Travelers are always looking for the best deals they can get their hands on to make their trip memorable. Airlines have discounted fares, restaurants boast of exotic food, and hotels—well, hotels have their pools.
It’s a fascination shared by travelers of all sorts and ages.
But let’s face it, there’s only so much you can do with a limited amount of space. Physics dictates that can only put so many swirling water slides, floating bars, artificial waves, waterfalls and diving boards before your pool turns into a watery circus, which is probably the reason why the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore opted for the concept of a clean and simple infinity pool.
Unveiled earlier this year when the hotel opened its doors to the public, the pool is, in one word: big.
Dimensions
It is 150 meters long, or roughly three times the length of an Olympic pool; enough to accommodate several tour groups with room to spare. But this being an infinity pool sitting atop the hotel’s three towers 55 stories off the ground, the view can be literally breathtaking. It is now the world’s largest outdoor pool at that height, and is quickly becoming the hotel’s main attraction.
Along the entire stretch of the pool, white deck chairs are laid side by side. There aren’t any slides or falls. There’s no floating bar, either. The hotel has made sure that nothing should distract their guests from the spectacular view of the city sprawled before them.
A couple of deck chairs are also placed in the water, giving guests the illusion that they’re floating. White canopies provide shade for those who decide to take a break from swimming. Actually, the pool itself isn’t that deep; some parts are as shallow as 1.2 meters.
The infinity pool is part of the hotel’s SkyPark designed by architect Moshe Safdie. The SkyPark itself is 12,400 square meters, big enough to fit three football fields and longer than four and a half A380 Jumbo Jets.Live trees placed around the pool provide as oasis feel to the surroundings.
What people say
So far, guests who have sampled the high altitude pool have given positive reviews. With others blogging about the pool and posting pictures online, the word is spreading fast about the pool in the world’s most expensive hotel.
While some guests may be wary about swimming to close to the edge for fear of plummeting 650 feet into the streets of Singapore, the pool spills into a catchment area where the water is filtered and pumped back into the pool. Closer investigation will reveal that the edge of the pool is only about an inch below the water level.
Some have labeled it ‘the scariest pool in the world’ for lack of a discernible edge. Others worry that it might not be the ideal pool for people who suffer from vertigo. However, that doesn’t stop it from attracting more tourists.
