LIFE BY LEXUS 44


RAFFLES HOTEL, SINGAPORE Legend has it that the white façade of Raffles


has inspired many a writer and a story. Famous guests have included novelist Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin, actress Jean Harlow, playwright and entertainer Noel Coward and writer Somerset Maugham. In fact, it’s believed that Maugham crafted his short stories under the frangipani tree in the Palm Court, based on the gossip he’d overheard at the previous evening’s dinner parties. The hotel first opened in 1887, offering 10 rooms in a bungalow-style building overlooking the South China Sea. In 1899, a three-storey main building, in late Victorian Italianate Rival style, a 500-seat dining hall and 23 more guest rooms replaced the bungalow, with electricity throughout. In 1902, Raffles made newspaper headlines after a


tiger escaped from a nearby circus and sneaked into the hotel, spending the night under the billiard table in the Bar & Billiard Room. Sadly, the big cat holds the record for being the last tiger to be shot dead in the island-state. In 1942, the hotel passed into Japanese hands after


the fall of Singapore and was temporarily renamed Syonan Ryokan. After Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1945 and Singapore returned to British control, Raffles became a temporary transit camp for released prisoners-of-war. On its 100th


anniversary, it was declared a national


monument. Recently an ambitious restoration programme has been embarked upon, led by Aedas Singapore, along with award-winning designer Alexandra Champalimaud, and will be completed later this year. The aim is to ensure that the hotel retains the charm and heritage of its 131-year history, while creating facilities and experiences that speak to the changing needs of today’s traveller. Did you know? Legendary cocktail, the Singapore Sling, was first created in 1915 at Raffles Singapore by bartender Ngaim Tong Boon. This gin-based drink contains pineapple juice, grenadine, lime juice and Dom Benedictine. Another tradition at the hotel’s Long Bar are the boxes of monkey nuts that line the tables and guests are encouraged to drop the shells on the floor, just as Kipling and Maugham did back in the day. www.raffles.com/singapore


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101