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Instead of the usual partying till dawn at clubs, I decided to do things a whole lot differently in 2011 and organized a 3D2N staycation with my partner. I wanted a hotel with an awesome view of the new year fireworks and where better than Marina Bay Sands (MBS)? Also a perfect opportunity to behave #likeaboss.

Why 3D2N you might ask? Well, they only allowed room reservations with a minimum 2 day stay on new year’s eve. Of course, the total damage to the wallet is doubled but so is the enjoyment. You give some, you take some. If you are wondering about the price, it costs SGD $1,368 inclusive of all taxes and a SGD $100 deposit.

The check-in time was set at 3pm and we were early. There was no guarantee that we would have the city-view room especially during this time, so we were told by the receptionist. However, Lady Luck was smiling on us and we eventually got the room. I was trying my utmost to hide the delight on my face.

One of the things I was disappointed with was that for the amount I paid, there was no complimentary breakfast included. During the booking process, there was no option to select one either. I enquired and the price of a breakfast buffet at the restaurant was set at SGD $45/pax. There was no way I would pay that amount.

Lady Luck struck twice. I was worried we would get a room on the lower levels and not get a good view of the fireworks display that night because of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands blocking it. Fortunately for us, we were assigned room #4707 and quite obviously on the 47th floor at Tower 3. It was made even sweeter that there were only 57th floors.

Love these master switches to the lighting, there are more within the room itself. Remember how we would put those “Please make up room” or “Do not disturb” hangers on the door knobs? There is no need for all that as it is fully automated. How cool is that?

When I switched on the television, I was greeted with a welcome message similar to The Kee at Patong, Phuket. Still, it is a nice initiative by the hotel. Kudos to them! I must have missed the part on actually checking out our room through the remote.

The toilet is rather spacious but still it doesn’t beat the Ritz Carlton’s deluxe room’s. Taking a poo or answering nature’s call was a sheer delight back then. Well, except when tending to stomach upsets.

There is a huge wide screen LCD television set with all the cable channels too! Usually, it would be the norm in these 5/6 star hotels right? Don’t gawk when I say that you get CRT sets inside a wooden cabinet in Ritz Carlton deluxe rooms.

Yes you saw it right. There are 2 television sets, one in the bed room and one in the living room (so to speak as the room is incredibly huge). I regretted not bringing along my Macbook Pro along so that the LAN cable could be plugged to it and I could surf the web. Sadly, the Starhub 3G signal is abysmal in the room.

Check out the view from our room at 47 stories high! There is no better place to watch the new year’s fireworks display than here. The Sands Skypark provides an even better view but with the number of people crowding there (you got to pay for a ticket too), the experience would quickly take a u-turn for the worse. Looking straight down from the window does give you the nerves though.

In an attempt to control the crowd,  access to the Helix Bridge was blocked off. As a result, we had to take the longer route and boy was it a walk. My heart goes out to all those who want to get to Marina Square from MBS. I just don’t understand why they had to restrict access to it so early in the day, it wasn’t even night time yet. If anything, it actually causes more congestion.

So here’s some of the photos of the fireworks display that night. They aren’t exactly as clear as I would have liked due to the window not being spanking clean, but it will do. The sizzling crackers were shot out from some objects on the water.

Unlike most of the rooms in MBS and the other hotels, ours was almost pitch-dark with the exception of the television set so as to prevent the window from having a reflection of the room. During the fireworks display, the ball-head of my tripod somehow got loose, and a fair amount of time was spent trying to fix it back. Yes, I was unable to take more photos.

Not the most perfect of photos, this is still my first time actually having a go at shooting fireworks.

In a way, it was a weird new year countdown. Don’t get me wrong, it was a truly memorable experience to have seen the fireworks display from MBS and welcome the new year. But I have forgotten when was the last time I was in bed this early (12ish) on 31st December, maybe it is because I did not want to spend a large bulk of the next day sleeping in.

Nope, my stay at MBS didn’t end here, there is more than a full day to look forward to and also the visit to the Infinity Pool. All in the upcoming posts!