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Raffles Hotels are one of the world’s best hotel brands with a global portfolio of hotels and resorts, but which are the best Raffles hotels in the world? From the classic colonial splendor of Raffles Singapore, where it all began, to Dubai, Seychelles, Cambodia, Paris, Hainan, Makati, Makkah, Warsaw, Maldives, Shenzen, and many more, the Raffles name is synonymous with luxury, glamour, and extraordinary adventure.
Each hotel is an oasis of calm and charm at the crossroads of civilization. Each is a carefully chosen destination in its own right. Each is uniquely, indefinably, sublimely Raffles.
Raffles hotels are infused with the spirit of adventure, luxury, and sublime service. Exciting and enchanting, refreshing and reinvigorating, Raffles is loved by those with an adventurous spirit and a taste for the very best.
1. Raffles Singapore
The first Raffles hotel opened its doors in 1887. The Raffles Singapore, the most wonderful luxurious five-star hotel in Singapore, has become an icon that epitomizes the romance of the Far East – an intoxicating blend of luxury, history and colonial design.
Situated in the heart of the business and civic district, Raffles Singapore is a veritable oasis in the city. Its classic colonial architecture has been perfectly preserved and provides a stark but lively contrast against its modern-skyscraper neighbors.
Through the decades, liveried Sikh doormen have welcomed some of the most famous personalities, from writers to celebrities, politicians, and members of royalty, such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Today it has a resident historian who has created a series of videos featuring key moments from its past (early guests included the writers Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham, and Rudyard Kipling).
Raffles Singapore has only recently reopened for guest stays following more than two years of renovation work across its guest rooms and public spaces.
The new works were led by interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud, architecture and design firm Aedas, lighting consultants Tino Kwan and restoration and research consultants Studio Lapis.
The hotel’s suite count has increased from 103 to 115, while new categories have been added; it now offers State Room Suites, Courtyard Suites, Palm Court Suites, Personality Suites, Residence Suites, Promenade Suites, Grand Hotel Suites, and Presidential Suites.
The Raffles Arcade, a collection of shops and “lifestyle spaces”, has a new gift shop, spa, and retail brands, as well as a history gallery featuring archive pictures and stories.
The restaurant line-up now includes Mediterranean grill BBR by chef Alain Ducasse, steakhouse Butcher’s Block, three-Michelin star chef Anne-Sophie Pic’s La Dame de Pic, Chinese restaurant 兿 yì by Jereme Leung, and classic Indian restaurant Tiffin Room.
In July, the hotel reopened its famed Long Bar, a popular tourist spot thanks to its invention of the Singapore Sling and the Grand Lobby, which has a daily afternoon tea service.
Even the rooftop pool has been renovated, with the huge Marina Bay Sands building visible in the distance.
Some of the best rooms are the 31 suites lead onto the Verandah. These are 58 m², and ensuite bathrooms have been redesigned with Victorian details and Peranakan tiles, a type of colorful local ceramic.
No visit to Singapore is complete without a stay at this iconic all-suite luxury Singapore hotel. Each suite features period furnishings, lofty 14-foot ceilings, and modern conveniences expected of a 21st-century hotel. Raffles butlers, legendary for their charming and graceful service, are available to fulfill requests, both ordinary and extraordinary.
2. Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort
The Main Private Island of Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort (pictured above) is home to 22 villas, including Raffles Residences, Beach Villas and Deluxe Beach Villas. Raffles Maldives Meradhoo offers two distinctly luxurious experiences, a Beach island experience, and the Over-water experience.
It is also the home of the nurturing, overwater Raffles Spa and high-quality, well-equipped fitness center, the main pool, and a soft white sand beach. If you enjoy outdoor exercise, the resort also offers a garden jogging track, outdoor pool, and clean, calm lagoon. Guests can also practice yoga at sunrise on the spa deck overlooking the water or at sunset on the soft white sand. Private, couples’ and children’s yoga sessions are available too. Also, on this island, you will find restaurants Thari and The Firepit and the island’s own interpretation of the legendary Long Bar.
The Overwater Island features 16 overwater villas, some facing east to greet the rising sun and others facing west to capture the magnificence of the Maldivian sunset. The Nikkei-inspired restaurant Yuzu and adjacent bar Yapa are also found here, giving guests breathtaking views to enjoy with delectable food and drink as the amber sun dips below the endless Maldivian horizon.
The resort is a gastronomic haven, with all cuisine created due to the honed vision of Chef William Gumport, who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants around the world. Three restaurants serve incredible dishes, from BBQ prime cuts to exquisite Nikkei cuisine and two bars serving tapas and crafted cocktails. The inimitable Raffles Marine butler service elevates your stay into an unforgettable experience.
Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort is located at a 55-minute flight from Male International Airport, followed by a 15-minute speed boat ride from Kaadedhdhoo Domestic Airport. The hotel offers luxurious stays in villas with private pools, steps from clear lagoon waters, and sandy beaches. The island also offers water sports facilities for guests such as fishing, diving, and windsurfing activities.
3. Raffles Istanbul
Raffles Istanbul lies on the European side of the city of Istanbul in the Beşiktaş district, offering excellent transport links to everywhere from the Old Town to the Bosphorus, allowing guests to fully experience everything the incredible city of Istanbul has to offer.
Located at the Zorlu Center, where high fashion, performance, and art converge, Raffles Istanbul enjoys direct connections to the public transport network (bus and subway) and even offers a heated helipad as well as car parking.
This 185-room hotel reflects a modern Istanbul with city views over the Bosphorus and with a butler delivering refreshments on your private terrace. Spend time in one of the hammams at Raffles Spa or try one of the luxurious treatment rooms. The 3,000 m² Raffles Spa, a revitalizing oasis set right in the heart of Istanbul. The spa features local traditional treatments, 3 Turkish Hamams, 2 Couples Suites, 7 luxuriously appointed treatment rooms, relaxation areas, as well as a range of wellness facilities including saunas, steam rooms, jacuzzis, experience showers, ice fountains, and indoor and outdoor pools. Completing the suite of facilities is a yoga and pilates studio, personal training, Technogym® equipment, and 2 hair and nail salons.
In terms of dining, the hotel boasts a fabulous selection of six dining and drinking destinations too. A highlight here is an evening in the Long Bar, offering unique cocktails and light bites.
4. Raffles Seychelles
A short drive from Raffles Seychelles brings you to Vallée de Mai, a primeval palm forest, home to the Coco de Mer, the world’s largest nut, and the rare Black Parrot. This romantic resort feels like a utopia, resting among lush green hillsides with Anze Lazio — ranked among the world’s finest beaches — just a sandy stroll away. The 86 fresh and uncluttered villas feature private plunge pools, outdoor pavilions, and attentive butler service in the one- and two-bedroom villas, and there’s even an easel with sketching paper for when inspiration strikes. Find transformation with yoga, meditation, and natural treatments at the Raffles Spa.
5. Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris
Just steps from the Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe, Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris is the epitome of Parisian vibrancy and elegance. With a 99-seat screening room, a private art gallery, and Paris’s first dedicated Art Concierge, this palace is enlivened by art and culture. It has 149 elegant rooms and luxurious suites; a contemporary spa, My Blend by Clarins, with a 75-foot-long pool; complimentary workshops for children; a stylish Long Bar; two restaurants, Matsuhisa Paris by world-renowned Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and a Michelin-star Italian restaurant; and unique creations by Pierre Hermé, the “Picasso of Pastry.”
6. Raffles Dubai
Raffles Dubai enjoys the perfect location, just ten minutes from Dubai International Airport, Dubai cruise terminals, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and World Trade Center, and is connected to Wafi Mall as well. We have already reviewed the best hotel club lounges in Dubai.
The rooms and suites at Raffles Dubai are some of the largest in the city, starting with the Signature Rooms, which cover 70 m², each with a private balcony and view of Dubai’s spectacular skyline. Raffles Spa opens the door to a haven of relaxation with six treatment rooms, including a couple’s spa suite. Raffles Dubai is an oasis of calm and charm with an incredible sense of space, service, and unforgettable style.
7. Raffles Bali
Located in Jimbaran Bay and perched on a hill, when it opens, Raffles Bali will offer unparalleled ocean views and will be one of the best Raffles hotels in the world. Raffles Bali will comprise just 32 private villas, each with its own private pool, for the ultimate in luxurious seclusion. Owned by PT Jimbaran Greenhill, the resort has been designed to blend seamlessly with its tropical surroundings.
Sprawling over 23 hectares in the exclusive Jimbaran area of Bali, the Raffles will bring new levels of bespoke service in a creative, seductive setting that will capture those famous Jimbaran sunsets. The resort will feature the famous Writers Bar, a luxurious Raffles Wellbeing Spa celebrating local rituals and healing treatments, and a beautiful restaurant at the heart of the resort, which will provide fresh, imaginative menus in surroundings that speak to the local Balinese architecture and traditions.
8. Raffles Hotel Le Royal
Raffles Hotel Le Royal has been Phnom Penh’s premier luxury address since opening in 1929. A restoration project has returned this Cambodian hotel to its original colonial grandeur with five luxurious restaurants and bars on-site.
Besides serving the Jacqueline Kennedy menu, Restaurant Le Royal offers Royal Khmer cuisine with menus crafted by the Royal Palace. The Elephant Bar has welcomed many legendary visitors; its signature Femme Fatale cocktail was created to mark Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1967 visit to Cambodia. Two swimming pools, set in lush, tropical gardens, provide a welcome respite after a day spent exploring this vibrant city.
9. Raffles Europejski Warsaw
Raffles Europejski Warsaw, not only brings a new luxury hotel to this fast-changing city, in one of the city’s most iconic and best-loved buildings.
Hotel Europejski originally opened in 1857 as one of the most luxurious hotels in that part of Europe. During World War II, however, it was almost completely destroyed. The current hotel was re-built in stages throughout the 1950s, eventually re-opening in 1962.
In the historic district of Warsaw, next to the Presidential Palace, this is a significant restoration of a landmark building. Today, a restoration team reinvigorated the cherished icon as a stunning contemporary property while preserving its character.
The hotel also showcases the best modern Polish art, provides the services of an art concierge, and offers history and art tours. Lazaro Rosa Violan of Contemporain spearheaded the design of the hotel’s food and beverage spaces. The interiors have been entrusted to the acclaimed Boris Kudlicka of the WWAA. The WWAA’s notable projects include the Polish Pavilion for Expo in Shanghai and the Cultural Centre of Warsaw.
Raffles Europejski, Warsaw offers its guests 106 elegant and extraordinary spacious guestrooms and suites with Raffles Butler service. Europejski Grill restaurant offers an outstanding view of the magnificent Pilsudski Squarean with seasonal menus showcasing Poland’s rich produce and cuisine. Long Bar, a Raffles Icon which brings together the best of the world’s cocktails to Warsaw and Asia-inspired food.
A pâtisserie evokes Hotel Europejski’s fascinating story, tempting guests and locals with chocolates, cakes, ice cream, and other sweet delicacies. The hotel also houses a spa featuring six treatment rooms and an exclusive cigar lounge.
Raffles Europejski Warsaw’s location is ideal. In one of the most prestigious locations in the city: in the center of the city on the Royal Route, it sits beside Old Town and the Presidential Palace, just steps from the 19th-century Polish National Opera House and chic boutiques.
10. Raffles Sentosa Resort & Spa
This Raffles hotel isn’t even open yet, but it will undoubtedly be one of the best. Over 135 years after the original Raffles opened its doors, the second Raffles in Singapore, set to open in 2022, will be an all-villa hotel set in over 100,000 m² of sprawling tropical gardens with views over the beautiful South China Sea.
Villas will range in size from 260 m² for the one-bedroom villas to 450 m² for the four-bedroom villa, all with their own private pool and terrace area for the ultimate in seclusion and comfort. Facilities will include a bar, restaurants, a fitness center, a celebrations room, and two meeting rooms. Those markers that make Raffles such a legendary experience, including the famous Raffles Butlers and Raffles Spa, will be signatures of the resort.
Royal Group, which owns SO Sofitel Singapore and Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, will build the new Raffles Sentosa Island on prime land adjacent to the existing Sofitel. The original Raffles Hotel was conceived as a beachfront property, but as Singapore has grown up around the property, it is now located in the city’s thriving center.
Raffles Sentosa Resort & Spa Singapore will return the brand to the beach and create a modern resort experience that captures the balance of tradition and modernity in a serene and idyllic setting.
Both Raffles hotels in Singapore will offer complementary experiences: one a historic, heritage hotel in the heart of the city and the other a modern, elegant resort experience that blends beautifully with the natural surroundings of Sentosa Island, offering sanctuary for the most discerning guests.
Global design studio Yabu Pushelberg creatively directed the resort’s architecture, landscaping, lighting, and interiors. By bringing the number of rooms in Sentosa to over 4000 by 2022, Raffles Sentosa Resort & Spa Singapore will further strengthen the array of accommodation options in Sentosa, opening new possibilities for leisure and business travelers and strengthening their unique proposition as an island-in-the-city with a wide plethora of holiday experiences to suit both locals and tourists,” said Ms. Jacqueline Tan, Assistant Chief Executive, Sentosa Development Corporation.
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