Raffles Singapore

Raffles Singapore is the colonial-era grand hotel against which others are measured. Founded in 1887 and restored with forensic care, its gleaming white facade, travellers' palms and cast-iron portico occupy a full city block of calm amid downtown's towers. The doormen's Sikh turbans, the Long Bar's peanut shells and the birthplace-of-the-Singapore-Sling story are theatre, but theatre backed by real substance.

Every key is a suite arranged around verandahed courtyards: parlours with writing desks, bedrooms under high ceilings and period fans, bathrooms in cool marble. The 24-hour butler corps—successors to a century of famous predecessors—delivers old-world service updated with modern fluency. Despite the museum-piece setting, the atmosphere stays surprisingly relaxed and genuinely romantic.

Dining spans a grand tiffin room for Indian-influenced classics, chic Mediterranean and Chinese rooms from name chefs, and courtyard gin bars beneath the frangipani. A rooftop pool and discreet spa complete the estate. History-minded travellers should simply book it; everyone else should at least come for a Sling beneath the verandahs.