First looks and impressions -- Marina Bay Sands opens its doors at long last

After months of speculation, construction delays, rumors of financial woes and an eleventh hour casino license approval, Las Vegas Sands Corp threw open the doors to Singapore's US$5.5 billion second casino resort project. At the 'fengshui-approved' time of 3.18pm on April 27, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) officially welcomed its first guests with billionaire Las Vegas Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson snipping the customary red ribbon. 

Much like its Resorts World Sentosa counterpart, Marina Bay Sands is the second of the two 'integrated resorts' approved for operation by the Singapore authorities back in December 2006. It's not fully open for the moment (only Phase One which includes 963 rooms and the all important casino) and the grand opening is scheduled for June 23. This will see the debut of the much-lauded 60-story building-spanning SkyPark and the full complement of retail and dining stores. Currently, much of the resort is still under construction, including the main Sands Expo and Convention Center which will host the largest meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or MICE, facility in Singapore. It will also include the largest ballroom in Southeast Asia. 

Despite signs of being a work in progress with tarp-covered construction sites and bevies of workers still on task, the entire complex makes an impressive first impression, with artworks and fixtures built on a scale to dwarf most other hotels and resorts -- it's large enough to make exploring the whole resort a very tiring affair, as CNNGo found out. For Phase One, a handful of bars, restaurants and retail boutiques are open, but from what we're told, the hotel rooms are completely booked.

Already, there is a lot of buzz about the dining scene that MBS will introduce to Singapore, with big-name celebrity chefs opening their first Singaporean (and for more than a few, their first Asian) outlets on the premises. These include Daniel Boulud (New York), Guy Savoy (Paris), Mario Batali (New York), Santi Santamaria (Barcelona), Wolfgang Puck (Los Angeles) and Tetsuya Wakuda (Sydney), and according to the latest news, CNNGo's favorite local culinary son, Justin Quek, will be returning to helm a new restaurant on the Skypark. These fine dining establishments will also be opened during the full Phase Two opening of MBS.

We also spied a water canal works still under construction at the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, which when completed will be a family-oriented boat ride. Unfortunately it won't be a Venice-style gondola ride like those found in the Venetian resorts in Macau and Las Vegas. Some of the retail brands that are new to Singapore under auspices of MBS are Anne Fountaine, Henry Cotton's, Paul & Shark, Stefano Ricci, Wolford, Marisfrolg, Moiselle and Rabeanco.

Architecturally, the MBS structure is quite the jaw-dropper both from inside and outside. It isn't just size for sheer size's sakes but has a certain grace to the three-building structure, without the overwhelming ostentation that afflicts many other casinos. It's also interesting that for a U.S.-based organization, there's a certain hat-tip to geomancy beliefs as well -- the shape itself forms an open hand when viewed from above, which in fengshui is an auspicious sign. When the SkyPark is finished, it'll be quite the masterpiece as it'll stretch over 1.2 hectares -- large enough to land four Airbus A380 jumbo jets -- and will be longer than the Eiffel Tower is high.

For access to the casino, the local tariff of S$100 still applies but entry is free for foreign and overseas visitors. Click down to www.marinabaysands.com for more details on the resort and operations.

For a better look at Singapore's latest casino resort, check out our photo gallery above or watch our first look video of the casino floor.