8 billion smackers. That's what Las Vegas Sands spent constructing Marina Bay Sands, the world's most expensive standalone resort that looks more like a cruise boat perched atop a 55-floor skyscraper than any fully earthbound structure.

Not to mention, as you make your way to the rooftop (after, you know, spending some time to take a canal ride in the shopping center, or to poke about one of the building's 1600 casino slot machines, or to just sit back and enjoy the fish bouillon that Mario Batali has catered specifically for your taste buds), you discover that - WOW - there's a pool here 3 times the size of any aquatic compartment Michael Phelps may have competed in during the Olympics. Don't worry, if you're planning on taking a few laps pre-boardroom meetings, you won't flip over the edge anytime soon -- there's a catchment area if you're really leaning too close to catch the city views.

And, not to mention, this massive hospitality project is set to bump Singapore's already slap happy GDP growth rate up another 0.8% as the venture is expected to generate $1 billion in profits per year from the time it opens.