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| 2013/02/21 03:27:24瀏覽171｜回應0｜推薦0 | |
| "Raffles Hotel- a must visit" Singapore Things to Do Tip by lynnehamman "Raffles in Singapore stands for all the fables of the exotic East" SOMERSET MAUGHAM. The history of Raffles is folk-lore. Tales of visiting dignataries- movie stars, royalty, writers- abound. It was named after the father of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. There are suites named after famous dignataries. Somerset Maughm was just one of the famous writers who called Raffles home, but there were many others. Noel Coward, Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling were fixtures. The bars- Long Bar and Writers Bar are testamant to the popularity of Raffles in the first half of the 20th century. The tradition of dropping peanut shells onto the floor in the Long Bar remains a mystery to me- but I suspect that some flippant but famous writer started the habit, and it has remained so for half a century. In fact, it is mandatory to make a mess with the shells. The peanuts come free with drinks in the Long Bar. There is a fable about a tiger being trapped underneath the billaird table, scaring the privilaged guests. Its true. Around the turn of the century the tiger had escaped from a nearby circus, and made its way to Raffles.......seeking some luxurious accommodation maybe? Bad mistake- the poor fellow was shot in the Billiard room (some say the Long Bar) but his escapade has become one of the many legendary Raffles tales. Opened in 1887 by Armenian brothers Sarkies, Raffles was popular with intrepid travellers during the early part of the 20th Century. After financial problems due to the Great Depression, the original Raffles was foreced into recievership. In 1933 the hotel was rehabilited after being bought by a public company, Raffles Ltd. The balls, dinners, high teas and genteel style of life became an intergral part of high society in Singapore. Then came the war. After the Japanese occupied Singapore, Raffles was used as a base for the Japanese Imperial Army. At the end of the war, in 1945, over 300 Japanese committed suicide inside the building. It was therafter used as a transit camp for prisoners that had been held in Changi Jail. The hotel was once again in dire straits, in bad repair and deep in debt. In 1950 a Dutch reporter Franz Schutzman, who had been reporting on wars in the area, was hired to manage the hotel. The Singapore Sling was concoted here- and the recipe was imported to the rest of the world. Approximately one thousand Singapore Slings are sold at Raffles despite the exhorbitant cost. Franz , recalling the popular days of opulence and gentility, began to implement rules that gradually brought back the Golden days of Raffles. Dinner dress was formal. Balls became weekend highlights, and the huge Ballroom glittered. High Teas, served on the finest china, are still the best in Singapore today. The dainty cucumber sandwiches wafer thin and cakes and pastries of the finest quality. The hotel was re-furbished.....again and again. The rich and famous flocked back to the hotel. Management changed over the years. Suites and new dining areas were added. The most recent re-furbishment was in 1989, at a cost of many millions. Today- even if a stay at Raffles is not within the average travellers budget, the hotel can still be visited. The bars and dining areas are open to the public, and are often frequented by visitors staying elsewhere. The courtyard is a delightful place to sit and partake of a long cool Singapore Sling or other refreshments. There are designer shops within the main lobby arcade, which is exquisite in design and oozes luxury and good taste. The museum located upstairs is filled with memorablia- priceless artifacts, photographs, letters, postcards and letters which trace the history of Raffles. I spent hours browsing around here. The museum shop sells souveniers, books , posters and pictures. In my opinion, no visit to Singapore is complete without a visit to Raffles Hotel. Address: 1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673 Directions: Raffles Hotel is within walking distance to Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre and Esplanade http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/218ae2/ For 120 years it’s been the preferred lodging for film stars, writers, loyalty and politicians but Raffles Hotel Singapore began life as a 10-bedroom bungalow. When Tigran Sarkies migrated to Malaysia from Armenia in the early 1880s, he hoped to prosper from the business opportunities the Orient had to offer. The 23-year-old bought a large home in Georgetown, Penang, in north-west Malaysia and by 1884, he had turned it into the Eastern Hotel. Tigran’s brother Martin, 33, joined him in buying a second site, also in Georgetown, and in 1885, the Oriental Hotel opened for business. Younger brothers Aviet and Arshak joined the venture and the Sarkies became renowned as successful hoteliers with ambitions to expand. But Penang was too small a market, so they began casting an eye further afield in Singapore. The brothers knew they’d struck gold when they found a large bungalow on the corner of Beach and Bras Basah roads. The property had been a boarding house for the Raffles Institution (a boys school named after Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial officer who founded modern Singapore in 1819). It needed minor alterations and in December 1887, the Raffles Hotel was opened. It had only 10 rooms but in six years two new wings were added. Demand for luxury hotels was growing, however, so in 1897, Tigran announced plans for extensive and elaborate additions to create “of of the handsomest hotels in the East”. Renowned architect Regent Alfred John Bidwell replaced the old central block with a grand three-storey building in the Renaissance style, which opened in 1899. It featured a Carrara marble floor, a 500-seat dining room, 100 suits, and the huge veranda so closely associated with the hotel today. FAST FACTS 1910 – 1915 Raffles bartender Ngiam Tong Boon invents the Singapore Sling cocktail (the exact year is unknown). 1942 Japan occupies Singapore during World War II and Raffles is renamed Syonan Ryokan (Singapore Inn). When Allied forces liberate the nation, more than 300 Japanese troops commit suicide inside the hotel. 1987 The Singapore Government declares the hotel a national monument. 2008 Eight Raffles hotels and resorts operate internationally – in Singapore, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Beijing, Dubai, Los Angeles, The Grenadines and Paris – and 13 more are in development. http://www.seansite.net/asia/singapore/raffles-hotel-singapore The Raffles Hotel, Singapore. The Japanese occupation: During World War II, the Raffles was renamed Syonan Ryokan (昭南旅館 shōnan ryokan?), incorporating Syonan ("Light of the South"), the Japanese name for occupied Singapore, and ryokan, the name for a traditional Japanese inn. More than 300 Japanese troops committed suicide in the hotel using grenades following the liberation of Singapore. The hotel survived World War II despite the hardships Singapore faced and the use of the hotel at the end of the war as a transit camp for prisoners of war. In 1987, the gover nment declared the hotel a National Monument. Source - Wikipedia http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raffles_Hotel_%E2%80%93_Singapore_%284142238787%29.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tiderace |
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