Raffles Hotel Singapore; A class of its own

“Raffles stands for all the fables of the exotic East”. - Somerset Maugham

With history richer than the guests themselves, Raffles Hotel originated in 1887 as a 10-bedroom sea-facing bungalow. Named after its founder, Sir Stamford Rafles, this national treasure has evolved into an icon of elegance and has housed some of Singapore’s most distinguished visitors including

Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne & Queen Elizabeth II.

Mother and I stayed in a State Room Suite located in the Bras Brasah Wing, one of the most historic sections of the hotel. The room was immaculate, featuring a separate parlor area, spacious bath, & veranda overlooking Fern Court. However, of the many luxuries - and there were many, best of all were the legendary Raffles Butlers.

Within 10 minutes of our check-in ( which is done entirely within the room itself), our two butlers greeted us in the room with welcome drinks, Singapore Slings of course, before talking us through everything we needed to know to best enjoy our stay. They had printed out a schedule with all our reservations to include pool slots which they had booked for us after a pre-stay call several days beforehand. Neither Mother nor I had ever experienced luxury quite like this; they were warm and attentive, not at all awkward.

What a sneaky and amazing trunk! Hiding so much good stuff in plain sight!

Everything is going swimmingly

One of the unexpected things about our staycation package was that it included $100 FB voucher that we used for lunch at the pool. The food was fantastic and once again the service was top-notch. Alex, the lead pool assistant, was a total hustler! He was so so attentive but not at all bothersome or intrusive.

At this time reservations are made for the pool to ensure it is never overcrowded. Several days prior to our stay the butler called to confirm details of the stay and booked our slots in advance. However, the pool was able to accommodate date us well outside our pre-arranged times when schedules changed.

Raffles Long Bar

Raffles Long Bar is home to the famous Singapore Sling, a fruity and refreshing Gin Based cocktail, widely viewed as the National drink of Singapore. The Sling was created by Raffles bartender Ngiam Tong Boon in 1915, at a time when it went against etiquette for women to consume alcohol. However, the rosy pink color gave the look of fruit juice and allowed women to hide their drinks in plain sight.

Regarded as the local watering hole for the community, the Long Bar decor is inspired by 1920s Malay plantation life. However, as someone new to the region it gives more of a Hemmingway’s Key West vibe. Also of note is the floor covered in peanut shells, a tradition created in order to mock Singapore's laws and strict order.

You don’t need to stay at Raffles to stop by and try a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar, no reservation is required and you can get buy one-get one ccocktail at Happy hour 5-7 Wednesday to Saturday!

The Tiffin Room

Look at that beautiful blonde! When I asked Mother what she wanted to see in Singapore the answer was “Indian food and fish & chips!” After having upscale already tried hawker Indian food I decided to take her somewhere more upscale to see how it compared.

The Tiffin Room has been featuring North Indian Cuisine in Raffles since 1892 and was named after the metal tin carriers commonly used to carry food in Asia. We elected to reserve a table near the fountain as we had already dinned in the restaurant itself, it was a beautiful restaurant evening and the food was delicious.

We started with the Maharaja Kebab Tasting Platter and then shared the Murgh Tikka Masala & Scallops Coconut Curry accompanied with rice and naan. Of course, the food was delicious and we tried our best but there were still leftovers!

Writers Bar

You probably wouldnt know this but… Ernest Hemmingway is kind of my biggest dead celeb crush. I love his sense of adventure, writing style, and overall persona. The entire Raffles hotel has managed to stay updated and modern while freezing a moment in time, but this is especially true in the Writer Bar.

A slightly more intimate setting compared to the Long Bar, the Writers Bar is dark , moody, sexy, and adourns the walls with authentic historic memorabilia- the books are real ! This would be a great spot to grab a night cap, the bars speciallty being a “Million Dollar Cocktail” created by the same mixoligist as the aforementioned Singapore Sling.

The Grand lobby

Afternoon Tea is a Singapore staple and is there any more chic place to do it than the Grand Lobby at Raffles? We walked down the staircase to the melodious sounds of a harpist …erm… harping(?) away. We were shown to our table and greeted with glasses of champagne, pots of tea, and a stunning tower of pastries and sandwiches. Because this was Easter Sunday all of the deserts has a cute theme that we absolutely loved.