Swing by Singapore for Sling

11 Apr 2016

There are so many lessons to be learned from Raffles Hotel, Singapore. First off, don't name your hotel after yourself but after the city's Colonial founding father. Next, find a solution to combat the social mores of the time and invent a candy-coloured fruity cocktail that gentlemen can purchase and ladies can enjoy without raising an eyebrow. Third create a plantation-club tradition of throwing monkey nut shells onto the floor of The Long Bar, five shoot a tiger under the elevated billiard room and, finally, serve the city's best North Indian curry buffet at The Tiffin Room.

While other guests sip their Singapore Slings, made even more exclusive with a proprietary gin blend, house-juiced pineapples, fresh lime juice, grenadine and boosted with Dom Benedictine and Cherry brandy, I’m wondering about the moments the grandfather clock has witnessed. It is among the oldest of the historic hotel’s artefacts and retains pride of place at the entry to the hotel lobby.

Hall of fame

Much like Reid’s Palace, Madeira, The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and The Mount Nelson Hotel, Raffles Singapore has been the home to a-listers for 130 years. The hall of fame, a clever name for a narrow corridor containing photos of famous guests from Kate Moss to Noël Coward, proves people are attracted to Raffles.

Hotel guests have the protection of a no-photography or video policy within the hotel and gawkers cannot access the main hotel lobby without good reason. In fact, The Long Bar, the Long Bar Steakhouse and The Raffles Gift Shop, have an entire entrance on the North Beach Road to themselves while a much photographed doorman keeps onlookers away from the main hotel facade.

Guests taking the Eastern & Oriental Express Train, part of the Belmond portfolio, depart for the train station via coach from the Raffles Long Bar Restaurant. Even if you’re not among them, make a point of enjoying the exquisite Tiffin Room North Indian buffet in the main hotel. Even following a low-carb, no sugar diet there were so many fabulous things to eat. I can recommend a meal there as a must-do.

Perfectly preserved

Opened in 1887, Raffles Singapore is one of the few remaining great 19th century hotels in the world. Till today, its architecture is perfectly preserved both inside and out, giving it an intoxicating blend of luxury, history and classic colonial design. Within its walls are 103 expansive suites, framed by polished teak verandas and white marble colonnades, clustered around lush tropical gardens. Each is serviced by the legendary Raffles butlers and offers every modern convenience necessary.

Some fourteen restaurants and bars dot the Raffles, recalling the atmosphere of an elegant age. Among the most well-loved include the elegant Raffles Grill; Long Bar, where the famous Singapore Sling was created; and Writers Bar, a tribute to the novelists and travel writers like Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling and James Michener, just to name a few, who have become part of the hotel’s legend.

Adjoining the hotel is the Raffles Hotel Arcade, which offers a broad range of facilities for visitors to enjoy. These include 40 specialty boutiques, indoor and outdoor private event spaces – The Ballroom and The Lawn – and 388-seat theatre venue Jubilee Hall.