What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think Raffles? Besides luxury and expensive digs, we mean.

The Singapore Sling, right? More specifically, the first thing usually comes to mind at the thought of the Raffles is a fruity, red Singapore Sling from The Raffles Singapore's Long Bar. Of course a visit to the Raffles isn't quite complete without a Sling, no matter how touristy it's become, but there are plenty other dining and drinking options underneath the victorian roof of this historical hotel. Here's a few of our favorites: ]]> JetSetCD 2012-02-02T20:03:21-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2012/1/31/175513/601 <![CDATA[<P><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6193/GHsuiteSin1.jpg" class="top"> <P>Two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a parlour, a private verandah and butler service&#151;it must be a suite. Indeed it is, but the <b><a href="http://www.raffles.com/singapore/">Raffles Singapore</a></b> is exclusively comprised of suites, and this <b>Grand Hotel Suite</b> is but one of the higher categories. <P>What distinguishes the Grand Hotel suite from the others below it (Courtyard suite, Palm Court suite, Personality suite) is its location just up the Raffles' grand lobby staircase, in the main hotel building. The others, you see, are located in a neighboring wing, around a private "residents only" courtyard. <P>Okay, it also boasts far more original art, more antique furniture, the extra bedroom and bathroom, a separate office and living area. Add to that the fact JetSetCD 2012-02-01T15:17:37-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2012/1/30/142036/193 <![CDATA[<P><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6193/1Rafflesoutsidea.jpg" class="top"> <P>If you want to talk about hotels with storied pasts, the <b>Raffles Hotel Singapore</b> simply can't be left out. Today, its 103 suites (yes, all suites) command over $500 per night and those who can't afford to splurge for a stay still find their way to the hotel's famous <b>Long Bar</b> for a Singapore Sling. Raffles is just one of those places you must hit, and it's been that way since the early 1900s. <P>All this week we'll be taking you inside the Raffles, beyond the keyed "residents only" entrance gates and into the inner sanctum enjoyed by everyone from <b>Ava Gardner and Charlie Chaplin</b> to modern heads of state. And there will be opium beds. <P>First, JetSetCD 2012-01-30T15:38:31-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2012/1/18/103845/665 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6193/Rafflesbeddietime_1.jpg" class="top"> <blockquote><P>Captain Whalley emerged like a diver on the other side, and in the desert shade between the walls of closed warehouses removed his hat to cool his brow. A certain disrepute attached to the calling of a landlady of a boarding house. These women were said to be rapacious, unscrupulous, untruthful; and though he condemned no class of his fellow creatures...</p></blockquote><P> <P>And thus begins our bedtime story tonight. You see, as we write this it has just turned midnight. We're in <b>Singapore</b>, in one of the 103 suites (called "residences") of the famed <b><a href="http://www.raffles.com/singapore/">Raffles Hotel</a></b>. Every moment surrounded by the colonial architecture, lush flora and entire history of the Raffles seems a fantasy. Even turndown service JetSetCD 2012-01-18T12:23:59-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/