Under One Roof
At Marina Bay Sands, Lily Ong indulged in good food and childlike fun in the company of Bryan Loo, Sally Quah and their two adorable daughters
Bryan Loo and Sally Quah enjoy a short staycation with their daughters at Marina Bay Sands
Bryan loo and Sally Quah enjoy taking their two daughters Kylie and Hayley for short staycations. The charming CEO of Loob Holdings confessed that carving time for himself for personal holidays is a luxury these days. “Balance doesn’t exist in my vocabulary, so when I can, I take short breaks with Sally and the girls,” he says. Therefore, when the opportunity came for Bryan and his family to enjoy a retreat in Singapore courtesy of Marina Bay Sands, he and Sally were happy for the quick getaway with their daughters. With world-class fine dining, shopping and entertainment that includes a casino and the Moshe Safdie- designed hotel with over 2,500 rooms, Marina Bay Sands is investing a lot of thought and effort into building its position as an attraction for both adults and children alike. Case in point: the hotel’s newly completed family room on the second and third floor of the complex. Designed with families in mind, this sanctuary is furnished with a king-sized bed and two single beds for a family of four. Upon checking in at the family room suites, Kylie and Hayley were thrilled at the prospect of having their own beds, and tucked their stuffed toys underneath the covers to mark their territory. Like her daughters, Sally too expressed her excitement at the child-sized bathrobes made available, which she would use to dress them for a quick swim at the complex’s iconic rooftop infinity pool later in the afternoon.
After checking in, we paid a visit to Pizzeria Mozza for a carb-rich snack of decadent pizzas before popping over next door for a second lunch at Osteria Mozza. Peter Birks, the Brisbane native overseeing the regional Italian cuisine served at the restaurant, kept delights after delights coming for Bryan and his family—from rich and heavenly food like linguine with clams, pancetta and spicy chilies as well as tantalising courses like grilled Wagyu beef tagliata with rucola and parmigiano reggiano from the wood-fire grill. Bryan, who is ever the curious F&B entrepreneur, expressed interest in trying out the restaurant’s famous mozzarella bar, laden with approximately 16 different kinds of cheeses from Los Angeles to Italy which are made available for tasting. After a satisfying lunch, it was time for an afternoon of cultural enrichment as we headed off to the lotus-shaped Artscience Museum. Future World: Where Art Meets Science is the museum’s new permanent exhibition, created in collaboration with the Japanese interdisciplinary art collective teamlab. It was this exhibition that we chose to spend our afternoon at, as Sally and her daughters made a prompt beeline to Sliding Through the Fruit Field, a colourful interactive artwork designed for children that is projected onto a newly designed slide. Kylie and Hayley were beside themselves with glee as they glided down the slide; their contact with the slope causing the slide screen to conjure up beautiful animations. Hayley—in a smart move for a child so young—tried to slide backwards to watch the animation as she goes down. As for me, I spent most of my time at the Black Waves exhibition, which features walls rendered entirely in digital technology throughout the space—depicting the sea in the style of traditional Japanese painting. It was relaxing just to sit in the cushions strewn about the floor of the room, and watch the rhythmic movements of the water particles on the walls that looked as if it was alive. Then it was time for some engaging fun at Town. Kylie and Hayley were particularly taken by Sketch Town, an innovative installation that engages children through play. This installation is a depiction of a fictitious town, based on Singapore that includes recognisable landmarks. Young visitors use crayons and paper to draw a building, a car, or a plane for Sketch Town. When their twodimensional pictures are placed in a digital
scanner, they enter the town, becoming 3D animated objects. The visitors’ urban designs become part of a vast projected city, which they can physically interact with through touch and movement, bringing the town to life. Touch a car, for example, and it will speed up, or change direction. After two hours of play at the exhibition, we retreated to our rooms to refresh ourselves, followed by dinner at The Bird Southern Restaurant and Bar—another renowned eatery under Marina Bay Sands. The restaurant serves southern US classic dishes, including the famous 100-year-old recipe for Lewellyn’s fine fried chicken and grilled mango salad. Among the classic southern favourites, The Bird has also included as part of their menu, a Singaporeexclusive dish with an inventive spin on local cuisine—the Low Country Laksa. After dinner, it was time for a nostalgic walk down memory lane, as we all attended the show, Disney in Concert: A Wish Is A Dream in Mastercard Theatres. Like every little girl who wishes to be a princess, Kylie and Hayley thoroughly enjoyed the show and excitedly sang along to famous songs from numerous Disney movies, both old and new.
DAY 2: EAT, PLAY, THINK
The next day, it was time for us to indulge in retail therapy, Vip-style. After a customised tour around the shopping area of Marina Bay Sands on a swanky buggy, we split up once again as Bryan and Sally took their daughters for a shopping experience in stores catering to children, while I took up Marina Bay Sands’ personal shopping experience for the day. Available for booking at S$250 per session, the Personal Shopping at The Shoppes is a tailored experience for any shopper’s needs. Prior to the appointed date, I had filled up a comprehensive questionnaire detailing information that will help customise the experience to my needs. After examining my answers, the team at Marina Bay Sands
arranged for me to pay a visit to French label Anne Fontaine—known for their chic monochrome everyday office wear. It was a fun experience, getting to try out different outfit combinations, as the store’s helpful assistants put together look after look for me. While the personal shopping experience comes with a high tea treat at the TWG Tea Salon and Boutique after the session, I opted out because I had lunch plans with the Loos at db Bistro and Oyster Bar. There, over a scrumptious three-course lunch, we swapped our shopping tales; Kylie and Hayley proudly showed me all the cute dresses their mother had bought for them. Then, they were eager to revisit the Artscience Museum, so we decided to re-enter the Future World exhibition, where Bryan and I left Sally and the girls at Town to explore the Space exhibit. Situated at the end of the Future World exhibit, we immersed ourselves in the stunning artworks created with teamlab’s Interactive 4-D Vision technology using more than 170,000 LED lights, creating the illusion of stars moving in space. We decided to also explore the HUMAN+ The Future of Our Species exhibition, which explores the possible outcome of the future of our species. The point of this thought-provoking showcase is to ask, what it means to be human in a world of artificial intelligence, lifelike robots and genetic modification. It probes the social, ethical and environmental questions raised by using technology to modify ourselves. Bryan, who is curious by nature, enjoyed every minute of this exhibition, from learning about the world’s first cyborg Neil Harbisson and meeting the Singaporean-built social robot, Nadine. Bryan even sat down and initiated a social conversation with her. To cap off our last evening together, we popped over to Adrift, a produce-based and Asian-inspired restaurant helmed by chef David Myers. At Sally’s encouragement, we then went out for supper and a nightcap at Clarke Quay before turning in for the night. All in all, it was a memorable weekend escape for all of us—an experience that proved that whether you are an adult or child, you can always find ways to have fun and relax at Marina Bay Sands.
Marina Bay Sands is investing a lot into building its position as an attraction for adults and children