Singapore: A Millionaire’s Paradise

Singapore recently topped the list of cities with the most millionaires this year, beating Geneva and Zurich that have been exchanging the prize between themselves for the best part of the last decade. This is a sure sign that the capital in the world is slowly moving East.

You can understand why the rich are coming here in their droves. Everything works, there is no trash on the street, no homeless people sleeping rough or asking you for some change. It puts England to shame I was told by my old neighbour in Somerset. If the borders of England ended at the suburbs of London then I’d have to agree, but Singapore is far more like Macau or Monte Carlo and should be compared accordingly. It is ostentatious, glitzy, and the home of the new Marina Bay Sands.

To understand why so many millionaire’s love Singapore you should really visit Marina Bay Sands. It is the ultimate shopping centre, hotel, casino complex, brought to you by Sheldon Adelson, billionaire real estate developer and gambling magnate.

Marina Bay Sands just blew me away on my first visit here. Just imagine the heady days of New York before the great depression and you get a sense of the opulence of this place. Five thousand pound earings, watches that cost as much as a small house. The shopping centre has been designed for the big spender.

Still there is something to be appreciated about places built for the wealthy. Shoot up to the top floor of Marina Bay Sands and you get some of the best views in the city. Unfortunately the infinity pool area is now closed off to the public so you don’t get to see as much of the top as you used to, but it is truely amazing. One day, despite my fear of heights, I shall pay the £300 minimum room fee to swim in this pool. Some things in life I think you just have to experience, to hell with my phobias.

Although it will be a long time before I can afford to stay in one of the rooms in Marina Bay Sands, spending a day walking through this place and staring at the shop fronts is quite something. Exploring Marina Bay Sands is a bit of a case of through the looking glass, as you get to see how the one percent might be spending their days (not a place you can use the secret of bargaining).