Singapore does grand hotels the way other cities do monuments — as statements of intent. The island's story can be read through its most famous properties: colonial veranda to waterfront icon, each one a destination in its own right. These are the stays that justify the airfare, property by property.
Key facts
- Best months: year-round destination; February–April tends to be slightly drier
- Getting there: Changi Airport, roughly 30 minutes from the city centre
- What it costs: firmly luxury territory — the icons below start at several hundred pounds a night
- Climate: hot and humid daily; pools are not optional extras here
Raffles Singapore
Opened in 1887 and named for the city's founder, Raffles is the grande dame of Southeast Asian hotels — a low white colonial confection of verandas, travertine and frangipani courtyards on Beach Road, most recently restored in a top-to-bottom renovation completed in 2019. Every guest stays in a suite, and the hotel's Long Bar remains the spiritual home of the Singapore Sling, invented here in the early twentieth century. Tossing peanut shells on the floor is not just tolerated but traditional. Even if you sleep elsewhere, come for the arcade and a slow drink under the ceiling fans.
Marina Bay Sands
No hotel on earth is more recognisable. Marina Bay Sands, opened in 2010, stands as three 55-storey towers crowned by the SkyPark — a cantilevered deck carrying gardens, bars and the famous 150-metre infinity pool that seems to spill off the roof into the skyline. The pool itself is strictly for hotel guests, which is the honest reason many people book. Rooms are sleek and enormous in number; what you are buying is the view — request a high floor facing Gardens by the Bay or the harbour. The observation deck, casino and the ArtScience Museum's lotus-shaped building sit at its feet.
