Raffles Hotel is one of the most anticipated living colonial remain of Singapore. The hotel is among the most popular accommodations in Singapore for all those who want to experience the colonial English lifestyle in the Far East. The Raffles Hotel being a historical building houses the Raffles Hotel Museum, which is really worth visiting for everyone, who wants to get closer to the past of Singapore.
The English colonialism that lasted almost half a millennium of course still has its effects on the life of Singapore, which Singapore welcomes. The Singaporeans never felt hate or any other feelings for the British and the British colonial times were spent with the British and the locals working hard to establish a modern Singapore with a good potential to become one of the most important port and commercial cities of the world. Thanks to all the Imperial efforts today’s Singapore is colourful, vivid, open-minded and multicultural. There are still several Englishmen living and working in Singapore, who has chosen Singapore to become their second land. The memories of colonial times are still vivid, in forms of operating buildings and in still existing traditions, which make Singapore so unique. In the end of Sixties, the parting of Singapore from Great Britain was a peaceful process, which could help the two states to value their connections and to profit from these jointly. The Raffles Hotel has been a hotel for more than a hundred years and it could witness the boozing life of Singapore in the nineteenth century, it could witness the hard times during the World War II in the Far East and it has celebrated the independence of Singapore in the 1960. In the Raffles Hotel Museum, you will find all the contemporary photographs and documentaries, which all represent remains of a very special era.
The Raffles Hotel was founded in 1887 being an operating hotel ever since with the sole exception of the three years of Japanese occupation when it worked as hospital, yet from 1945 it resumed its original mission, to host, to entertain and to stand by the Singapore River as a vivid memento of the past. The Raffles Hotel Museum has been build as an extension to the Raffles Hotel in 1991. The Raffles Hotel Museum also shows you relics of the war that has wounded the nation of Singapore so deeply. Here in the Raffles Hotel Museum you will find some impressive documentary and photographs of all the important personalities and politicians who have visited the Raffles Hotel over these more than hundred years.
The Raffles Hotel has started out as a 10-room bungalow in colonial style the hotel with time and with the coming of the age of travel has become to be hosted in the impressive building where it stands still today. One of the greatest elements of the Raffles Hotel Museum is a real contemporary Victorian style playhouse theatre called the Jubilee Hall together with the great tropical garden playing the role of courtyard within the hotel.
Interesting feature of the Raffles Hotel, which also the Raffles Hotel Museum commemorates, is the birth of Singapore’s most famous cocktail the Singapore Sling the original recipe of which is treasured and locked away in the Raffles Hotel and therefore you can drink the real Singapore Sling only over here. The Raffles Hotel Museum is very well backed by the memorabilia shop where you can get several sorts of colonial souvenirs and gifts.
The Raffles Hotel Museum is really worth visiting by all means, together with the beautiful colonial Raffles Hotel. No matter whether you staying in the hotel or not, you can freely visit the Raffles Hotel Museum during the day for a small sum as entrance ticket.