Step back in time in Singapore

Celebrating the Singapore Sling is just one of countless ways in which the Raffles hotel honours its past. In fact, the property – which recently underwent a £150 million refurbishment – does this in spades. Singapore

Nods to its grand history can be found everywhere, from the vintage vinyl player in the lobby to the grandfather clock that stands adjacent, which has been on display since the property opened in 1887 as a modest 10‑room boarding house located next to the sea. The clock is thought to predate the hotel and is its oldest piece of furniture.

Every corner of this magical building holds a fascinating story, as I learn while on a Heritage Tour with one of Raffles’ resident historians, Nazir Yusuf. During a 90‑minute walk around the grounds, he shares countless tales of famous faces who have stayed here, including the likes of Queen Elizabeth II and Rudyard Kipling. Nazir even regales us with a story of a tiger that took refuge under one of the hotel’s bars after escaping the circus in 1902 – a tale I go on to tell my son when he’s presented with a children’s book based on the big cat’s adventures.

Indeed, so entwined with Singapore’s history is Raffles – named after Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded Singapore as a trading post – that it was declared a national monument in 1987.

Cultural fusion

I’ve been to Singapore  at least a dozen times. I’ve partied at the top of Marina Bay Sands, shopped on Orchard Road and laid on the floor to watch the Gardens by the Bay light show. I’ve adored the destination as a modern gem, but I’d never really embraced its historical side until this visit. Staying at Raffles provided me with a lens to look at the country’s captivating past.

Once a small trading port and now a metropolis, the Singapore fuses quaint period architecture with sprawling skyscrapers. Its history is what makes it the melting pot of culture that we experience as visitors today, with preserved neighbourhoods such as Chinatown, Little India and the Malay‑Arab quarter centred around the Sultan Mosque.

And it would be remiss to think Singapore has gone from a British trading post to a sovereign state on a linear journey; it was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War, with Raffles renamed Syonan Ryokan and used as a hotel for senior officers of the Japanese forces. It then reverted to British control after the war, before Singapore merged with Malaysia in 1963 and then gained independence in 1965.

It is only since this trip that I finally feel I truly ‘get’ Singapore. I needed to delve below the surface and understand the destination’s history to fully appreciate it. All of which proved our Long Bar waitress was right: honouring the past is a very important thing to do

Book it: The Heritage Tour of Raffles Singapore is open to both hotel guests and external visitors. It leads in at £17 per person, or £35 with a set menu lunch at Raffles Courtyard included.
raffles.com