Hello from Singapore again! Tonight I went out to another of Singapore’s many famous touristy sites: the Gardens by the Bay. Located directly next to the famous Marina Bay Sands, the Gardens are a mostly free park that has some pretty cool attractions that cost (at most, much of it is free) a pittance to enjoy.
Getting There
I took a taxi from my hotel (taxis in Singapore are very cheap, if you can find one that isn’t “changing shifts”) and was dropped off at the main entrance. The Gardens are absolutely massive and there are restaurants and restrooms interspersed throughout the grounds. I was sure to arrive right around sunset since there are some amazing views of the Singapore skyline. I brought my tripod along and nobody really seemed to care that I was using it (aside from a couple of areas). As I walked in I enjoyed the smells and sights of an amazing assortment of flowers, which surprised me briefly since this was early February, but then I recalled (due to the sweat) that Singapore never really gets cold, as it’s 85 miles north of the equator.
A daisy
The Supertrees
You may not know this place by its name but odds are you’ve seen pictures of the amazing Supertrees. It was the primary reason I came and I was blown away!
Supertrees
The trees are absolutely MASSIVE, much bigger than I thought (the tallest tree is 15 stories tall and has a restaurant in it!).
I walked around and took a few pics of the various trees (they’re all over the place) and noticed that there’s a skybridge sort of thing where you can walk up next to the trees. You’ll see the bridge in the pictures below with actual human beings walking on them, to give you a sense of scale.
Supertrees and Skybridge
I was going to go up onto the skybridge (the cost was minimal, $5SGD, about $3.50 in USD) but the line was too long and I didn’t want to miss the sunset. I’ll go next time (tripods aren’t allowed on the bridge, by the way).
Supertrees and Skybridge
I then found a decent shot with the Marina Bay Sands and Singapore’s skyline behind the Supertrees.
Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore skyline
As the sun began to set, I discovered the massive SuperTree that had a restaurant at the top of it. On top of that restaurant is a rooftop bar that has an AMAZING view of the city. It cost $18 SGD (about $14 USD) to get to the top but at least it included a free beer or glass of wine.
Was the view worth it? Oh my gracious the view was worth it!
Marina Bay Sands and Singapore’s skyline against a beautiful sunset
There’s literally no feeling like sitting at a table sipping on a cold beer and looking out at THAT.
Lights come on
After taking like 800 million pictures from the top of the restaurant I made my way back down and found a spot in one of the meadows to watch the Garden Rhapsody, where the lights of the Supertrees change color and turn on and off in sync to some really cool music. As the colors danced around the massive structures I tried to capture the lights as best I could with my camera.
Garden Rhapsody Show (with the Singapore Flyer in the background)
Once the show concluded I walked towards the Marina Bay Sands to catch a taxi back to my hotel to start editing the pictures and write this post. On the way I was able to get a few more good pictures of the Supertrees and the skybridge.
Supertrees and the skybridge
Supertrees
I enjoyed walking from the Gardens toward (and through) the Marina Bay Sands, it’s a massive complex that looks even moreso up close!
Looking toward the Singapore Flyer with some Supertrees off to the right
Marina Bay Sands, up close and personal, during the light show
More up close and personal?
EVEN MORE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!
Finally I found myself walking through the Marina Bay Sands, which is as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside.
Marina Bay Sands Atrium
The security guy didn’t like me taking too many pictures and asked me to move along, so I went over to the taxi stand and ended up back at my hotel. It’s now waaay too late and I still need to pack because tomorrow I’m heading out to…Dubai?!
We were in Singapore in July. We stayed at the Marina Bay Sands in a small suite. The pool, and the view from it, are really the only reasons to stay at the Sands. It is crazy expensive, and the rooms are really just average. You can actually get a better room, at a cheaper price and much better service at a number of 5 star hotels in Singapore. I would say, stay one night and experience the pool, then head to a better hotel.
The gardens are amazing, and I’m not usually interested in this type of thing. I guess anytime you spend a Billion dollars on something it’s bound to impress (unless you’re the US government!). Singapore is an extremely clean city. Easy to get around. Most people speak English, and very safe. If you are into drugs, don’t go. They hang anyone they catch with drugs. No lengthy appeals process, just a trip out back to the gallows.
Thanks for featuring my country in such a great light haha. Gardens by the Bay is looking great!
All the images is superb, specially one image with caption “Looking toward the Singapore Flyer with some Supertrees off to the right”, thanks for sharing