One of the better and certainly one of the more interesting hotels I have stayed in.

Check In

I checked in about 8 am. I didn't expect my room to be ready, but they took my luggage while I went off to explore Singapore. On my return at about 3pm (after perusing the Lambourghini showroom like you do) the luggage had been transferred to the room and I was guided to the suite whilst a Singapore Sling was prepared that arrived at the room about half an hour later by which time I had unpacked and settled in.

Room

The room is *very* old fashioned. I know a lot of folks prefer the modern 5 star hotels to Raffles but as this was a one off I enjoyed the olde worlde charm and the gurgling pipes.

There's a reception/reading area, a bedroom, a sink area and a seperate shower\bathroom.

The TV was a 29" CRT but since I wasn't planning on using it that didn't really matter. The wifi was good enough for my needs and not problematic.

Service

The service was good in parts. The attitude of the staff when they interacted with you was perfect, it's just that there were occassions when I was left waiting for a staff member longer than I would have liked. In room 'butler' service means you have to press a call button and someone will ring you back. I ordered ice on the first night and was pleasantly surprised that on subsequent nights ice was ready and waiting for me in my room when I got back from exploring. That's quality. I used the pillow service which was fine. I also used the free shoeshine service which also worked wonderfully.

The Sikh door guards at the front entrance know their business. If you arrive without luggage on the first day, they might quiz you, but arrive with luggage or if they have seen you before (they must have prodigious memories) you'll stroll right past them. Their main role is to turn away the hords of tourists that try to come into the hotel to just look around. It isn't allowed folks, although you can get access to the Long Bar without being a resident. Once you have your room key a number of more discrete side entrances are also available to you.

Dining

I only did breakfast and drinks in the hotel. The breakfast buffet was epic and the cooked to order stuff was even better. They are happy to take a custom off menu order if they can deliver it.

Location

It's a pretty good locaton in central Singapore. Subway is just a few minutes walk away. The heart of the central business district and shopping area is close by. 

Overall

It's an iconic hotel. I wanted to check it off the bucket list and did so. If I was a high end regular business traveller to Singapore would I stay here? Probably not. But as a tourist, if you can get it at the right price, I think it will add a lot of colonial colour to your stay in Singapore.