disneyland for adults

Yez, I had kopi, eggs and kaya toast two days in a row, cholesterol levels be damned. I was on holiday, OK?

But for my last two mornings in Singapore, our hotel package included the buffet breakfast at Rise.

Rise: six food stations serve Asian and Western favorites from 6AM to 11AM.

First plate, West: French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon and chicken sausage.

Second plate, East: vegetarian roti prata, vegetable curry, fried noodles, har gow, siomai and chee cheong fun.

Third plate, East-West: madeleine, melon, jackfruit and almond croissant.

Oh, didn't I mention that we stayed two nights at Marina Bay Sands?

Ta-dah! The new icon of Singapore.

After checking in, I didn't leave the complex for the next 48 hours.

This is the first time I saw the atrium at night. Much nicer than in the daytime.

It's those giant lanterns again!

We got a really good rate for our deluxe room with view on the 23rd floor.

Two double beds in 39 square meters of prime real estate. Not too shabby.

The bathroom was very spacious and had everything we needed except more wall hooks and towel racks.

Our view from our balcony. The Marina expansion will be completed next year.

Well, of course I took advantage of the most famous swimming pool in the world. Too bad we didn't get much sun that weekend.

Proof that I was there.

I ended up spending lots of time at the Banyan Tree Fitness Club.

The fabulous 40ºC hot pool. My muscles were very grateful. I want one in my home.

Verdict: Hordes of people visit Marina Bay Sands everyday, but if you get the chance, you should check in and stay for a while. With its three hotel towers, SkyPark, shopping mall, restaurants, clubs, casino, theaters and museum, it truly is Singapore in capsule form and I had a blast just running around the whole place. For me, a two-night stay was just right to explore and make the most of everything that they had to offer.

But after 48 hours, I was done and I wanted to go out into the real world again. Sometimes one has to step back in order to appreciate something, right?

The breakfast buffet was adequate, but I've had better here at home. (Shangri-La Boracay, anyone?) In retrospect, we should have opted for the room rate without breakfast, since Ma never woke up in time for it anyway, and there were so many other options for a satisfying breakfast within the complex.

Marina Bay Sands has an excellent website, here, but we booked our room through our local travel agent who managed to get us the best rate.