If you haven't seen Singapore's iconic Raffles Hotel, you ain't seen Singapore...
Raffles Hotel was one of our pitstops on the Raffles Trail. The hotel is as iconic as the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, a must-see on a trip to Singapore. While the architecture of Raffles is classic colonial, I was indeed happier to see that the Raffles architecture paled in comparison our Taj Mahal Hotel, back home in Mumbai.
No trip to Singapore is complete without a trip to the Raffles, and seeing the lovely colonial design and the sardar durbaan - Sikh doorman. In fact, all guides on Singapore suggested that one must experience the High Tea at the Raffles at least once in a lifetime....
The hotel was established by two Armenian brothers —Martin and Tigran Sarkies—in 1887.
The Sarkies leased bungalows here and land from two owners - an Arab trader and philanthropist Syed Mohamed Alsagoff and a Chinese entrepreneur, Seah Liang Siah. The bungalows were then modernized and converted into a hotel. At that time, the hotel was right at the seaside, but today after years of reclamation, the hotel is nearly 500 metres away from the shore. In later years Martin and Tigran were joined by younger brothers Aviet and Arshak and kinsman Martyrose Arathoon.
The main building of the hotel was designed by the architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell and was completed in 1899. The hotel continued to expand over the years with the addition of wings, a verandah, a ballroom, a bar and a billiards room, and further buildings and rooms.
The hotel has had its share of ups and downs - the Great Depression of the 1930s hit it hard and it went nearly bankrupt. Then during the Japanese occupation of Singapore, during the Second World War, when the Japanese soldiers trooped in on 15 February 1942, Japanese soldiers encountered the guests in Raffles Hotel dancing the waltz.
During World War II, the Japanese renamed the Raffles Hotel as Syonan Ryokan (昭南旅館 - "Light of the South"). Syonan was the Japanese name for occupied Singapore, and ryokan, the name for a traditional Japanese inn.
At the end of the war, the hotel was used as a transit camp for prisoners of war. In 1987, the Singapore government declared the hotel a National Monument. The hotel underwent extensive renovations in 1989 before it reopened its doors for guests in 1991. In 2010, the Qatari sovereign wealth fund took over the hotel and today it is managed by Fairmont Hotels... but, the grandeur of its heydays lives on..., as though it were timeless...
Entrance to the lobby.
The entrance to the lobby is guarded by a stern sardarji - the hotel lobby is strictly off limits to members of the public, i.e. non-guests
Obviously since we were headed to the Tiffin Room, which is on the left of the lobby, we couldn't access its famed lobby... Maybe someday, I will afford a suite here.
The suites are famous for their teak-wood floors, handmade carpets, and 14-foot ceilings...
125 years of grandeur...
Headed to the Tiffin Room...
The Tiffin Room opens for high tea at 3PM....
Our tummies were rumbling with hunger and we had to do justice to the SGD 58 per person, we were paying here... (This was my most expensive meal in Singapore till date... till now, I have managed on less than SGD 20 a day, all meals had been delightful!)
The 14-feet high ceiling with shiny golden lamps... endless colonial charms...
The place takes you back to the grandeur of the yesteryears...
Tropical fruit... paw-paw (papaya as we call it in India), dragon-fruit, pineapple and yellow watermelon (yes - yellow watermelon) with cold lemon iced-tea...
The famed three-tiered stand with sandwiches and English cakes...
I particularly fell for the sandwiches - Tuna Mayonnaise, Salmon with Cream Cheese, Cucumber with Cream Cheese, Egg with Mayonnaise and Chives and Turkey Ham with Mayonnaise - they really soft and very, very fresh and delectable... they were literally oozing flavour and freshness...
The lady was playing a giant harp...
The buffet spread...
The cakes and pastries...
The scones were warm and crumbly - lovely!
The Tiffin Room was teeming with people - locals and tourists...
Live dim-sum counter - Char Siew Pau, Spinach Dumpling, Siew Mai and Crystal Dumpling
I loved the harp...
The host's counter at the entrance to the Tiffin Room
The fountain courtyard
A strong Indian influence is to be seen everywhere in Singapore...
The Raffles boutique...
Tropical foliage in the courtyard...
British India - another boutique
The Long Bar which played host to many writers and poets of yore like Ernest Hemingway and Somerset Maugham
Previously the Long Bar was located next to lobby but was later relocated to the Arcade to ensure public access.
This is where the Singapore Sling cocktail drink was concocted, by a Hainanese, Ngiam Tong Boon, in 1915. The sling is made by mixing two measures of gin with one of cherry brandy and one of orange, pineapple and lime juice...
There are some magnificent suites up there....
A plan of the property...
Much like our Taj Mahal in Mumbai, every nook and corner of the property exudes history and old world charm...
The way to the Bar & Billiard Room...
The Bar & Billiard room offers a European buffet...
Basking in the tropical afternoon sun...
As we head out of the Raffles, this high tea would always be a memorable experience, a highlight of our trip here...
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