The Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort in Singapore has finally opened!
Are you wondering what it is like on the inside? We take you on a tour through this highly anticipated attraction. Even before the Universal Studios theme park, the country’s first ever casino, and most of the 60 restaurants are open for business, the resort has already amassed a huge crowd on its opening day!
Clearly, the casino is the biggest draw of the resort. Be honest: How many of you are already planning your trip here?
The way to the casino is a route through passageways interconnected with escalators. Attention has been paid to every detail to give the feel of a whole different world. Ambient music plays in the background while lighting effects create dancing patterns and images on the walls.
This place has got some kind of underwater theme going on. A prelude to the controversial upcoming Marine Life Park, perhaps?
Water waves ripple on the arched ceiling and floor. You feel as though the floor MIGHT be moving. Pretty cool!
The eager crowd scrutinises the casino rules and regulations, and that includes a $100 admission fee. Some people were even spotted photographing the rules for future reference! Do you think the $100 fee would turn anyone off?
Here are more information and pictures of the Sentosa casino!
A slender-legged elephant towers over the crowd near Festive Hotel. He totally reminds me of Thailand!
Check out our dining review of Boulangerie at Festive Hotel
The main lobby of Festive Hotel features dozens of colourful lanterns hanging from the tall ceiling. The decoration certainly emanates a festive ambience! You would find a bakery and a bar in the lobby, and a spa up the beautiful staircase.
For the well-heeled shoppers, a whole alley of designer boutiques can be found at Crockfords Tower. No sign of Victoria’s Secret yet. Also missing is Tiger Woods’ face at TAG Heuer.
In between Crockfords Tower Hotel and Hotel Michael lies an eye catching pair of sculptures. Aren’t they adorable? Uncensored, too, they are. Some time back there was a bunch of exhibits here featuring a similar chubby theme. It is probably the same artist who’s also responsible for the cute fat pigeon along Boat Quay.
Check out our dining review of The Dining Room at Crockfords Tower Hotel
This is The Dining Room at Crockfords, a 24-hour restaurant specialising in Chinese/Cantonese cuisines. Ever heard of a bird’s nest egg tart? Well, the one here is exquisite!
When you visit the resort, do pay attention to the chandeliers. Most of them sport ornate and sophisticated designs that look interesting and abstract.
Festive Grande, the 1,600-seater theatre hosts a musical acrobatic performance, Voyage de la Vie. Uh, someone translate?
As you can see, many parts of the resort are still under construction. Universal Studios Singapore has yet to open. Same goes for the two remaining hotels and the casino.
Video Tour
Watch video walkthrough of the Resorts World at Sentosa:
Video by Singapore Casino Insider
Resorts World Sentosa Casino
Lining the casino’s entrance is a long row of gantries with scanners. We notice that a majority of these are reserved for Singaporeans and permanent residents, while only a handful are meant for foreigners.
The casino has opened its doors to the public. Check out our article on the Sentosa casino to find out what it has to offer!
Universal Studios Singapore
Here are some photos to whet your appetite. The theme park looks fabulous and fun!
Resorts World Sentosa restaurants
Check out our reviews of the Chinese restaurant, The Dining Room at Crockfords Tower Hotel, as well as the patisserie, Boulangerie at Festive Hotel.
Loading ...What do you think of Singapore’s first casino resort so far? Will you be checking it out? Leave your comments!
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Jan 20, 2010
195
Sparklette Digest! Resorts World Sentosa http://sparklette.net/travel/singapore/r…
Jan 21, 2010
2
RT @sparklette: Sparklette Digest! Resorts World Sentosa http://sparklette.net/travel/singapore/r…
Jan 21, 2010
2
Awesome… Great efforts for the photos.
I’m sure you’re pretty excited while you are there.
Do you like the place? anything in particular caught your attention?
Jan 21, 2010
3492
The “best” parts of the resort have yet to open, so it is really just the hotels, bars and eateries (10 of them) that we can check out. It certainly is exciting to tour the place, starry-eyed at being among the first to see our island’s first mega-resort. The decor, lighting, sculptures etc are darn impressive! As for entertainment, I can only decide at a later date.
One thing we noticed is that not all the businesses are ready-ready. For example we went to this café that had no form of record system whatsoever (table numbers, orders, etc). When it came to paying the bills, the staff amusingly depended on customers to TELL them what they ate before they could calculate the amount. Too funny!
Jan 21, 2010
2
That’s interesting, maybe that is the new selling point and unique way that the cafe is going to operate.
Jan 21, 2010
136
That’s pretty bizarre. How do they know what food to serve to their customers then? Memory? I fail to see how it would work to the restaurant’s benefit by not having orders recorded etc. Before long you just know that people would start to abuse this system.
Jan 21, 2010
3492
It’s probably just an opening-day glitch. I’d be very surprised if this is permanent!
Feb 18, 2010
3492
The review for this café at Festive Hotel is up! Enjoy: http://sparklette.net/food/resorts-world-sentosa-boulangerie-cafe/
Jan 21, 2010
72
wow, thanks for the pics and quick field-report. I was supposed to visit this evening but you beat me to it, haha. The 2 big black statues between Crockfords Tower and Hotel Michael is probably from Salvador Dali, same as the long legged elephant.
Jan 26, 2010
3
Its actually from Roberto and the sculptures are named Adam & Eve.
Jan 26, 2010
3
Sorry its from Boreto not roberto….ha ha ha
Jan 26, 2010
3492
Haha you had me confused for a moment. The artist is Botero, and yes, I can totally see why they are named Adam & Eve.
Jan 21, 2010
136
LOLing at the shot of the people staring at the rules & regulations. Can they stare any harder??
This is already 1000X better than Genting and I have not even seen the inside of the casino. I am not a gambler so the F&B and shops are more interesting to me. Genting becomes boring once you run out of shops and rides. That usually takes about half a day, and half the rides seem to be broken at any one time. Here at least you have many more dining options and Universal Studio.
Jan 21, 2010
3492
I am not a frequenter of the Genting resorts so I can’t comment on the dining and shopping options there. I do remember they have a number of fast-food restaurants and a rather cool indoor theme park, plus a snow city.
Considering the Genting group is responsible for the Sentosa IR, they have done a surprisingly good job! Hopefully when the rest of the Sentosa IR is completed, there would be several affordable dining options too.
Jan 26, 2010
3
Yes and dun forget when the festive walk opens, more dining options there plus more shopping to do…..cant wait and Festive walk is open 24 hours.
Jan 26, 2010
3492
The 24-hour Festive Walk might just be an attraction in its own right. It is reportedly the size of 50 football fields!
Jan 21, 2010
1
think the sculptor for the fatties is Botero. The chandeliers probably by Chihuly.
Jan 21, 2010
3492
LOL at the “fatties”! Thanks!
Jan 21, 2010
72
Great photos and a nice preview of Resorts World! I’m certainly excited about it and will try to check it out soon.
Speaking of the sculptures, the long-legged elephant is probably from Salvador Dali, the plump figures are the works of Fernando Botero, while the crystal chandeliers are likely to be the creations of Dale Chihuly. All of them are renowned artists, and their works have great commercial value and are easily accessible. :)
Jan 21, 2010
3492
Walter, you sure know your stuff! Thanks for enlightening me. All their works are exceptional, appealing even to the layperson like myself.
Jan 21, 2010
2
I guess I’ll drop by to have a look during CNY since I’m going back to my hometown. This place definitely looks promising! Genting should really have a revamp.
Jan 21, 2010
3492
Genting developed this resort after all. My guess is it’s only a matter of time before they revamp the one at home.
Jan 21, 2010
3
Wow I like the whole range of hotel designs plus the whole Universal Studios look to the theme park. Also, I think Voyage de la Vie is like Life’s Voyage or something like that.
Jan 21, 2010
3492
Oh thanks! You’re probably right. According to Wikipedia, it is “a story of one boy’s journey to manhood as he discovers morality, sacrifice, and love”.
Jan 24, 2010
1
the elephant sculpture is a famous work by Salvador Dalí “Space Elephant”. It must have cost them a bomb to bring this in.
Jan 25, 2010
3492
Pardon my ignorance. Are there a few of this same sculpture in existence? I did a quick search and found one along River Thames in London.
Jan 26, 2010
1
Heard that its the CEO’s own personal sculpture.. bought it himself at a mindblowing price (i forgot).
Feb 4, 2010
2
i simply can’t wait for victoria’s secret!!! no more buying via online sprees :) aaaahhhhh!!!
Feb 7, 2010
3492
You don’t say! I think this is the first Victoria’s Secret outlet outside of America so in a way we’re pretty lucky :D
Feb 8, 2010
14
Hey!
Wow all roads led to u again, goodness! I popped by resorts world on sat just to see what’s happening. Hotels opened, few makan places open, VS open (but v small selection, gf said). Casino doing some live testing w RSW staff signing in to play. Saw all the gantries at the casino entry point.
$100 for 24 hrs or $2000 per year. I think that’s pretty unfair to SG pple. In the end, citizens do not get to enjoy the place that much. Good point is that the rift raft won’t be hanging around the casino. After all they can’t afford the entrance fee. Some pple have commented that china ladies & FTs in the construction line all go in for free but poor SG pple gotta pay. That’s funny i thought!!
I’ll probably pop by once or twice to see the experience. Already it’s not easy winning at any casino, what w the levy they impose….. kinda puts a damper on what would be something exciting in SG pple’s lives.
Alwyn
Feb 9, 2010
3492
VS is open? Where??
I haven’t realised that the admission fee is applicable only to Singaporeans. That’s probably their way of making sure only the affluent Singaporeans (judging by one’s ability to pay the fee) or the ‘serious’ gamblers would gamble there.
Feb 9, 2010
14
Hey!
Yeah VS is open, it’s along the arcade walkway to festive hotel. But it’s kinda small and the selection is quite pathetic. :) according to my gf. No bras she said. If u wanna check it out should go early cause on sat they closed abt 7pm.
i also notied that there was a Chili’s open upstairs! Festive walk i think, just next to the Universal entrance. Can wack some beef fajita nachos! my Fav. Throw in some frozen magaritas to make it a complete experience. :)
Alwyn
Feb 9, 2010
14
$100 for 24 hrs or $2000 per year. Apply to SG citizens and PRs only!!
Poor aunties…. just wanna play a bit of jackpot or few rounds of tai sai also gotta think ten times due to the levy!
The levy shuts out a lot of casual pple wanting to have a casino experience, which is sad. For the serious gamblers, it’s no issue to them cause the 100 entrance fee would be a small % compared to their betting turnover. They are the least affected. They save on transport fee and time to macau or genting. Also i feel the casino might loose out on revenue cause casual gamers play a lot of jackpot and the casinos make a LOT of money from these machines.
The office wkers near sands who have menbership, can pop by for lunch (probably cheap & good) and play a few rounds b4 going back to office!! Lovely.
Alwyn
Feb 9, 2010
2
VS no bras?? Hopefully they’ll expand their collection soon. Guess I won’t be going there anytime in the near future then.
Feb 11, 2010
136
Nice. Maybe when the casino opens you can give us an inside tour. But god knows when it will open!
Feb 11, 2010
3492
Uh, I don’t know if I would fork out the 100 bucks just to look around the place as I certainly won’t be gambling. Alwyn above has provided several solid reasons why the general Singaporean population won’t be there.
Feb 12, 2010
1
I plan to go there on June 2010
Feb 15, 2010
3492
Staying at one of the hotels over there?
Feb 15, 2010
1
These are all meant for Foreigners. Paying $100 to go in the Casino?? No way, before gambling, $100 is lost!! Restaurant there? Common, it will cost you a bomb I guess! The photos and intro above is awesome thou.
Feb 15, 2010
3492
Foreigners go in for free! The $100 fee is applicable to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents only.
Feb 16, 2010
1
I am a gambler but I am not going there with a $100.00 entrance fee. No way, I’ll just wait for a vacation go to Las Vegas
Feb 17, 2010
136
Isn’t that going to be more expensive?
Feb 19, 2010
14
Hi,
Casino update! I finally managed to pop by last evening. Basically gotta pay the SGD 100 + yr IC. To enter scan yr IC and from that time of 1st entry, is valid for 24 hrs. If u exceed the 24 hrs during yr last exit, they will escort u to pay additional SGD100.
Not all the tables were open yesterday, i reckon abt 60% open only. It was crowded, every table had ppl gambling. Pple were squeezing here and there. Mainly foreigners, SG pple, i saw quite a few unties and uncles. Much less of the young wking crowd. i think less than 20% were singaporeans.
Games ava were like pontoon, bacarract, 3 pictures, blackjack, roulette. The lowest min bet for even money games was SGD 20. Roulette min was SGD 5.
Most tables for even money games were min 50 – 100!
Surprisingly, pple were betting like there’s no tomorrow. 500 – 1000 bets per hand was common place.
The dealers looked quite new. They were not as proficient as other casinos. Kinda slow in there wk, each round of games took some time as they dealt slowly, collect slowly and paid slowly!! u get the pict hahaha
There were long queues at the cashier for pple wanting to change their chips. I suggest u go to the smoking section cashier which was v quiet. Pple probably didn’t know it existed.
Food is cheap, there is a good mix of local food, abt $4 per plate. Taste…average. Those looking for a beer i suggest buying from the drinks stall rather than at the bar. Price is 50% cheaper minus the nice glass, u drink from the can. :) At SGD5 a pop.
Overall, it was too crowded even for a thurs. All the jackpot machines were occupied. Didn’t even get a chance to play a round. While playing 3 pictures, i had to ask a girl to bet for me cause it was just to crowded to place it myself! :)
Alwyn
Feb 19, 2010
3492
Hey Alwyn,
Thanks for sharing what it’s like behind the scene! I probably speak for many people when I say that I would never pay $100 to enter the casino as I’m no gambler myself. Thank goodness for people like you who are generous enough to share your experience!
I have linked to your comment from our Facebook Fan Page. Hope you don’t mind :)
From the news article I read this morning, there were over 100 tables that are not open. The crowd at each table was 3-person-deep and people waited over 2 hours to get their turn at the slots machines. Goodness! The croupiers must have been overwhelmed at times. Most of them are probably new at this and it should take more time before they deal like pros.
$500 – 1000 bets! Did you see any tycoon winning big?
Is there a food court within the casino itself where you get the $4 food?
Feb 19, 2010
14
Hey!
Yeah face book is fine w me.
The dealers were amature to average. :) Most don’t look singaporean. I noted 1 guy betting 5 dollar chip on a ten dollar roulette table just now. Only after 1 spin did the dealer tell the old man he must increase his bet.
I saw young guys betting 1K per hand at black jack, one old man + his friend lost abt 10K in 1 hand of baccarat, 1 auntie won 600 after doubling down on her 11 point initial blackjack hand.
The noon crowd is less, suggest to hit them at that time cause some tabls open around noon. If u wanna get a seat.
Yes, the food court is within the casino, there are also a few deli’s selling sandwich, avg pizza etc.
Overall noon time experience is better. Less crowd, not as frantic as evening time. haha Every now and then u will heard pple shouting “picture!!” hahaha It means J,K or Q card. Even a ten will be fine cause they bascially want the dealer to bust!
For the really big winners, we probably won’t get a chance to see, cause they are in the private rooms or restricted areas. But just along the common floor, is enough to see hundreds to thousands being waged. But there are still smaller players playing $5 roulette or players betting $25 or $10 piggyback on existing bets. (else they won’t make the min bet)
So overall, it’s a place for any budget!! :) basically they want yr money big or small……every dollar counts!! hahaha
Alwyn