Singapore’s Grandest Hotel Has Made Its Triumphant Return

Every city has a hotel synonymous to it: New York, The Plaza, Paris, the Ritz, London, Claridge‘s. In Singapore, there’s Raffles, the luxurious Neo-Renaissance property where the Singapore Sling was invented and Rudyard Kipling worked on his manuscripts.

Yet for the past two years, its historic doors have been closed to the public due to extensive renovations. It’s not the first time the hotel has taken such measures (it shut down for the same reason in 1989), nor is it unusual for an older, landmarked property to do so (the Ritz Paris temporarily shuttered from 2012-2016). But with all the buzz around Singapore—from the crazy success of Crazy Rich Asians, to the longest flight in the world, to the country’s bicentennial celebrations—its absence loomed large.

But this week, Raffles finally reopened to the public, showcasing a set of impressive updates.

There’s a new restaurant, La Dame de Pic, from the Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic, which serves up her signature dishes with a Singaporean twist—think Berlingots with French cheese and herb of grace, or White Mille-feuille with ginger flower cream. The hotly-anticipated new restaurant takes the place of the Raffles Grill.

Alain Ducasse’s Mediterranean eatery opens in September, as will Yì, a new contemporary Chinese outpost from acclaimed chef Jereme Leung. The famed Tiffin Room has been redone with wooden flooring to bring it closer to its early 20th century roots. And then there’s the Long Room—where the aforementioned Singapore Sling was invented—whose counter was painstakingly restored.

In 1899, Kipling wrote in his novel, From Sea To Sea, that Raffles was a place “where the food is excellent and the rooms are bad.” That’s clearly untrue in 2019, as the guests rooms (which are all technically classified as suites) got a major upgrade. They now have state of the art technology, like tablets that control the television, lights, and temperature. But much of the renovations were meant to preserve the interior’s original character: the double-glazed windows, the verandas, the teakwood floors. Bathrooms were actually redesigned to be more reflective of Singaporean culture, with Victorian detailing and Perankan tiles.

Inspired to plan your own trip to Singapore? The hotel is in the center of everything—walking distance to the National Gallery, St. Andrews Cathedral, and the National Museum of Singapore. And with an excellent transportation system, famous tourist destinations like the Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands aren’t too far away. Don’t miss buzzy neighborhoods like the quaint yet lively Duxton Hill, and take a stroll down Haji Lane.

And while Raffles has fantastic dining aplenty, lunch at one of Singapore’s Hawker centers, especially Newton or Maxwell, is a must-try. We’re still dreaming about all the chicken rice.