Staycation at Marina Bay Sands

It was a glorious day with fleecy white clouds on the day we checked-in at MBS. Hubby gave us a delightful surprise by booking a room in MBS in conjunction with daughter's and my birthday celebration. If you wonder why daughter and I always celebrate our big days on the same day, this is because our birthdays are just a day apart....

We arrived at MBS around 3.30 pm and as usual the place was packed with people especially tourists alike who were probably just as curious to check out the MBS hotel.While hubby went to park his car, I queued at the registration counter. When my turn to register, I was a bit turned off with the slow service provided by MBS, which boasts 5-star rated hotel. Our room was not ready although the check-in time was supposed to be at 3 pm, as stated in their web! We were asked to return after 2 hours later, to get the access cards to our room...but that also means I had to queue again in the line! tsk..tsk..tsk! Other than the registration issue, our stay in MBS was quite pleasant...huh!

Ambled around The Shoppes where you can find and indulge in many luxury retail shopping. Below is the Little Venice of MBS. You might want to take the gondola ride for a price.

We returned to Tower 2 to get our access cards.

This was how our room looked like with full-length glass window, which offered an unobstructed view of......

....lush green of Gardens by the Bay with its two iconic structures of Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, the Super Tree Grove, as well as the glistening blue water of Keppel Bay with many docked ships seen from afar.

The Super Tree Grove. It was indeed a splendid fine day for a memorable staycation experience in MBS!

My own reflection on the huge ass mirror in the bathroom. Too bad I didn't have the wide-angle lens with me...otherwise I could snap the whole picture of how the bathroom should look like. Other than the separate bath tub, you can see there were other two frosted glass doors behind me (from the mirror reflection), leading to a shower room and a toilet.

 

Few minutes later, a hotel staff came pressing the bell, bringing our extra single bed. Oh..one thing to remind, please do not move out any items from the mini bar fridge in your room. Their mini bar is fully automated which means any items removed will automated charged into your account at the time when checking-out. Hubby removed quite a number of can drinks including beers in order to stuff in our birthday cake. But we clarified at the counter during checking-out, and luckily we were not charged for those items.

Without wasting more time, we gleefully put on our swimming costumes, and were ready to have a good swim in the renowned infinity pool located at the very top floor of MBS Hotel.

See the crowd...the pool was tucked at the 57th floor of MBS, where we spent the evening soaking and wading in the 150m-long pool, overlooking the stunning view of Singapore city skyline.

It was a hot sunny evening, I couldn't help but to wear my sunnies while decking out in the pool.

The sun started to dip below the horizon. I found myself lost in thought looking at the sunset view and it looked like I was about to jump off the edge of the pool!

Daughter was entirely immersed in BLISS!!

Son bumped into his good buddy who came with his family too....what a small world. :)

Had some light snacks before dinner at the pool. After all the splashing and sploshing, our tummies were rumbling. Had juices and beer to go with crispy fries and perfectly grilled satays.

It was time for us to get ready for a lavish dinner at CUT, when the dusk fell at around 7 pm. Returned to our room, bathed and dressed up....Walked to The Shoppes at 7.50 pm from our room as hubby had reserved a table at 8 pm.

CUT is a celebrity restaurant, with its renowned Chef Wolfgang Puck who created a modern twist on his widely talked about American steakhouse. Deemed as one of the top steakhouse in the United States, its signature menu features a sophisticated selection of the finest cuts of beef.

The classy ambience was tastefully decorated with dim lighting. Glanced through the menu and of course hubby and myself had each ordered the gourmet steak meal. We were served with complimentary bread sticks and bread, there were few for selection, olive bread, butter loaf and a few others which I have forgotten.

Our extravagant dinner started with Austrian Oxtail Boillon, a dish of clear beef broth.

Appetizer: American blue crab and shrimp cake, Louis...a refreshing cold dish to whet our appetite before the main entrees.

Kids had Baby Chicken cooked on Rotisserie with wild mushroom and dressed in natural juice.

A family portrait..

Hubby's entree: The finest cut of US Kobe/Wagyu Ribeye served with House Made Steak Sauce.

The outlook of the steak might not be looking tempting to some as it looked a bit charred and dried. But do not judge a book by its cover. The steak were actually very tender and robust, which still retained its juiciness. This is because CUT had their steak grilled over hard wood and charcoal, then finished with a 1200 degree broiler.

I had Petit Cut Filet Mignon served with Wasabi-Yuzu Kosho Butter. Very interesting sauce..I have always been very adventurous when comes to challenge my tastebuds. The sauce was nice with hint of citrus aroma, but couldn't actually taste the wasabi. There are a number of sauces and side dishes to go with our steaks. We chose sauteed wild mushroom as side, but sadly it was too salty for our liking. Each sauce and sides would cost extra. Picture below shows how my steak was grilled to perfection!

And here were some other condiments to go along with the beef....but we didn't touch any. We love our perfect cut just as it is...less is more, agree? The finest cut of steak does not require any seasoning other than just a dash of sea salt.

Ended our dinner with candle-blowing. Had Baked Alaska for dessert. It was basically a combination of cake and ice-cream dessert topped with crunchy meringue, a mouth-watering dessert which was not overly sweet.

Very thoughtful birthday wishes dribbled on daughter's and my dessert plates with chocolate sauce.

To have a taste of fine-dining experience in CUT, you can easily make reservation online on their web. CUT is located at B1-71, Galleria Level, The Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands.

It was around 10.30 pm, when we trudged back to our room with overloaded tummies. Despite of that, we still celebrated daughter's 9th birthday, snapping lots of pictures of our grown-so-fast princess, dressed up in Cinderella's dress, candle-blowing and cake-cutting moments, all in the comfort of our hotel room. See the simple decor which we put up for daughter's birthday celebration.

She was indeed very happy...and it was time we all retired to bed while hubby went on trying his luck in MBS casino. Casino is not my cup of tea...I rather have my beauty sleep. :D Nitezzzzz.....

The next morning, we decided to wade in the pool again. Gathered all the needed gears, and off we went.

Took a lift up to level 55, and then transfered to level 57 where the lift door opened to fascinating view of the infinity pool.

No chance to workout in the Banyan Tree Fitness Club.

The momento couple shot by daughter.

Picture below where my daughter was standing, peeking into the infinity pool, was very shallow, guess is more for toddlers or kids below 5 who can join in the splashing fun. It's definitely not for both my super active kids!

There is a heated jacuzzi pool, overlooking the Keppel Bay. The temperature was bearable, and not as hot as those onsen (hot springs) which I had in Japan, imagine at 50 degree celcius! If you are not into sunbathing or get yourself tanned, you might want to relax on the beach chairs provided under the shade of canopy.

The blue-ish view of heated bubbling jacuzzi pool and the bay...as I had my relaxing dip.

Lovely city view on a fine Sunday morning.

Yay! Let's dive!

After all the FUN, we went back to shower and change. Initially, we had reserved a table for lunch in Daniel Boulud Bistro at 1 pm, thinking of having a light breakfast first in The Shoppes. But most of the restaurants or eateries were not open for business, plus only buffet breakfast was available in the hotel. We didn't fancy buffet, hence we called up DB Bistro to check whether we could change our reservation to 10 am. Given the green light, we had our breakfast instead of lunch at DB Bistro.

As you can see, by the time we walked to DB Bistro, the door was still closely shut! Hahaaa.....snapped a picture or two to entertain ourselves. :)

DB Bistro,  a 3-star Michellin fine-dining experience of French-American cuisine. The celebrity chef, Chef Daniel Boulud who is a French, had made a remarkable name in New York, at the same time has published 6 books, appeared in television series, and received many awards.

My Cafe Au Lait, while kids and hubby had Hot Chocolate.

The bar where you can order some cocktails, liquors or alcoholic drinks.

Foie Gras Poele...one of my favourites! A decadent delicacy....carefully pan-seared foie gras which melts in the mouth, served with wild mushroom, brioche toast underneath, and tarragon duck juice.

Refreshing and healthy Lobster salad

Son's entree of Fish and Chips

Daughter's creamy pasta in cheesy butter sauce.

And of course, the legendary creation of Chef Daniel Boulud, The Original DB Burger which deserved a shout OUT! Thick sirloin patty stuffed with braised short ribs and foie gras, served on parmesan bun. While I savoured this heavenly made burger creation, I just couldn't stop telling myself how good it tasted! By far, this is the best and also the most expensive burger which I ever had.

Son sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

DB Bistro located at B1-48 Galleria Level, The Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands.

Right after the meal, we chanced upon Au Chocolate. Au Chocolate is a French-inspired store with a bistro dining area and a retail confeserie serving a wide selection of chocolate and candy.

Choosing our gelato from the sweet treats paradise!

Had creamy iced macha (still prefer iced macha in Japan though @__@ ) with gelato (mango and passion fruit, and pistachio flavours-thinking of those pistachio flavoured gelato in Italy *drooling*) served with hot crispy waffle, drizzled in hazelnut sauce.

That's about ALL, how we spent a night staycation in MBS...