The Museum @ Raffles Hotel, Singapore

Last week included a visit to the Museum @ Raffles Hotel

Now, here is something I had thought about visiting many times before...I had intended taking my Mum just last Christmas time but, as always, time flies by too quickly.  Anyway, finally got around to visiting with a friend and BA member...the Museum had been on her 'to do' list for quite sometime too.  Certainly worth a smile to be spending a day away from our usual 'Mum chores stuff' ;-)

Ah Teng's Bakery 7.30 am - 10.45 pm

The Museum is on the third floor of the Hotel.  As it doesn't open until 10.00am we took the opportunity to sample the coffee shop and bakery on the ground floor.  Very different setting to today's 'starbucks and coffee bean' cafés...lovely coffee and their breakfast selection of muffins and pastries was good too.

Of course, we chatted and chatted...that's what coffee shops are for, right?  We did then make it up to the stairs to the Museum...

The Museum is very interesting and beautifully set out. Free entry too!

My friend knew that most of the ancient Raffles items on display had been passed back to the Hotel after an international newspaper advert.  The advert was inviting anyone who had 'aquired' items from the Hotel to kindly allow these items to be used in the Museum.  Of course, many items had been 'borrowed' or 'aquired' so there was a fair amount of original pieces (including coffee cups, egg cups, toast racks...) 

One piece which made me smile was a silver egg cup which had been 'borrowed' by a gentleman celebrating his up and coming marriage...imagine, his 'stag do' had been a stay at Raffles Hotel ;-)

The ancient photographs were equally interesting...fancy dress balls, Charlie Chaplin and many famous guests with friends sharing breakfast in this luxury hotel.

Raffles Hotel, Beach Road, Singapore...
of course, with so much land reclamation it is no longer situated anywhere near the Beach ;-)

Out door bar/café...I would prefer to drink my Singapore Sling here ;-)

I know 'everyone' does the 'Singapore Sling' in the Long Bar but if I were to take a visitor to Raffles now, I would insist on a change!  A visit to the Hotel Museum followed by the Hotel gift shop situated on the ground floor, a drink (yes, ok 'Singapore Sling') at the outside bar/café and finally a wonder through the corridors leading to the main hotel lobby.


My friend and I then made our way to Raffles City shopping mall and Wheelock Place, Orchard Road for a spot of retail therapy ;-) That's a whole other blog post, coming later including my first time on a Singapore bus... ;-)

I'll leave you now as I dream of 'one day' staying in a suite at Raffles Hotel, Singapore ;-)

Presidential Suite, Raffles Hotel, Singapore...
...wow, maybe one day?!

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)


(photography is not permitted in the Museum...the pics I use are via Google Images)