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This has been a major project for Singapore and has been under construction for almost three years now. It is expected to be a major attraction for tourists, visitors and locals for nightlife, restaurants, shopping and vacations.It's still not completely finished, but they're allowing people in to see the progress.
The design of the entire place is very modern with Asian and Western tones. The entire complex was primarily designed by American architect Michael Graves. He's one of my favorite designers and I own several of his house ware goods that are sold at Target.When I heard he was taking on a huge part of this project, I was very excited to see it.
The complex is enormous and could keep someone busy for hours and hours.Perhaps the biggest attraction and the one we first heard about was the casino.
The casino is a big deal in Singapore. It's the first of two planned casinos in the country and will be segregated. (*UPDATE* After digging a little deeper, it appears that the segregation only takes place upon arrival in order to gain fees from locals. Once through the entrance, everyone plays on the same casino floor.) The fee that I mentioned is for Singaporeans and PRs. They are required to buy a S$100 day pass or S$2000 for a yearly membership pass to be able to even enter the casino. There's also a list of approximately 29,000 Singaporeans who will not be allowed to enter the casino because of known gambling problems.Drah-ma. I'm not even going to get into it.
The complex will house six hotels in total, but only three were open as of yesterday.
Here we have the Festive Hotel.
and the Hard Rock Hotel
I really loved the decor in this hotel. It was edgy and modern.
My favorite of the three we saw, had to be Hotel Michael, obviously designed by Michael Graves.
It was gorgeous. I loved it and all I saw was the lobby and waiting area.
So aside from the really cool hotels, the upcoming oceanarium and the casino, the other big anticipation is Asia's first Universal Studios.
They were testing the rides while we were there and the rumor mill says that they're planning to open by late Spring/early Summer. Just in time for me to miss it.It's ok. I'll live.
I thought the whole resort complex was really cool and fun to walk around even without everything being opened.
It was actually pretty refreshing to be able to walk in Singapore without being smothered by other people. I'm sure this will change when the rest of it opens.
So all in all, I think it'll be a great place for families, younger people and everyone in between.
I'm only slightly jealous that I won't get to see it in all of its completed glory.
4 comments:
Drah-ma is right.
What happens if you are a PR but have friends from out of town? What section are you required to visit?
So, so, so, so, so unnecessary.
Good point Greg. That makes no sense. Same for a local. What if they have Malaysian friends and want to bring them down to the casino for a night out?
Everything, from the list to the segregation, was completely unnecessary and bloated drama that is truly, uniquely Singaporean. This, more than anything, gives evidence to the allegations of being a "nanny state".
There is no segregation whatsoever. Just payment of the one-time or annual fee for locals.
Thank you for so "kindly" clearing that up Anon. I've made the necessary changes. I apologize for any misunderstanding. I must have misunderstood the initial reports myself.
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