Raffles Hotel - A Slice of Singapore History

After 120 years of service, why should it be surprising that Raffles Hotel gets so much right? When it opened in 1887, the hotel only had ten rooms. British sailors made the Raffles Hotel their favorite hangout. Natives were politely asked to leave. These days, the place is off-limits only to the badly dressed; however, the ambience of the place is still overwhelmingly old-school British; the Raffles' old colonial-era regulars will still feel right at home here.

The Raffles Hotel has played a large role in Singapore's own history - the last tiger on the island (it is said) was killed under a table in the Bar and Billiard Room, and an enterprising bartender invented the Singapore Sling cocktail in the Long Bar as a way of getting women to drink with the men.

To this day, the place still plays host to foreign dignitaries visiting the island, and one gets the feeling that much of the country's history may yet unfold under the Raffles' roof. The Raffles Hotel was gazetted a national monument in 1995.

Once you wander out of the hotel, you'll find yourself right smack in the middle of Singapore's upscale retail and culture district - cheek-by-jowl with the Asian Civilization Museum, the Raffles City Shopping Center across the street, the National Library and Museum, and St. Andrew's Cathedral.

Buses are easy to catch along Beach Road, and the island-spanning MRT is accessible inside the Raffles City Shopping Center.

To recap: if it's history and pull-out-all-the-stops service you're after (and if money is no object), Raffles Hotel is the place for you - rooms cost about $600 per night on average. However, if you feel the Raffles' got a bit too much history for far too much money, there's no shame in stopping by the more run-of-the-mill Stamford or Four Seasons hotels.