Singapore dreaming

A special wedding anniversary called for a special celebration and so in January we took advantage of a package deal.  Back then an August travel date seemed impossibly far away.  As the months shuffled by, the holiday happened to acquire added significance as one last hurrah before mental dental work and a new life in academia.

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Ross pulled his favourite party trick and came down with a cold right before travelling so it was a rather subdued start to the holiday.  And if there’s anything worse than sitting next to a sniffing, sneezing person on a five hour flight, it’s being sandwiched between TWO sniffing, sneezing people on a five hour flight (thank you mystery man to my left for also having a cold today).  Oh what fun.

We arrived in Singapore at 7:30pm and were met by our jovial driver – another of the perks of our holiday package – and whisked away to the Raffles Hotel for a once in a lifetime stay.  Definitely a novelty to walk a red carpet into the gleaming lobby, to be seated in a plush armchair next to a chiming grandfather clock while the duty manager checked us in.  And to be escorted down the marble and teakwood hallways to our suite by ‘our’ butler and shown our rooms. 

Herewith recorded for posterity (and/or as evidence of just how silly a tourist I can be in a fabulous hotel) – the colonial grandeur of our bedroom, parlour, dressing room and bathroom…

Views of the bedroom

His and hers sinks in the dressing room

The ornately tiled bath and shower

Between the front door and the bedroom - an exquisite parlour with small dining table and sofa (not shown)

Our butler's final kindness before retiring for the evening was to bring us our complimentary welcome drinks.  Although in the birthplace and spiritual home of the legendary Singapore Sling, we passed on that particular delicacy and stuck with something simpler and with less gin!