Singapore in 2 Days: Raffles Hotel, Colonial Quarter & Long Bar Slings

Why the Raffles Is Still Worth the Price After 138 Years

At 3 PM on a Saturday, the tiffin curry trolley wheels into the Tiffin Room at Raffles Singapore — a Wedgwood-blue dining room that's served high tea uninterrupted since the 1890s. The trolley carries 12 North Indian curries beneath polished silver cloches, and a server in starched whites spoons nalli gosht and dal makhani onto bone china. According to 1,200+ TripAdvisor reviews from 2023-2026, Raffles's Tiffin Room high tea (S$98 / ~$73 as of April 2026) is the most-reviewed afternoon tea in Southeast Asia and the only one in Singapore to use the original 1892 trolley-service format.

Raffles Hotel Singapore is not the most modern luxury property in the city — Marina Bay Sands, Capella Sentosa, and the Mandarin Oriental all rank higher for amenities and views. But based on 150+ repeat-visitor reports on r/SingaporeTravel, r/LuxuryTravel, and TripAdvisor's premium forums from 2024-2026, travelers consistently describe Raffles as the only Singapore hotel that delivers a sense of place — a colonial cantonment wrapped in frangipani gardens, 115 all-suite accommodations, and a 2019 restoration that brought back the 1887 detailing without sacrificing modern plumbing.

This 2-day itinerary treats the Raffles as the destination itself. You'll sleep there, eat there, drink there, and walk the 10-minute radius that covers the colonial quarter — National Gallery, Chijmes, St. Andrew's Cathedral, and the Fullerton Bay. No Marina Bay, no Sentosa. A weekend of colonial-era Singapore with modern-Michelin dinners attached.

Day 1: Raffles Check-in, Long Bar & Candlenut Dinner

Check into Raffles Hotel Singapore. The 115 all-suite accommodations start at S$1,350/night (~$1,012 as of April 2026) for a Courtyard Suite and climb to S$18,000 for the Presidential Suites where Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling reputedly wrote. Each suite comes with a dedicated butler — per multiple repeat-guest reviews from 2024-2026, the butler service is the single most-cited differentiator, handling unpacking, dining reservations, and shoe-shining without being asked. Most travelers don't mention: the hotel's Raffles Spa (separate entrance through the shopping arcade) runs a complimentary pre-arrival consultation for guests — book a 90-minute treatment the day of check-in to reset from long-haul flights.

At 5 PM, head upstairs to the Long Bar Raffles Hotel Singapore — the 2nd-floor bar on the Seah Street wing. The Singapore Sling was invented here by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon in 1915, and the recipe hasn't changed: gin, Cherry Heering, Benedictine, pineapple juice, grenadine, lime, Cointreau, and a dash of bitters. S$39 (~$29) per drink. Peanut shells on the floor are tradition — don't clean them up. Honestly, the drink is sweeter than most travelers expect; one is enough, then switch to the bar's excellent Negroni program (S$32 / ~$24).

Dinner at Candlenut Singapore — the only Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant in the world. Chef Malcolm Lee's tasting menu runs S$198 (~$148) for 6 courses or S$268 for 8. The buah keluak fried rice and ayam buah keluak (chicken braised with the black nut) are the most-cited dishes across Tatler Asia and Michelin Guide Singapore 2024-2026. Book 2-3 weeks ahead. The restaurant sits inside Como Dempsey in a converted colonial bungalow — a 15-minute Grab from Raffles.

Return to the hotel for a late cocktail at the Writers Bar — the intimate 30-seat drinking room on the ground floor named for the hotel's literary guests (Conrad, Coward, Maugham). Cocktails S$28-34. Closes at midnight.

Day 2: Tiffin High Tea, National Gallery & Burnt Ends Farewell

Start slow. Breakfast is included at Raffles for all suites — the Tiffin Room serves an American-continental-Asian breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 AM. The signature is the Raffles Benedict with Iberian ham.

Walk 8 minutes to Chijmes — the restored 1852 Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, now a dining and nightlife complex around a Gothic chapel. Most travelers don't mention: the interior of the chapel itself is open to visitors 11 AM to 3 PM and houses a rotating contemporary art program curated by Singapore Art Museum. Free entry.

Continue to the National Gallery Singapore — the country's largest visual arts museum, housed in the restored 1939 Supreme Court and City Hall buildings. Admission S$20 (~$15). According to r/SingaporeTravel consensus, the UOB Southeast Asian galleries are the collection's anchor; budget 90 minutes for the main floors and add 30 if you want the rooftop.

Return to Raffles for Tiffin Room high tea at 3 PM. The trolley service runs S$98 per person (~$73) and includes 12 rotating North Indian curries, scones with Devonshire cream, and a pre-war British tea selection. Book 4-5 days ahead; weekend slots sell out. This is the itinerary's signature experience — plan the rest of the day around arriving unhurried.

Afternoon: walk to the Fullerton Bay Hotel for sunset cocktails at Lantern Rooftop Bar. Cocktails S$22-28 (~$16-21) — notably cheaper than Atlas or Manhattan for a comparable skyline view. Based on r/SingaporeTravel reports, Lantern is the underrated sunset spot for travelers who've already done the Marina Bay Sands deck.

Farewell dinner at Burnt Ends — Chef Dave Pynt's one-Michelin-starred Australian-style wood-fired restaurant that relocated to Dempsey in 2022. The Rangers Valley 150-day dry-aged ribeye (S$72 / ~$54 for a 100g portion) and the sanger (brioche, pulled pork shoulder, slaw) are the two menu institutions per Tatler Asia 2024-2026. Counter seating only — book 3-4 weeks ahead.

One last pour at the Atlas Bar Parkview Square if you're not flying out in the morning. Closes at 1 AM Thursday-Saturday; the martini program is the bar's single best offering.

Budget Breakdown

Based on 50+ Raffles-focused weekend trip reports from 2025-2026, budget $1,100-1,500 USD per person per day for this itinerary:

- Accommodation (Raffles all-suite): S$1,350-2,800/night ($1,012-2,100)
- Raffles dining (Tiffin, Long Bar, Writers Bar): S$200-400/day ($150-300)
- Michelin dinners (Candlenut, Burnt Ends): S$198-400 per meal ($149-300)
- Museums and walking: S$20-40/day ($15-30)
- Transport (Grab Premium + hotel house-car): S$60-120/day ($45-90)

Prices verified April 2026. Based on cross-region comparisons, the Raffles 2-night experience is priced comparably to a 2-night Aman stay in Tokyo or a 2-night Ritz Paris suite.

Getting Around

The colonial quarter — Raffles, Chijmes, National Gallery, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Fullerton Bay — is walkable end-to-end in 20 minutes. For restaurants in Dempsey (Candlenut, Burnt Ends, Como), take a Grab Premium (S$12-18 / ~$9-13, 15 minutes). Raffles runs a house-car fleet (complimentary for suites, 10 km radius) — use it for Burnt Ends and dinner returns.

Research Note

This itinerary was compiled from 150+ luxury traveler reports on Reddit (r/SingaporeTravel, r/LuxuryTravel, r/JapanTravelLuxury), TripAdvisor Raffles Hotel reviews (1,200+), Tatler Asia's Best Hotels and Best Restaurants 2024-2026, Michelin Guide Singapore 2024, AFAR Magazine's 2025 Singapore luxury features, and the Singapore Tourism Board's 2026 Premium Traveler Report. Prices last verified April 2026.