Singapore’s oldest and most luxurious hotel recently emerged from a two-year renovation. But, I’m pleased to say, the beautiful colonial-era hotel has kept the splendour and luxury that the hotel is known for.
Raffles Hotel Singapore, named after Singapore founder Sir Stamford Raffles, is possibly the most luxurious and historic hotel in Asia and the possible best service you will find anywhere. When I think of peers of the hotel on equal footing around the world, I think of The Plaza Hotel New York, The Savoy London, The Ritz and The Hotel Danieli Venice. In fact, Raffles Hotel Singapore opened almost 20 years before hotels such as The Plaza New York, The Ritz and others, and so it has truly stood the test of time. The history of Raffles Hotel is long and unrivalled in Asia. The hotel has had famous guests such as rockstars, movie stars, royalty and politicians stay at the hotel. This Trip Planner Raffles Hotel Singapore review will give you everything you need to know about the hotel.
Raffles Hotel Singapore Location
Raffles Hotel Singapore is located on Beach Road on the original plot of 10 bungalows. Raffles Hotel was built in 1887 and once overlooked the sandy beaches of the Singapore coast. However, over the years, the rapid development and decades of Singapore’s land reclamation mean it’s now relatively far from the ocean (or at least a 10-15 minutes walk). As a result, Raffles Hotel now faces busy shopping malls and offices on all sides, but you will find peaceful tranquillity within the hotel’s grounds, so there is no need to worry about noise.
When staying at Raffles Hotel, you are two minutes from City Hall MRT. You are mere moments from Suntec City Mall, Bugis Junction, Funan Mall, Raffles Shopping Mall and the many bars and restaurants of the Chijmes development just behind the hotel. If you have seen the movie ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, you will recognise scenes filmed in Chijmes and its area. Directly opposite the front of Raffles Hotel, you will find the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, designed by Norman Foster. This beautiful hotel also has a selection of bars and restaurants (even a bar with real mermaids swimming in a pool). Raffles Hotel Singapore is a Trip Planner favourite, and the experience of staying at Raffles will give you a lasting memory you won’t forget.
Raffles Hotel Singapore Style
Famous playwright William Somerset Maugham once wrote that “Raffles Hotel stands for all the fables of the exotic East” (fun fact, there is now a suite named after him). When guests first step into the Raffles Hotel Singapore grand lobby, it’s easy to imagine the colonial past and the hotel’s history. Throughout Raffles Hotel, you will find that every fixture, painting, installation, and design detail is meant to enhance the hotel’s old-world splendour, including the famous Sikh doormen. I talked to the doorman, and it turned out he had worked at Raffles Hotel for 29 years, and it was truly fascinating to hear the stories he had and the guests he had met. Raffles Hotel Singapore has a long history with famous people and events. For example, even Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, was married at the hotel back in 1950.
The elegant gravel driveway, where the Sikh doormen greet guests, is reminiscent of an era past but has also had slight design changes over the years. In years gone by, the canopy over the arrival came much further out, but it looks better now as it reveals more of the original facade of the beautiful white building. Whereas now guests might arrive in Mercedes S-Class or Rolls Royce limousines, it’s easy to imagine a time when horse-drawn carriages once chauffeured the hotel’s guests to and from the hotel in luxury. On the upper floor of the main Raffles Hotel building, you will find old pianos and furniture, but the main antique piece most guests will notice is the grandfather clock still sitting in the grand lobby. The clock in the lobby still chimes on the hour and is yet another reminder of Raffles Hotel’s status as a historic Singapore landmark (you can see the clock in my video).
The giant chandelier from the Czech Republic is another item in the grand lobby that guests can’t fail to miss. The chandelier has 8,214 pieces of crystal and hangs from the skylight roof of the grand entrance. The Raffles Hotel’s main building is only three stories high. So the new chandelier is a centrepiece that draws attention without ruining any of the historical styles of the building itself.
Raffles Hotel Singapore Facilities
The service at Raffles Hotel is legendary, and that primarily comes true with the butler service that comes as standard with each room. I have used the butler service on many occasions, ordered anything from a basic breakfast to a famous Singapore Sling, and had my afternoon tea set on the veranda. The butlers are friendly and always greet you with a smile. The Raffles butlers will even provide services such as refills of the macaroons left for guests on arrival to the hotel or shine shoes and run baths for you. The Butlers are some of the hardest working and highly skilled hotel staff I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with.
Raffles Hotel has a wide range of shops and cafes in the Raffles gallery in the back part of the hotel. Guests will have options such as Rimowa, Rolex, and Leica, all high-end brands. There is also a spa, tearoom, lobster restaurant, whiskey bar and many others for guests to choose from. Hotel guests also get 15% off the Raffles gift shop, and since the renovation, this shop has been greatly expanded and relocated. I picked up one of the luxurious Raffles robes from the gift shop as it was one of the best robes in a hotel I’ve ever used.
Since the hotel renovation, the Raffles Hotel Singapore gym has been expanded to probably two to three times its size. The gym is divided into two parts, with the walkway to the rooftop swimming pool running through it. There are weight machines on one side and cardio equipment on the other, and it’s a welcome change as the gym had previously been a minimal size.
There’s also a rooftop swimming pool, and the famous Raffles Hotel Service even extends to the pool service. On arrival at the pool, you can expect one of the pool butlers to come and provide you with fluffy fresh towels and cover your sunlounger with a comfortable cover. Guests also get equipped with complimentary refreshments. The pool menu is smaller than the room service menu; however, on each visit, I’ve found you can order anything you want even if it’s not on the menu, and they will happily bring whatever you request.
Raffles Hotel Singapore Rooms
Raffles Hotel has 115 suites, with the main starting room category being the Studio Suites. The Raffles Studio Suites are 46sqm and are all located in the main hotel building. The rooms are an excellent location if you want to walk up the grand staircase and be closest to the lobby and the bars and restaurants that it houses. The studio suites each have a balcony with a set of comfortable chairs and a table so you can relax in the evening with a Champagne and watch the world go by. All of the rooms have luxurious four-poster beds since the refurbishment was completed.
Most guests will likely end up selecting a State Room Suite in the historic Bras Basah Wing (67 square meters) or a Palm Court Suite that overlooks the Palm Court and is similar in size. Most suites at the hotel have a very similar layout apart from the Presidential suites and the Grand Suites, which are unique in design. Most rooms are a three-part configuration with a beautiful marble bathroom area with separate bath and shower areas. There is then the main bedroom area with a four-poster bed, and wall-mounted 55 inch TV and a desk with a dressing table. Finally, you have the parlour area with a sofa and dining table for living and dining. All hotel rooms come with seating outside; however, depending on room type will determine the level of privacy you get.
Since the renovation, Raffles Hotel has also introduced a new room category named the Raffles hotel Personality Suites. I’ve stayed in two of these Personality Suites. In terms of size and shape of the rooms, guests most likely won’t be able to tell much difference between a Personality Suite and a room type such as the Courtyard Suites or Palm Court suites. The unique difference with the Personality Suites is that each of the 12 personality suites is named after a famous Raffles guest. Within the rooms, you will find memorabilia that belonged to a famous person with the same name as the suite. Examples of famous guests are Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor, Joseph Conrad, and John Wayne. For example, in the Joseph Conrad suite, I found a signed book in a frame on the wall by the bathroom entrance, and in the Charlie Chaplin suite, you will find a photo of Charlie Chaplin in the Tiffin Room in 1933.
All Raffles Hotel suites come with the expected five-star hotel facilities such as a coffee machine (Nespresso), a complimentary mini-bar, and generous bath amenities by Ormonde Jayne. The mini-bar and coffee facilities are impressive and come in leather-bound trunks designed especially for Raffles hotel. All of the rooms I have stayed in came with at least two televisions mounted on the walls, and the rooms also came with multiple iPads to control the lighting, entertainment, room service and other guest services. The butlers can be called from the in-room iPads or phoned, and they help with everything from unpacking, ironing, bringing food and drinks, and assisting 24/7 to your needs. Watch the video below to see more about the controls on the iPad.
Raffles Hotel Presidential Suite
Having stayed at Raffles Hotel roughly ten times over the last decade, I had the experience of the rooms both before and after the recent refurbishment. On one of my stays, I was even the first guest back to the hotel when they reopened after Covid, and for an entire night, I had the whole hotel to myself, which was both surreal and magical. Exploring the hotel late at night was a real treat with not a single guest around, and i was free to roam the restaurants, bars and other facilities such as the pool and gym myself.
On this particular trip to the hotel, I stayed several days in the Raffles Hotel Presidential Suite, which has a long, exciting history. Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth, Tony Blair, Prince William and Kate, Bono from U2, and many more have stayed in the same room. Even Michael Jackson spent his 35th birthday in the Raffles Presidential Suite. Just sitting in the room imagining the history and guests of almost 140 years was fascinating. Secret Raffles tip: There is a hallway hidden towards the hotel’s back lined on either side with the famous guests photographed at the hotel over the last hundred years. It’s fascinating to look through the hundreds of stars, musicians, politicians and royalty that have stayed at the hotel.
The rack rate for the Raffles Hotel Presidential suite at the time I stayed was $44,200 Singapore dollars for two nights, so it’s on the expensive side if I compare it to other Presidential suites I’ve stayed at in Singapore. The suite comes in two configuration options, and I had it with a second bedroom opened up however I slept in the master room. The suite has an expansive veranda area along with a separate kitchen for the butlers and a very generous dining and lounge area.
Raffles Hotel Singapore Dining Options
Raffles Hotel Breakfast is served in the Tiffin Room, and you will likely find it one of the finest hotel breakfasts you have ever experienced. There are multiple breakfast options to choose from, but I recommend buffet breakfast, which will give you the option of the fresh buffet and the a la carte menu. You will be treated to smoked meats, fresh-pressed juices, fruits, and baked goods such as muffins, quiches, and croissants for the buffet. Once you select from the delicious options spread out for you across the Tiffin room buffet, you can choose a main dish from the a la carte menu. My personal favourite is the Eggs Benedict.
The Tiffin Road had initially been the location for the famous Raffles afternoon tea experience. However, the tea is now served to guests across the Raffles Grand Lobby areas. The Tiffin room becomes an Indian restaurant that serves delicious Indian dishes, usually on gilded tiffin trays in the evenings. The Tiffin room signature is the Mera Dabba set where you pick two mains such as the tandoori chicken or the delicious medley of vegetables to go with naans, excellent basmati rice and dahl.
For meat lovers reading this, I would highly recommend trying Butchers Block. Without exaggeration, the best steak that I have ever eaten was at this restaurant, and I’ve dined in thousands of restaurants across the world. Pair your incredible steak with several of the delicious side options, and it’s a meal made in heaven. The steaks are pricy, but throughout Singapore, you will find that steaks are often far higher priced than in Europe, Australia or the US.
If you have time to visit more of the hotel restaurants, then La Dame de Pic, which is related to the three Michelin-starred restaurants by the maestro Anne-Sophie Pic could be an option. The restaurant serves a selection of tasting menus that include ingredients such as caviar, lobsters, truffle, scallop, and other high-end ingredients. The prices can be slightly eye-watering at around $650 for a dinner tasting menu with pairing. Then again, the most expensive bottle of wine I saw on the menu was $14,000, so the tasting menu with wine pairing might seem like a bargain, depending on how you look at it.
After your dinner, if you fancy a drink before heading back to your luxury Rattle Hotel suite for a nightcap on the veranda, there are many bar options to choose from. The Raffles Long Bar has been world-famous for decades and is where the original Singapore Sling cocktail was first created. In 1915 Long Bar bartender Ngiam Tong Boon made the Singapore sling, and to this day, it still brings tourists flocking through the Long Bar’s doors.
The Long Bar can often get crowded with a queue of tourists waiting to get into the bar. If you are a hotel guest, you will be ushered past the lines and to specially reserved tables they keep for walk-in guests. If you are not a guest and wait too long, then my favourite bar is the famous writer’s bar, so I recommend trying that or the courtyard Bar as an alternative. With the courtyard bar, you will be able to sit outside in the lush courtyard surrounded by the beautiful Raffles architecture, and they have a good drink and snacks menu.
Summary
Since Raffles Hotel Singapore was founded in 1987 by the Sarkies Brothers, it has become a legendary hotel known worldwide. The hotel, which predates most of its peers, has stood the test of time, and it was great to see the refurbishment take place. It really made a difference to the before and after experiences in terms of the quality of guest rooms and facilities.
If it’s in your budget, choosing to stay at Raffles Hotel over a competitor is a no brainer. Only the Fullerton or Capella hotels would be on the same level in Singapore. At Raffles, Hotel guests will experience unrivalled history, luxury, service and top-notch facilities. I highly recommend the hotel and if you have any questions, contact me on social media or via the Trip Planner website.
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