(Photo: Timothy Hursley)Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
For: The Wow Factor
This ultra-ambitious hotel, built on reclaimed land across from the center of Singapore, contains over 2,500 rooms. That’s a lot of guests. Its pool is 15,026 square feet. That’s a lot of pool. Okay, it’s a little Vegas. But when you’re dealing with architecture this whimsically modern, who cares? The hotel’s pool, arguably the world’s most inspired (and world’s largest pool at its height), rests within the Sands SkyPark, a lushly landscaped entertainment expanse that rises above the hotel’s three sleek 55-story towers. This three-section boomerang-shaped waterworld features half-sunken loungers and a dramatic vanishing edge. Bars, restaurants, and whirlpools will keep you there all day.
