Raffles Singapore
Singapore, Singapore
The colonial grande dame that gave the world the Singapore Sling.
Few hotels are woven into a city's identity as tightly as Raffles is into Singapore's. Opened in 1887, it is a white colonial confection of verandahs, courtyards and palm-shaded walkways, and every room is a suite served by the hotel's famous butlers.
A multi-year restoration finished in 2019 freshened everything without stripping away the romance. The Long Bar still serves the Singapore Sling it invented, and the whole place remains a cool, gracious escape from the glass-and-steel city around it.
The Verdict
A living monument that still functions as a genuinely lovely hotel. Stay if you can; if not, at least go for the Sling and a wander through the courtyards.
A Singapore Sling at the Long Bar, ceiling fans turning overhead and peanut shells crunching underfoot, exactly as it has been for over a century.
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