Raffles Singapore. is a must do.
In a market that has no shortage of outstanding Hotel offerings this grand establishment certainly shines equally brightly as its more contemporary competitors.
From the moment you arrive your looked after well and truly as you would expect in a top class hotel, Check in effortless and painless with a warm friendly personalized welcome with introductions to your room attendant and even a greeting from the Hotel Manager himself.
My room I could not fault. I felt at home almost in it having occupied a Victorian era terrace house for most of my life. The suite which comprised a nice sitting room and foyer leading to a very large master bedroom was wonderful. Think of A classy restored Victorian interior and your halfway there in describing this room. The furniture was of course period with distinct local accents, I was surprised to see a CRT TV rather than a LCD display but one could not fault the room in any respect it was wonderful.
I particularly liked that Raffles have let these rooms age properly so you do get that little floor noise in places which is a reminder of home, really nothing you can fault. I liked the selection of newspapers delivered to the little foyer room each day to sit and enjoy the mornings coffee with and the hotel was not reluctant in supplying ample amounts of bottled water everytime I returned to the room.
The large bathroom was very usable with twin sinks a large tub and shower area. I liked the old fashion brass taps and shower, the marble counters and tiles also gave the bathroom a real classic touch but with every modern convenience. The Soaps and Lotions they supply are of course top notch.
Raffles is a popular spot for tourists and I liked the way that the property avoids the reception area becoming like the front courtyard at Disneyland, the surrounding buildings where full of the usual scattering of designer stores, I was a left a tad unimpressed by the Raffles Museum ( It could be done better if afforded more space ) and you cannot help but view it as simply another gift shop to compliment the highly popular and equally high priced Raffles gift store located at street level.
I visited the Long Bar and found it a great place for a few drinks, The peanut shells on the floor thing I guess give it atmosphere cannot help but think the place could survive without it though. A proper Singapore Sling is on offer and I have to say for some reason I enjoyed the Raffles house version far more than any other version I had been offered previously.
The welcome you get when you return to the hotel each time is really nice, The guys on the door in costume work really hard and are typical of the friendly folks you encounter in the hotel. I also must note the real nice welcome letter you get from the hotel when you arrive in your room its not necessary but shows class.
Our room attended Alvarado? Looked after everything perfectly including a couple of out of hours pressing requests and was always cheerful everytime you seen him, a real credit to the hotel staff like this are. The call button in the room is again A very quant tribute to the buildings history.
1 press was always rapidly followed with a call back.
Be sure when staying at Raffles to take time to walk around the hotel, The building is wonderful and you have to really commend the Raffles team who have resisted the urge numerous times to plonk a 20 or 30 story tower block in the middle of this great property.
I could go on and on but I will leave with a simple message, Be sure to put Raffles on your list for at least one stay on a visit to Singapore it is truly worth the premium.
