“Flat Phoebe” Visits the Raffles Hotel

“Flat Phoebe” had a busy Monday. She went on a tour with me through the Colonial District ending at the Historic Raffles Hotel.
She really enjoyed the Rickshaw in the Raffles Museum, took a gander at the scale model of the Hotel and posed for a photo with the Tour Guide, Razeen.
Raffles Hotel (named after Sir Stamford Raffles, “founder of modern Singapore”) was opened by the Sarkies Brothers in 1887 in a small bungalow. They rented 10 rooms then eventually owned the whole bungalow. At the time this was prime real estate because it was across the street from the Beach – as the address denotes: 1 Beach Road. All of the buildings (including the Convention Center, Esplanade, SunTec City, etc.) from Beach Road and southeast are on reclaimed land – even our hotel was built on reclaimed land. It’s a little disconcerting. Hey, if you don’t have the space, just reclaim land from the sea!
Raffles Hotel is now considered a Six-Star Hotel with 103 suites. Below you will see pictures of Elizabeth Taylor and Haley Mills. It’s a glimpse into the past; in 1989 Raffles Hotel was closed for 2 ½ years for complete renovation. If you would like to learn more here’s the link: http://www.raffles.com/EN_RA/Property/RHS/History/