Singapore Attractions

Venue: Raffles Hotel    When: Daily

Built in 1887, this grand Old Lady of the East is one of the world's last great 19th-century hotels.

Named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the man who purchased the island of Singapore on behalf of the East India Company for 80,000 Spanish Dollars, this legendary hotel is famed for its Long Bar, as well as being the home of the Singapore Sling cocktail. Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad and Charlie Chaplin are among the illustrious guests to have stayed here.

A recent S$160 million face-lift has given the hotel back its unique charm and majesty. It is adjoined by a new arcade built in the same colonial style and which includes a museum, a Victorian-style playhouse called Jubilee Hall, shops, boutiques and shops selling local specialities.