Raffles Hotel Staycation: A Look Back at History Through Modern Eyes

[yflyer]

After getting settled into our room, we spent some time exploring the hotel grounds.



The Suites on the 2nd level were also lined along the common passageway...



There were Suites named after celebrities who had stayed there. The Suite layouts were similar, but photos, and other in-room memorabilia were tailored to the famous personality who had stayed in that particular room.

These included John Wayne...



...and Elizabeth Taylor...



The whole hotel was lush and green...





The atmosphere felt surprisingly resort-like...



...a green oasis right in the heart of the city...





One felt transported out of Singapore into a different era...



There was always a clear demarcation between the public areas of the hotel and attached shopping arcade, and the areas for houseguests only...



Areas for guests were demarcated by metal grills, and accessible via our touchless room key cards.

[yflyer]

One of our first stops was the Raffles Courtyard bar...



This was in one of the public courtyards in the Raffles Complex, in between the Raffles Shopping Arcade and the hotel proper...





Our package came with complimentary Singapore Slings as a welcome drink...



Having a Sling at the Raffles is seen as a must-do activity when visiting Singapore...the traditional place to do this is at the Long Bar, but we decided to have it at the Courtyard instead.

To be very frank, I think having a Sling at the Raffles is a really touristy thing to do. The cocktail itself, as mixed (or pre-mixed) by the Raffles, while sweet and refreshing, does not really do full justice to the cocktail, in my view. The original Sling recipe has apparently been lost in time, and what is served at the Raffles is their best guess at a reconstruction. I am a bit of an amateur mixologist myself, and believe that Slings can taste much better than the ones served at the Raffles, if mixed properly.

But all that said, I would still bring visitors to the Raffles Long Bar to have their Sling just to acknowledge history -- the drink really was invented at the Raffles Hotel after all, and I am glad the tradition lives on.

Next up, we had an appointment with history, in the form of a Raffles Hotel history tour, led by one of the hotel's esteemed historians, Mr Nazir Yusof.

[yflyer]

The Raffles Hotel conducts history tours for house guests. These tours, which run for just over an hour, are available only to house guests, and must be booked in advance.

Our history tour was led by one of a team of historians at the Raffles, Mr Nazir Yusof, a 20 year veteran of the hotel, who first started in the Raffles Front Office, before turning full time hotel historian in 2019.



It was great to hear about the hotel from Nazir, who recounted the history of the hotel, peppered with his personal anecdotes and recollections.

We learnt that the hotel was opened by the Sarkies brothers in 1887, and that the property was a 2 storey beachfront bungalow originally owned by Syed Ahmed Alsagoff.



We learnt how over the years the hotel had been expanded, it's heyday from 1915-1920, and how the fortunes of the Sarkies brothers rose and fell in during the great depression in the 1930's, and the history of the hotel through World War Two, where it was used as by the occupying Japanese forces as a hotel, known as Syonan Ryokan, and then used in the immediate post-war years as transit accommodations for former Allied prisoners of war before they returned home.

Nazir recounted how, during the war, the hotel staff hid silverware and even buried a large carving trolley to prevent it falling into Japanese hands. These were all recovered after the war, and the carving trolley is still in use to this day.

In post war years, the hotel resumed operation and became a landmark for celebrities and visitors. In 1987 the Raffles Hotel was gazetted as a National Monument, and from 1989-1991 it underwent major renovation to restore it to how it looked in it's 1915 heyday.

Nazir showed us various historical artifacts in the hotel, including this music box-like device, which one wound up to play tunes, not unlike a jukebox...



A selection of metal discs were still available, each larger than an LP, some of which were still in playable condition!



There was a grandfather's clock in the lobby...



In the past, when the clock struck 8 o'clock, the lobby pianist would play Noel Coward's song "I'll See You Again".



At present, the grand piano has been moved to the 2nd level, but there is no pianist currently engaged, so instead they play a recording at 8pm, so the tradition lives on.

[yflyer]

The tour continued with a walk around the historic main building.



The top level, the 3rd floor, was an airy, naturally lit space, timeless in its elegance.



A highlight of the tour was a visit to the Presidential Suite.



We headed to the landing and reception just outside one of 2 Presidential Suites in the hotel. These were the windows where Michael Jackson stood and waved to his adoring fans, Nazir said, pointing to the windows facing Beach Road, overlooking the gravel driveway.



Nazir recounted how, during Michael Jackson's stay, he wanted to have tea with Ah Meng, the Singapore Zoo's celebrity Orang Utan. One of his requirements was for the Zoo to be closed to the public when he visited, which the Zoo did not agree to, so they brought Ah Meng to the Raffles Hotel instead!

The Sir Stamford Raffles Suite, one of the two Presidential Suites, was not occupied that day, so Nazir could show us around inside...



This was the Suite where Royalty, and celebrities like MJ, stayed...



A beautiful entrance area...



...which led to a stunning living room, beautifully decorated...



There were both modern design elements and antique furnishing, such as this rocking chair...



If I had earlier expressed reservations about the size of the regular Suites, these clearly did not apply to the Presidential Suite!



Dining table set for 8...



A spacious verandah overlooking the Palm Court...

[yflyer]

The master bedroom, one of two bedrooms in the Presidential Suite, faced the front of the hotel, looking towards Beach Road...



The bedroom was bathed in natural light...



The bed was placed in the middle of the room, backed by a large wardrobe which also served as a feature wall and backdrop behind the bed.



The other side of the wardrobe was open, with shelves and cupboard facing the windows...a very imaginative layout...



There was an ornately decorated bathroom...



...with a freestanding bathtub.



There was a 2nd bedroom, which was even larger...





...and another attached bathroom...

[yflyer]

There was a guest toilet near the entrance...



...and pantry, in case the guests in the Presidential Suite felt like cooking something themselves...

[yflyer]

What a luxurious place to stay when in Singapore...guests who had previously stayed at the Presidential Suites included Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, and other members of the British Royal Family, as well as many other politicians, pop stars and celebrities.



We left the Suite and headed back down the stairs to the 2nd floor, on our way to the last stop on our history tour...

[yflyer]

The last stop on the tour was the hotel's Hall of Fame, a long corridor lined with an amazing array of photos of celebrities who had stayed in, or visited, the hotel over the years...



It was incredible how many famous writers, movie stars, entertainers, politicians and royalty had passed through these doors.



These included Charlie Chaplin, Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham...



...and in more recent times, David Bowie...



Michael Jackson...



Nelson Mandela...



Queen Elizabeth II...



Other who had passed through these doors included the cast of Crazy Rich Asians...



What an enlightening and absorbing tour. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone planning a stay at the Raffles.



Incredibly, Nazir, with his 20+ years of experience with the hotel, is not the longest serving historian at the Raffles -- that honour goes to Mr Leslie Danker, whose association with the hotel goes back 48+ years, a time which spanned both recent renovations, in 1989 and 2017. Mr Danker recently published his memoirs in 2020. We did not have the privilege of meeting Leslie during our stay, but Nazir did say that Leslie still continues to conduct these history tours at the Raffles.

[yflyer]

Dining out has always been part of our staycations plans. This time round, for our stay at the Raffles, Mrs yflyer had planned meals at places close to the hotel.

That evening, we headed out of the Raffles Hotel for dinner...



We crossed Bras Basah Road, admiring the sunset which was unusually pretty that evening...



Our dinner venue, Anti:dote, was located on the ground floor of the Fairmont Hotel. The hotel was located at Raffles City, a large shopping complex just across the street from the Raffles Hotel.



There is no direct affiliation between Raffles City and the Raffles Hotel, although the Raffles and Fairmont hotel brands are both managed by the Accor group.

Anti:dote is more of a modern cocktail bar than a restaurant.



That said, they currently serve quite a substantial British-themed a la carte menu, as well as seasonal set menus for lunch, dinner and afternoon tea.



Both the cocktails and the food here are excellent.

At this time, the menu in Anti:dote is a seasonal casual British pop-up menu from Kirk Westaway, the Executive Chef of JAAN, the Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant on the 70th floor of the nearby Swissotel Stamford.

As for the cocktails, there are a range of beautifully conceived cocktails, liquor and wine on the Anti:dote menu, including British-themed cocktails, and drinks inspired by the Orient Express, as well as a "Bartender Experience - Gin & Tonic Trolley".

The cocktails are well worth sampling, but I would also recommend placing yourself in the safe hands of Head Mixologist Anton Gornev, and request that he mix you a custom cocktail based on your preferences.

Examples of Anton's craft included "Smoke on the Water", with smoked-tea infused Roku Gin, Ponzu, Yuzu Tonic water and wood smoke, as well as "English Garden" with Hendrick's Gin, Butterfly Pea, Lavender Bitters and Cucumber Tonic...



The latter cocktail made striking use of Butterfly Pea, a blue flower used to flavour Asian foods such as Nyonya Kueh Salat. The colour of the butterfly pea extract was a deep blue...



...at least until it was mixed with the acidic tonic water, where it turned purple...



...a cocktail that tasted as wonderful as it looked...



I asked Anton to do a Martini...

Anton quizzed me on my preferences, and we decided on a Gin martini with floral notes...

The result? This beauty of a drink, with crisp floral flavours, perfectly chilled and balanced...



Non-drinkers, like Miss yflyer no.2 could indulge in several mocktails too, including the Kingsman Cola, made with Lyre's non-alcoholic Malt Spirit, "Secret Formula" Cola, Lemon Acid and Soda water...this came topped with a very convincing looking smoking cigar -in fact it was a lit stick of cinnamon...

[yflyer]

The casual British cuisine was superb as well...

We began with Salted Cod Fish with Curry Mayo...



Grilled Scallop with Roasted Hipsy Cabbage and Caviar Sauce...



Duck and Lentil Terrine...



Scotch Egg, with perfect runny centres...



...and Braised Wagyu Short Rib, which Mrs yflyer found exceptional...



For dessert, Strawberries and clotted cream Eton Mess...



...and Bread & Butter Pudding...



What a wonderful dinner!

After that, it was a short stroll back to the Raffles to turn in for the night...

[yflyer]

I got up early the next morning to head out for a run. The sky outside looked ominously grey as I headed out...



This was a route I had done many times before. Outside the hotel, I turned west and headed down Beach Road towards the Padang and Marina Bay...



...then took the underpass to the Esplanade...



I continued past the Esplanade...



...and headed towards the Merlion at Marina Bay...



By then, across the bay, the sky was rapidly darkening, with angy black clouds very low in the sky...



I continued on my route, intending to do a loop of Marina Bay...



By the time I had reached the west end of the Bay, it had begun to drizzle...



...and this quickly turned into a full blown downpour...



But thankfully there was no thunder, which meant it was safe to continue...



Let me tell you this: as long as there is no lightning, a run in a heavy tropical downpour in Singapore is the best thing in the world!

[yflyer]

I completed my loop of the bay, returning once again to the Merlion...



...before crossing under Esplanade Drive, then over Anderson Bridge...



I headed past Victoria Memorial Hall...



...and the National Gallery...



...past the Padang...



...St Andrew's Cathedral...



...and the Civilian War Memorial...



Before arriving back at the Raffles...



Total distance that wet morning: just over 5km...



It was now 8:09 am. Rather than enter the lobby soaking wet, I used my key card to enter via the iron side gate on the right side of the Hotel building, and trudged along the outside corridor back to my room for a very welcome hot shower.

[yflyer]

Amazingly, by 8.45am, barely 35 minutes after I had returned from my run, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out...



This was great, as we had an appointment to check out the Raffles Hotel swimming pool at 10am that morning.

But first, it was time to head to the Tiffin Room for breakfast...

[yflyer]

Our package included a daily breakfast, served in the Tiffin Room, located within the main hotel building.



This was an a la carte buffet breakfast, serving unlimited helpings of both international and Asian / local dishes.

First, a bread basket and your choice of breakfast beverages...





I admired the antique silverware...



One did not often dine with cutlery like this...



A well polished silver sugar bowl...



I could not resist a look at its base...



I asked for butter and this also came in a beautiful silver butter dish...





Massively over-engineered (And very beautiful) salt and pepper shakers...



A small jug of milk for my iced coffee...



How will I ever go back to disposable plastic tubs of UHT milk for my coffee and tea?

[yflyer]

We had breakfast at the Tiffin room on both days of our stay, and over these two days, we faced the tough choice of choosing among the many breakfast options...

There was a broad selection of hot and cold dishes available. Our appetites were not huge, so we tasted only a fairly small portion of the dishes on offer.

Smoked salmon and cold cuts...



Yogurt and berries...



Pancakes...



The first day, my main was the Raffles Signature Masala Omelette...



This tasted great...soft and runny on the inside, with the masala spices adding just a little heat and spiciness to the dish...



All egg dishes came with your choice of sides, including sausages, baked beans, mushrooms, hash browns, spinach.

Mrs yflyer asked for a custom order of mee goreng, but with bee hoon instead of yellow egg noodles, and without chilli...

I remarked that based on her order tweaks, the dish was no longer mee goreng, and she gave me a slightly exasperated look...

But the dish that emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later was delicious.



The noodles looked to have been cooked from scratch as a custom order, and hit all the right notes...with wonderfully flavoured sauce and just the right noodle texture.

We had a great breakfast on day 1 of our stay, and day 2 did not disappoint either.

For breakfast on the 2nd day, Miss yflyer no.2 ordered scrambled eggs...



Mrs yflyer and I decided to sample some of the Asian breakfast selections...she ordered the nasi lemak, which she really enjoyed...



I ordered the chicken congee, which came beautifully presented with a selection of condiments, and a crisp, whole youtiao (i.e. dough fritter)...wonderful!



The portion of congee that came in the bowl was not huge, but the staff were happy to bring me another bowl of piping hot congee as a 2nd helping, into which I sprinkled hand-torn slivers of youtiao...