Heading west for an extended trip to Asia we made a stop at the cosmopolitan island nation of Singapore. The highlight of our visit was our accommodations - at the legendary Raffles Hotel.

Recently, and for the sixth consecutive year, Raffles has been voted the "Best Luxury Hotel" by readers of Travel Trade Gazette - Asia and China, and for a second year, the iconic hotel has been awarded the distinction of "Best Boutique Hotel in Asia-Pacific" by readers of Business Traveler Asia-Pacific Magazine.

Its many international accolades are the result of attention to environmental detail, and the exquisite service lavished on every guest.

Raffles boasts luxurious rooms, a lush tropical garden courtyard, sumptuous cabana and pool, a world famous bar, the greatest ice cream parlor on the planet, a spectacular shopping mall, splendid hotel museum, magnificent Victorian era theater, and 18 superb eateries.

This internationally-renowned colonial hotel was opened in 1889 and named after Singapore's founder, Sir Stamford Raffles.

Since that time, the hotel has been host to a number of historic events. The wild Singapore tiger was made extinct when the sole survivor was cornered and shot under the Raffles billiard room in 1902.

The famous "Singapore Sling" cocktail was invented in the hotel bar circa 1910.

Raffles narrowly survived the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1942. At the time, it was commandeered as a billet for ranking Japanese officers. When hostilities ended, the Grand Dame was used as a convenient hub for the transfer of prisoners of war. The hotel's entire rich and exciting history is presented in handsome fashion in the on-site museum.

If you want a glimpse of what life was like in the mysterious pre-WWII Singapore, we recommend the film classic "The Letter" starring Bette Davis. It provides a great vehicle for comparing the pre-war Singapore of the 1940s with the current day skyscraper city-state.

The Singapore government declared Raffles Hotel a national monument in 1987. In 1989, the hotel closed for an extensive renovation that recaptured the early 20th century colonial atmosphere. It reopened for business in 1991.

If you would like to relax in the setting that inspired such notables as Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, and W. Somerset Maugham, or eat in restaurants that pleased the palates of Charlie Chaplin, Jean Harlow, and Ava Gardner, – Raffles in Singapore is your romantic destination.

Happy travels!