How I Snuck Into the Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool in Singapore

Oh my god, I actually did it. I got into the Marina Bay Sands Pool… without actually staying there. But I just want to let you know I’m not going to tell you how to get into the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool… I’m going to tell you how I did it. I’m not recommending anyone sneak into the Marina Bay Sands Pool, but I want to tell you a pretty hilarious story.

So anyway, I snuck into the world’s longest and most coveted infinity pool on the rooftop of renowned Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore. It was sketchy, exhilarating, and probably one of my most proud (maybe I shouldn’t say proud… let’s say…. ridiculous?) accomplishments to date.

I had seen photos from this famous infinity pool everywhere – it reigns Pinterest and makes it to instagram’s popular page often. I knew that I had to get into it somehow, some way. I wasn’t the keenest to pay over $500 for a night when I was traveling solo and staying in a $30 hostel (which is expensive compared to the rest of Southeast Asia). So, I set my sights to sneak in… and was determined.

Rule # 1: Research if You Can.

I did all sorts of google searching on the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool, in my dark little hostel bed the few nights before my mission. Turns out a lot of people want to know if there is a way to sneak into one of the best luxury hotels in Singapore!

There were a few threads about it on reddit, trip advisor, etc – all pretty much saying you had to be a guest to get in. Some said you could try splitting the cost of a room with 10 people, some said they had tightened security a lot over the past few years.

I found a few good leads online though. One guy on youtube said that he jumped in the elevator with some guests up to floor 48, and used fire stairs to get the rest of the way up that spat him out right on the pool deck. This was over a year and a half ago, so I was skeptical. But this was good to know.

Another guy made a video literally just walking past an uncaring girl sitting by the pool entrance by telling her he was someone famous. She asked if he had a room key and just stared at him confused when he went by anyways. If the entrance was unblocked like this, I would be golden.

A reddit thread said it would be really hard but the best chance would be tower 2. Good to know. It also said that there are also some restaurants and bars at the same level as the pool. Solid knowledge.

The night before I planned to try and get in, I watched the laser show that the Marina Bay Sands hotel puts on every night (I know… a laser show every night. What is Singapore?)

I stared at the opulent transformer-meets-cruise-ship-looking hotel, with the pool deck spanning the entire roof, and its low hum audible from a few hundred meters away. I tried to suss which part of the rooftop was which – I knew there was also an observation platform for us simpletons to pay to get up to, and I had to make sure to enter at the right point.

I saw the palm trees that were somehow growing on the roof of this metal hunk of machinery sway in the wind, and the lighting on its towers slowly change color against the night sky. Soon…. this would all be mine. Muahahaha. I hoped.

Rule #2: Always Have a Plan. Maybe a Few Backups too.

I got back to my hostel. Going from looking at the Marina Bay Sands hotel and what I saw online, I formulated a few plans, and ordered them based on how screwed I would get and how hard it would be to move on to the next one if one of them didn’t work.

First option – be open to make friends.

Maybe I would find a bar or food court in the hotel’s shopping center. I could even try the bar at the hotel right next to the pool. I could strike up some conversation with some people anywhere around the hotel. Who knows. A lot of people stay one or two nights in the hotel to use the pool – maybe I could find some backpackers or something and appeal to their pity by being broke and wanting to check this off my bucket list. I know it’s possible to bring guests up… so maybe this could work.

Next option – I would try the fire stairs method. If that didn’t work – no harm no foul. “Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to come up this way. Where’s the observation deck?” Playing dumb would be my plan if anything went wrong with this one.

Next option – Try and walk in… somehow. I formulated a few ‘stories.’

1. Acting dumb approach. I would literally just try and walk in and if they stopped me act like I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed in.
2. Put on my bathing suit and maybe find a hotel towel somewhere – maybe if I visited some room floors first. I would walk up and act like I was obviously just inside. Maybe I would wet my hair a bit. I would act like I forgot something inside and be really frazzled, or I would point to where my parents or boyfriend were or something along those lines.
3. Look super fancy with a nice outfit and sunglasses and walk in like I owned the damn place. I thought – if the entrance was still like it was in the video I saw, and the attendant was as uncaring as that one was, this could be fine. Or if I just looked good and smiled? Is that bad? I formulated a few backup stories if questioned. Like – my husband (lol as if) is inside with my key, or to look ferociously through my bag and look really upset not being able to find it and try and talk my way in, or to be confused and say I just checked in and left my key in my room – and turn around and move to another plan or try at another entrance.

Right – these were some solid thoughts in place, and it was the night before my big day sneaking into the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool. I slept on it (and dreamed about it, honestly) and woke up ready to go.

After a few adventures in the morning – including trying the famous Singapore Sling cocktail at the bar at which it was invented to give me some liquid courage (the most expensive drink I have and ever will purchase. Not really worth it), exploring the perfectly kempt Gardens by the Bay, with the avatar-like trees and sky domes, and grabbing some Japanese noodles at the hotel food court, I was ready to go.

It looked like this whole ‘meeting people’ thing might be difficult. I was basically the only non-Asian person everywhere I went, and I didn’t know who spoke English or not.

Like, I know Singapore is a huge place for expats and that many people travel here, too, but it was hard to tell the difference between the sea of businesspeople on their lunch break, foreigners who went about extending their companies to Singapore and were also on a work day, and plain old travelers.

There didn’t seem to be many of the latter. I decided I would keep my options open, but I started focusing more on the fire stairs option.

But before doing anything, I wanted to make sure I had a little bit of background info. I decided to go into the hotel and just have a quick wander first – look at maps if they had any, maybe floor plans. I needed to assess everything first.

Related: Is Singapore Worth Visiting? Read Here. 

Rule #3: First, Assess the Situation As Well As Possible.

I walked into the hotel. It was fancy as hell. I looked around. There weren’t maps in sight really. There were cameras everywhere. I decided maybe to first jump in the elevator and look at what floors everything was on – the pool, restaurants, rooms, etc. Maybe I would walk around, decide on a fake room number. Look for towels. Get the feel of the place.

After walking around the hotel a bit and acting oh-so-casual, I saw some guests lining up outside the elevator of Tower 1. This was my chance.

I thought I would go up to a floor, walk around a bit, see what the room numbers were and see what the guests were doing. I would get as high up as I could, go to the end of the hallway, and check for some fire stairs. I had all day and had plenty of time.

I nonchalantly wandered into the midst of the people getting in the elevator, and to the back. People were scanning their key cards before pressing their floors – 22, 28, 31. Some were pressing 55, 56, and 57 – the spa and pool deck floors. I wasn’t ready for that yet!

It is important to be inconspicuous and always act like you belong. I pretended that someone had already pressed my floor, and leaned on the railing at the back. As it went up, the elevator stopped at a few different levels. People got off and people got on – and most of those people were heading to the pool.

Everyone getting on the rising elevator was wearing fancy white robes and little white slippers. Honestly, nearly everyone was. They were carrying towels and bags and sunglasses, ready to head up to the Marina Bay Sands pool, I think… It couldn’t be the spa, could it? Most of them pressed floor 57. Either way, the cogs in my head started turning… I thought to myself, “I have to get my hands on one of these robes.”

Rule #4: Do What You Can to Look Like the People Where You’re Going.

That might be a tongue twister, but it is so true. If you blend in, you’re golden. If you stick out, there is a much higher chance that you will be caught, spotted, or at least paid higher attention to.

If everyone going into the Marina Bay Sands Infinity pool deck had robes on… I was going to have a damn good try to get myself one of them. Would I make friends with someone who stayed there ask ask to borrow one? If I could find some friendly-looking people, maybe. Would I find one wandering around the hallways? Potentially. We would see.

The highest floor pressed on the elevator was 31, so I got off behind the guy who actually pressed it and made sure to casually turn the opposite direction. I walked to along the hallway which was maybe 70 meters long.

Skip the Line, Get Your Gardens by the Bay Tickets in Advance!

There was a maid cart in the hallway. There was no one around it.

I strolled past the cart. It was in front of a closed door. I kept walking to the end of the hallway with my mind turning… I spotted the emergency staircase, and a bathroom. I could try the stairs, but… this was my chance.

I turned around and walked back towards the maid cart, with a cool face but nervousness growing in my throat. There wasn’t a single soul around.

Was I actually going to do it?! Was I going to steal a robe? Well, more like borrow. I would give it back.

It got closer and closer.

No way was I going to do it. This was too much.

I paused. The door was fully closed. I spotted the little white slippers that I saw people in the elevator wearing.

Well, it couldn’t hurt just to see if they had robes….

I peered around the other side of the cart. There they were.

In a strange sudden rush of courage and bravery, going against everything the moral half of my gut was telling me, I snatched a robe faster than the speed of light and before I knew it I was speed walking back down the hallway in slight disbelief.

Oh my god. Oh my god.

I closed the bathroom door behind me, wide-eyed, and let out a huge breath. What was I doing?

I just took a robe. 

Then I remembered what I came for. I was going to sneak into the Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool. That’s what I was doing. I was determined.

I took off my touristy clothes, put on my swanky black bathing suit, put on the robe and nicely tied its fancy white belt around my waist. I looked at myself in the mirror and gave myself a pep talk.

If I was going to fail, at least I was going to look good doing it. Or, er, comfortable. In this robe.

Rule #5: Craft a Story and Stick to it.

I readied myself, put on the most f**k-off-I-belong-here-and-am-super-rich-and-fancy face that I could, and walked back down the hallway, cool as a cucumber. I was a hotel guest going up to use my pool. I was even wearing the robe to prove it.

There had been some stories bouncing back and forth in my head all morning long, but I was pretty set on using the wallet story.

I would go up there and assess the situation first, (Repeat Rule #3 As many times as necessary 😉 ) and check out the entrance situation. I had no idea how it would be, but my initial story was to have accidentally left my wallet inside the pool area. Naturally my key would have been inside.

This is where my acting skills would come in. I was going to be really frazzled, having left the pool deck…. hmm…. about 20 minutes ago, got to my room (one of the ones on floor 31 that I picked out), and realized I didn’t have my wallet.

I thought that I left it in the bathroom (I would have to find the nearest one, banking on the fact that the signs would be visible) on the toilet if they asked.

I was going to be so visibly frazzled that I was going to try and just walk past the people guarding the entrance, in a rush to get my precious wallet.

If they tried to come with me, I would just improvise and find the nearest bathroom, make up a stall that I was in, look in it, and upon not finding it I would apologize and resolve that it would just be in my pool bag, which I would go back to look for in my room.

Save Money on Multiple Attractions with the Singapore City Card! It’s on sale 🙂

If this failed, I could try another tower or another plan – potentially return to the fire stairs or friends options, or another story at another entrance.

If I succeeded and got past the gate… I would actually go into the bathroom (the farthest one), wait, lay low for a while, assess the situation again, (rule # 3… most important) and then enjoy.

I got into the elevator and pressed number 57 with a fair amount of gusto. I was ready.

• Read More: History of Singapore

Repeat Rule # 3 As Many Times As Necessary (!)

I got out of the elevator and followed the signs to the pool deck. I stepped outside… and there it was. The esteemed, famous, beautiful, sparkling, luxurious infinity pool. I was finally going to try and sneak into the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool. Let’s hope I could do it, or at least make a good story out of it.

Anyways, back to assessing the situation. What I saw were two or three little entrance doors like you would walk through on the way to an amusement park or a sports game. People in white robes just like mine ( 😉 ) were walking up, scanning their key cards, and two little clear doors would swing open for them to walk into the pool area.

Hm. Actual doors. Shit. They had upgraded a lot since that youtube video that I watched.

I walked past the sets of doors, observing them a bit. I went over to look at the absolutely unbelievable view of the Gardens By the Bay and all the many dozens of boats waiting out in the harbor, and thought out my plan of attack.

There were quite a few people going in and out of these little gates, keeping them continually open as multiple people scanned their keycards. There was a younger guy in a polo standing to one side, and a smaller girl on the other side. The pool deck stretched a few hundred meters behind them.

Rule #6: Pick the Person Who Looks Like they Care the Least.

There will always be the workers who could honestly not give a single f**k. Try to find these types of ones. Pick the young guy who is just a towel boy, not the official looking older dude in a fancy blue manager-looking shirt. Pick the old dude who does’t speak very good english, not the security guard. Obviously.

In this situation you don’t have much choice – it depends on the entrance you use. The entrance I was closest to definitely looked plausible. There weren’t any others visibly nearby.

I hung out by the pristine glass window for a bit, sussing out my plan and enjoying both the view and the softness of my white robe. I decided I was going to go up to the younger guy in the polo and sunglasses. The longer I waited, the more nervous I would get, so I took a deep breath, got into character, and walked back towards the little sliding doors.

Rule #7: Look So Much Like You Know What You’re Doing That People Who Actually Do, Think They Don’t.

I paused for a minute a bit further back, waiting for my point of entry. There were a lot of guests going in and out, and there were multiple gates here so there was a fair amount of movement and commotion. I saw a few people going towards one of the gates. This was my moment.

I got into my very best “OMG I might have lost my wallet” character, which honestly isn’t really hard for me because I leave things everywhere, all the time. That frantic little panic is unfortunately all too familiar to me…. so hopefully I was believable.

I ran in past the gates after a few guests, right up to the guy in the polo. First mission of getting past the gates was complete at least (I honestly don’t remember exactly how I did it because my adrenaline levels were soaring, but there you go. I think they stay open for a good few seconds).

Frantic and upset, I hardly looked at the guy and hardly stopped moving in the direction of the pool deck as I talked.

“I think I left my wallet in the bathroom,” I said panting as I continued moving forward, looking very worried and pointing the the general other direction of where the bathrooms hopefully were.

The next exchange was so quick and was all basically at the same time.

As I said something along the lines of, “ I need to go check if it’s still there,” he said something along the lines of, “and your key card… is inside?”

I nodded, and kept moving and talking, trying to look very panicked (or at least I hoped). I was already a few feet past the guy by this point. I was on am mission to get my damn wallet. As you would be… if you had really lost it.

“I’m going to get get it… I need to check… I’ll be right back! I’ll come show you… Just going to get it.” Some or all of these words came out of my mouth and I kept pointing, walking, and nodding at the guy. He seemed quite worried too, to be honest. And just really confused. I don’t think he knew how to deal with a frantic girl who was clearly on a mission – looking like she knew what she was doing. I was going to get my wallet, and I would be right back to show my key card. Duh.

As soon as it seemed clear he got the message, I turned my head and set my sights on the pool deck, looking for bathrooms. The guy shuffled along next to me for like 3 seconds until I mumbled another assurance that I would be back when I found it, and continued my panic-stricken speed-shuffle along the deck in my robe, pumping my arms as I went.

I didn’t look back a single time, in fear it would be obvious that I was checking to see if he was following. I tried to look like I completely knew what I was doing and needed no assistance – as if I was clearly just power walking back to the bathroom where I had left my wallet. If he followed, I would revert to the ‘looking and not finding’ plan and then leave. No biggie.

I walked… and walked… and walked. Excitement grew inside me but I didn’t dare take the worried look off my face until I was far enough away. I passed one long section of the pool… and another. The pool deck was curved, so I would surely be out of sight of that entrance by now, which was far on one end.

There were no footsteps behind me… he didn’t follow.

HE DIDN’T FOLLOW!! I was in…. was I in?!

I slowed my steps, and my breathing. All at once, reality caught up with me.

I made it. I snuck into the Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool. I was here. I looked at the view. Oh my god, the view. Skyscrapers for miles and miles, with a pristine clear infinity pool in the foreground that stretched for hundreds of meters. It was incredible.

Should I still find a bathroom just in case? Should I hide for a little? Should I start swimming right away and get some photos just in case I get caught? Should I just lay low?

• STAYING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA? Check out more adventures, like this Epic Scooter Road Trip from Chiang Mai to Pai, Thailand or a West Bali road trip!

Rule #7: Don’t Draw Attention to Yourself. Be Inconspicuous.

I wasn’t sure what step to take… but it sure wasn’t standing in the middle of the boardwalk looking half dumbfounded and half excited, probably with the residue of my fake panic still showing on my face.

I walked down to the nearest chair and put my stuff down. I laid down on it and took off my robe. I decided to just… be tanning for a while. I would lay low on the chair with my robe over my head, you know, as people probably do when they are tanning. If Mr. polo man came by to look for, check on, or question me, I would be kind of hiding. Under my robe. On the chair.

I don’t know; it seemed to be a feasible plan. If enough time passed since I ran in, maybe the guy would forget about me, assume I had found my wallet, or maybe switch shifts. I didn’t know what kind of security they had there… if they had radios, if they would report something like that, if they had cameras.

I knew that they had cameras. A ton of different possible situations flashed through my head… I knew they were unlikely and that they probably would’t even notice me after this, but I wanted to be careful.

I figured now would be a good time to just chill for a bit. So I did.

My heart was still solidly pounding. I laid back on the chair, starting to relax. I peered out of the front of my robe, which was laying over my head, you know, blocking the sun. I stared at and took in the view for a solid 15 minutes, feeling very happy and proud and accomplished, with slight undertones of anxiety but still feeling pretty confident.

Hell yeah.

I laid low for a bit longer, keeping my eyes out for polo man. I forgot what he looked like to be totally honest, and I really don’t think he actually gave a shit. That’s why I picked him. Rule #6. I slowly began to emerge slightly, thinking I was surely in the clear. I saw another chair right on the edge of the pool and moseyed on over to it, stealing a towel that someone had left behind while I was at it. I could probably get in a fair amount of trouble for this, I thought.

Worth it.

Rule #8: Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor. (And Take Tons of Pics)

After gathering myself while laying on this poolside chair for a bit longer, I decided to fully free myself to enjoy the space, but basically only on this end of the pool deck. I took photos with my DSLR and my Go Pro (my phone was still lost at this point, or you guys would have gotten like 12,000 snapchats), and took some self-timer shots until the kind Argentinian couple next to me offered to take some for me. #solotravelprobs

I swam little laps, leaned over the edge and gaped at the view of the whole harbor and downtown (and what looked to be a floating soccer field), smiled and giggled to myself quite a lot, kept an eye out for polo man, and gaped at the view some more. I made friends with some guests, and was asked a few times by the waiter if I wanted anything. I politely declined in fear that they would want to charge to my room, but it still made me feel pretty fancy.

Don’t Know Where to Begin? Take this Singapore Welcome Tour to get your bearings on the city!

I wandered around to the back area to another equally amazing view. To my amazing surprise, there were a few jacuzzis back there, looking out over the sea. It was a cold day, so I snuggled up to a jet for a while feeling very content with my life at this point.

I decided it would be a sin not to stay for sunset, so I comfortably laid in another chair for a while, taking a time-lapse of the sunset which perfectly fell right behind the skyscrapers of downtown.

And that is basically it! I was fairly scared about getting out for a while, seeing that you use your keycard both ways. Long story short, I ended up going to an unmanned gate exit down some stairs and asking an old guy if I could get out since my “boyfriend” (ha) took my bag with my key. Without a second thought, he opened it for me and I was golden. Safe and sound. I ditched my robe near another maid’s cart, and was on my way.

“So this is how you do it,” I thought. “This is how you sneak into the Marina Bay Sands Infinity pool.”

Well, this is how I did it.

I’m not sure if this could have been done if I wasn’t alone, or without a fair few strokes of pretty great luck along with my very specific and important 8 rules 😉 But let’s not forget another important unofficial rule:

Rule # 9: Things That Could Get You Arrested Make the Best Stories.

Now I’m not sure what the repercussions would have been if I got caught, or the amount of trouble I could have gotten into. But I do know that it was way worth the story and the experience I had in the pool. And that as long as you stick to the 8 rules you can’t go wrong… most of the time.

Sure, you can call me lucky, stupid, or daring. You can call me an idiot, or you can call me crazy. Or you can call me Kimpossible, that works too.

I stayed at Five Foot way inn!

Want to swim in the pool but aren’t dumb enough to sneak in like I was? Then maybe you should actually book a night at the Marina Bay Sands. This is what I would recommend, honestly. 

***DISCLAIMER****

This post was not meant to brag about or inspire others to do what I did. In fact, I really don’t recommend anyone try this. The consequences in Singapore could be severe. This post was written to entertain my readers through a ridiculous experience I had that I believe to be a pretty damn good story.

If you don’t think it’s a good story, I don’t care to read your spiteful comments (all blocked from view) and you can feel free to leave my blog. At the end of the day, ITS JUST A POOL I SWAM IN; I didn’t steal jewels from the goddamn White House. Chill out 😀

That is all, peace and love folks! Oh and here are a few more photos of me in the pool.

You May Also Enjoy:

• Unique Places to Stay in Bali
• Bali Bamboo Houses to Rent
• Best Uluwatu Restaurants with a View
• Bali to Lombok Ferry: What You Must Know