Singapore fling: Staying at the iconic Raffles that started it all
Editor's Note
Only a handful of hotels have a whole chain named after them. St. Regis. Peninsula. Fairmont. And then there's the Raffles.
Although there are now around two dozen Raffles hotels and resorts around the world, they all trace their lineage back to the original Raffles Singapore, which has become one of the most famous hotels in the world since it began welcoming guests back in 1887.
The grande dame of today probably bears little resemblance to the humble 10-room hotel opened by the Sarkies brothers nearly 140 years ago — in part thanks to a lavish and painstaking renovation under the aegis of design star Alexandra Champalimaud from 2017 through 2019 — but there are still hallmarks of that history throughout its hushed halls and lush gardens.
An ancient piano whose keys were once tickled by Noel Coward. Unobtrusive plaques placed next to rooms that were favorites of bestselling authors and other celebrities (the hotel has hosted its fair share). The crunch of tires along the circular gravel driveway — a sound that has accompanied arriving guests for over a century. Perhaps most iconic of all, the nattily uniformed Sikh doormen standing at attention to welcome each guest.
History is palpable here, and yet the hotel feels like the contemporary embodiment of luxury as well.
Here's what it's like stepping inside the Raffles Singapore and how to make the most of your stay.
Related: Your secret Singapore stopover must-do list
Know before you go
- The hotel's gleaming white colonial revival facade, with its graceful arches, stalwart balustrades and red-tiled roof is unmistakable.
- The hotel sits in Singapore's downtown core, close to major attractions like the Merlion, the National Gallery of Singapore, the Asian Civilizations Museum and the Merlion.
- Getting there: The hotel is approximately a 25-minute, $20 taxi or Grab ride from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).
- Parking: The hotel offers complimentary valet and self-parking for registered guests.
- Size: The all-suite Raffles Singapore has 115 accommodations in various categories, including 12 specialty Personality Suites, each dedicated to famous guests like Elizabeth Taylor and Charlie Chaplin.
- Food and drink: The hotel has eight restaurants and bars sprinkled throughout the property, including both the main building and the shopping arcades along Bridge Road.
- Pet policy: Only service animals are allowed.
Accommodations
There are no rooms at Raffles Singapore, only suites. Even the entry-level State Room suites in the Bras Basah wing start at over 700 square feet and have separate parlors and bedrooms.
My 753-square-foot Palm Court King room was easily reached along a wide, breezy verandah where I occasionally saw other guests sipping cold drinks and leafing through books during the cooler morning and evening hours. Butlers are on hand (or at least via WhatsApp) to cater to any momentary needs.
Inside, my suite had a spacious living room with double-height ceilings and plenty of natural light from a wall of windows. The decor included a mix of colorful furniture inspired by both colonial and Peranakan (local Malay-Chinese) aesthetics — think original teak flooring, handcarved wooden tables, wicker chairs, brass light switches and glazed ceramic lamps. I also found an assortment of treats including macarons, chocolate bonbons and a chilled bottle of Champagne waiting for me.
Through a shutter-flanked doorway reminiscent of the city's famous shophouses, I found a four-poster king bed, its squared-off contemporary shape still hearkening to the colonial-era one of tropical hardwood you might have found here a century ago. There was also a chaise lounge for casual napping in the afternoon heat and a wall-mounted flatscreen framed by dark wood shelves and a few books and pieces of art.
Through a dark-paneled dressing room, the all-marble bathroom had intricate, Peranakan-inspired tiling burnished to a glossy sheen, plus dual sinks and vanities, a classic freestanding rolltop tub and a huge walk-in shower stocked with citrusy Ortigia Sicilia bath and body products.
Palatial digs with a plethora of potential lounging areas made it hard to leave my room, but the hotel's other amenities were just tempting enough to coax me out.
Dining and drinking at Raffles Singapore
It might be first and foremost a hotel, but Raffles Singapore is also a landmark thanks, in part, to the wide array of dining and drinking establishments throughout its grounds and arcades that continue to draw well-heeled travelers from near and far.
The Grand Lobby
Guests are likely to encounter this space first as it's just inside the main entrance. Crowned by a soaring three-story skylit ceiling with original Victorian-era pillars and an enormous custom-created chandelier from lighting design firm Preciosa that unfurls like a blossoming lotus, the Grand Lobby is the setting for one of Singapore's most sumptuous afternoon teas.
Guests can choose from a selection of carefully sourced leaves and infusions while treated to an assortment of dainty sandwiches and pastries, not to mention fluffy, piping-hot scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, all accompanied by music from a live harpist ($84 per person).
Tiffin Room
While most guests are sure to come to the hotel's Indian-inspired restaurant for breakfast, including an extensive buffet and a la carte specialties like kaya toast and chili-masala omelets (set menus from $64 per person), don't miss chef Kuldeep Negi's subcontinent-spanning menus at lunch or dinner. Start with crunchy-flaky pani puri bites with tangy mint sauce ($20) before hearty tandoor-cooked kebabs ($34) and melt-in-your-mouth curries like Goan-style prawn balchao ($37).
Yi by Jereme Leung
Save this Cantonese standout for date night or an expense account-backed business dinner since you'll want to share decadent multicourse menus that proceed like a leisurely parade of plates. During my late-summer stay, there was a special mushroom-themed menu with colorful varieties foraged from all over Yunnan, though I opted for the regular set menu that included tasty bites like crispy prawns with with quinoa and passionfruit and wok-fried Iberico pork with soy bean tempeh ($147 per person).
1887 by Andre
Although it just opened this past spring, 1887 by Andre represents the triumphant return to Singapore of Taiwanese-born chef Andre Chiang and has already garnered two Michelin stars.
That makes it nigh impossible to get a table, but if you do, you can look forward to opulent but playful French-Asian fusion menus with dishes such as laksa paella with king crab and bonito ($100), and braised pork rib blanquette with Kampot white peppercorn ($53).
Writers Bar
Raffles Singapore has played host to some of the most famous writers of the past 150 years, including Joseph Conrad and Pablo Neruda, and continues to have a writer-in-residence program today. Nowhere is that bookish pedigree more evident than in the Writers Bar just adjacent to the main entrance. Here, you can sink into one of the tufted leather banquettes or sidle up to the curved brass bar and order one of the signature cocktails inspired by literary luminaries. The Prince in the Sky, dedicated to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, is an effervescent indulgence created with Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru Murcian Lemon gin, St.-Germain liqueur, jasmine, yuzu and honey bitters, Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne, Perrier Lemon and Scrappy's lavender bitters ($25).
Long Bar
For something totally different, join the queue (or have your butler reserve you a time) at the hotel's other longstanding watering hole, the decidedly more down-to-earth Long Bar, where patrons toss empty peanut shells on the floor and wicker palm fans lazily flutter overhead. The bar is home to the saccharine Singapore Sling cocktail ($34), which was invented here back in 1915 and continues to be a classic.
Butcher's Block
Hawaiian chef Jordan Keao flame grills proteins aplenty as the signature feature of this upscale eatery, where wood-fired meats are the hallmark, but you can also find other specialties like bluefin tuna poke tartlets ($13) in addition to standouts like Western Australian marron with caramelized parsnip puree and kaffir lime leaf crumble ($19).
Raffles Courtyard
Small plates, Singaporean snacks and cold, crisp cocktails are the order of the day at this casual alfresco spot screened off by leafy shrubs and a frilly cast-iron portico.
The spa
Orchid sprays and burbling wellness pools set the mood in the tranquil spa, which is tucked away in a quiet corner of the Raffles Arcade. Take your pick of premier products, including Biologique Recherche, Omorovicza and HydraFacial, which are utilized in the skincare treatments, while massages on offer include one that utilizes gemstone-infused oils, and another involving a suit that blows compressed air over the body to gently soothe aching joints.
Amenities and service
Raffles Singapore has a few other fun amenities to take advantage of, too.
- No stay at the hotel would be complete without taking a history tour (don't worry, it's not more than an hour) which will point out the various curios and corners that lend the hotel its distinctive ambience.
- The rooftop pool is a swell place to sunbathe on particularly sweltering days.
- The adjacent gym has a few compact but well-equipped rooms for all your cardio and weightlifting needs.
- Be sure to stop by the Raffles Boutique to pick up hotel-themed souvenirs as well as designer knickknacks.
- The service is as elevated as you'd expect for a hotel that set the bar for luxury for over a century, but there is also genuine warmth and care in every interaction. Don't be shy about asking your butler for help with anything from spa appointments to personal shopping tips.
How to book Raffles Singapore
Raffles Singapore is part of Accor, and if you are a member of the All Accor loyalty program, you can often find rates with discounts of up to 15% as well as inclusions like breakfast.
Nightly rates at Raffles Singapore start at $930 per night including taxes for a State Room Suite while the Palm Court Suite King I stayed in starts at around $1,150 per night.
Raffles Singapore is part of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, so if you have American Express Platinum Card® or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can make a booking through amextravel.com and receive perks like availability-based upgrades, up to a $100 credit to use on-property during your stay for things like drinks or meals, complimentary daily breakfast for two and guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
Both cards now offer a biannual $300 (up to $600 per calendar year) statement credit on prepaid stays at Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts*, so you could save $300 on a reservation at Rosewood Hong Kong if you are able to take advantage of one of these cards' credits.
*Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, FHR will also require a minimum two-night stay.
Raffles Singapore is also a member of Capital One's Premier Collection. So if you have the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Venture X Business, you can book a stay through Capital One Travel for value-added benefits like free daily breakfast for two, up to $100 in on-property experience credits and room upgrades (if available).
Finally, you can also book the hotel through The Edit by Chase Travel℠ if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees). By booking this way, eligible cardholders receive benefits like a room upgrade at select properties when available, complimentary daily breakfast for two and credits of up to $100 for on-property charges, unique to each hotel, but typically including things like restaurant and spa charges.
Related: Our favorite American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts around the world
Accessibility
The hotel has two rooms designed for guests with reduced mobility as well as accessible bathrooms in certain suites including a Courtyard Suite.
Public areas and restaurants are also reachable via elevator and flat pathways for wheelchair access. As always, contact the hotel directly to ensure that accommodations and facilities you would like to use meet your specific accessibility needs.
Checking out
Raffles Singapore became a landmark almost as soon as it opened nearly 140 years ago, and remains one of the most famous hotels in the world thanks to its long history, opulent accommodations and unparalleled service. Though a stay here is a splurge for even the wealthiest of travelers, if you have the means, a night or two here enjoying its various amenities are well worth it.
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