at 3:00 pm, but our room wasn’t ready. The receptionist mentioned that 800 people were checking in that day alone. To make matters worse, there’s practically nowhere to sit in the lobby while you wait. By 3:30 pm, jet-lagged and looking a bit of a mess in our baseball caps and Crocs, we went back to the desk. We were ready to be annoyed, but kindness really does pay off. We politely asked for an update, and the receptionist asked us to wait. Moments later, she handed us two black keycards and told us our personal butler was waiting upstairs. We were genuinely speechless.

The Room – Paiza Collection Suite

Stepping onto the 36th floor in Tower 3, we felt entirely out of place. The room is astounding. The sheer size and layout make so much more sense once you see it on camera, so definitely watch our full walkthrough video.

You enter into a massive, open-plan living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, gorgeous signed artwork, and high-end modern finishes. The tech is brilliant — there’s a wall panel to control the air conditioning, dim the lights, and automatically close the sheer blinds without lifting a finger.

The centrepiece of the living space is a colossal, matte-finish TV that swivels out from the wall on a heavy mechanical arm. But here is where things get interesting: tucked inside one of the cabinets, we found two professional Shure microphones in a charging dock, wired to a high-end Bang & Olufsen speaker system. Yes, the room comes with its own luxury karaoke setup!

(Insert photo of the living area and massive TV here)

What’s Included in the Suite?

The room features a beautiful wallpapered bureau housing your tea and coffee station.

Voss bottled water
Nespresso machine and pods
A premium selection of local teas (like Singapore Breakfast Tea)
Fresh fruit plate
A fully stocked mini-bar with champagne and snacks (Note: drinks and snacks inside the fridge are an extra charge)

The Bedroom & Walk-in Wardrobe

The bedroom features another massive TV and a bed that is incredibly soft — which is quite unusual for Asia, where hotel beds tend to lean firm. The pillows feel like a premium memory foam blend. Both sides of the bed have inset wireless chargers, USB-C ports, and clearly labelled buttons for the lights and curtains. We really appreciated this small detail after staying in so many cruise ship cabins where you spend 10 minutes guessing which switch turns off the reading light.

Off the bedroom is a massive walk-in wardrobe that feels like a luxury dressing room. It features:

Plush leather-stitched coat hangers
A Dyson hairdryer
An extra vanity sink (perfect for doing makeup while someone else is in the bathroom)
Two types of robes (towelling and waffle)
Thick, high-quality slippers

The Bathroom

The bathroom is dripping in marble and feels incredibly decadent. There’s a large spa bath, and the walk-in shower is the biggest we’ve ever seen, featuring a rainfall head and adjustable nozzles pointing at you from every direction. It’s fully stocked with premium Acqua Di Parma toiletries.

The real party tricks, though? There is a TV seamlessly embedded in the mirror glass, and the toilet is a high-tech Japanese Toto washlet that automatically opens, cleans, and air-dries.

(Insert photo of the marble bathroom and spa bath here)

The Infinity Pool & Rooftop Deck

You can't review Marina Bay Sands without talking about the iconic 57th-floor pool. It is spectacular. The infinity pool spans almost the entire length of the top deck, dropping off into breathtaking views of the Singapore skyline.

The good news is that security is tight — you have to scan your room card just to access the area, which thankfully keeps it from feeling anywhere near as crowded as the lobby downstairs. You can really see how expansive the deck is in our vlog, and photos honestly don’t do this venue justice. While taking a dip, we actually bumped into fellow YouTube creators Ordinary Adventures, which just proves it's a small world!

(Insert wide shot of the pool deck and Singapore skyline here)

Suite Lounge: Evening Food & Drinks

Because we were in the Paiza Collection, we had access to the Suite Lounge for evening canapés. We went up expecting a few dry sandwiches and standard drinks — something akin to a basic concierge lounge on an older Princess or Royal Caribbean ship.

What we didn't expect was a full-on buffet. It featured fresh salads, pizzas, gourmet noodles, fish bites, an entire cheese section, and incredible desserts. The drinks were free-flowing, including mocktails and a fantastic gin-based cocktail of the day. The food was so impressive that we completely cancelled our dinner plans and just ate there.

Breakfast at the Suite Restaurant

Suite guests have the choice of three breakfast venues, including Wolfgang Puck. We opted for the Suite Restaurant. The buffet was massive, easily rivalling the quality you'd find on a luxury cruise line like Virgin Voyages or Cunard.

It offered a fantastic mix of Western classics and incredible Asian dishes. We tried a bit of everything:

Freshly made hot pots and a custom egg station
Premium French Maison Bordier yogurts
A beautiful coffee cake decorated with gold flakes
Kaya toast (a traditional green pistachio and cheese sweet toast)
Fragrant, spicy, and creamy Laksa soup

(Insert photo of the breakfast buffet plates here)

Is the Paiza Suite Worth the Price?

Our original booking for a standard room cost $600 per night (on a weekday package). The actual retail price for this Paiza Collection Suite is around $2,500 per night.

So, for $2,500 a night, would we recommend booking it? And honestly? No.

Don't get us wrong, the physical room is arguably the best we've ever stayed in. But the service simply didn't match that ultra-premium price tag. The check-in process was exhausting. When we went for afternoon tea with 15 minutes to spare, the staff were oddly snappy and tried to rush us out. Later, we had to wait nearly 20 minutes just to get a table for our evening canapés. When you're paying thousands of dollars a night, you expect flawless, stress-free service, not queuing up like you're at a crowded buffet on a sea day.

Conclusion

For the $600 we actually paid, this was an incredible pre-cruise treat and the upgrade of a lifetime. Marina Bay Sands is an iconic, mammoth piece of architecture with an unbeatable pool and spectacular views over Gardens by the Bay.

We will never forget this stay. Waking up, opening the curtains, and watching the Disney Adventure sitting proudly in port from our 36th-floor balcony was a surreal moment. It’s a fantastic hotel if you can manage your expectations about the crowds, and it provided the absolute perfect start to our massive Asian cruise adventure.

Review: Marina Bay Sands Singapore – Paiza Collection Suite