I tend to travel to destinations where I can stay with friends or family. The South East Asian city of Singapore is where I have several friends and family and it is a destination that I have visited many times since childhood. Many people tend to describe immaculately clean Singapore as 'sterile' and 'antiseptic', but I have always enjoyed my holidays there and am ever ready to visit again.
Whilst in Singapore, I tend to stay with my favorite aunt who made Singapore her home more than thirty years ago but on two occasions I have had the pleasure of spending a couple of nights of two of Singapore's grandest hotels The Fullerton and The Raffles.
The stay at Fullerton came courtesy a friend who was visiting Singapore for a conference at the same time that I was having my annual Singapore sojourn and the Raffles experience came via a cousin who worked at this historic hotel and secured me a night's stay at one of the most luxurious hotels in the world.
When I choose( or rather afford to) to stay at a hotel rather than choose one which is exceedingly modern I tend to choose a hotel which has some sense of 'history' or as we say some 'character' and both these hotels met my specific requirements more than adequately .
The Raffles hotel which is located on Singapore's Beach Road, is quite close to the heart of the city and is a fitting testament to Singapore's rich colonial past. The Hotel was founded in 1887 by a quartet of Armenian brothers who named the hotel after Singapore's founding father, Sir Stamford Raffles, the Briton who worked with the trading company called the East India Company.
The Hotel is built in classic colonial style with an all white façade and features a plethora of tropical plant-filled verandahs and courtyards which are adorned rattan furniture. Apart from its 103 suites many of which feature classic high ceilings, oriental carpets and original prints and etchings it has many fine dining establishments like Doc Chengs which is renowned for its fine fusion Asian cuisine, Ah Teng's bakery which serves many local baked goods and is the place to go for an afternoon cup of tea and of course the well known Long Bar steakhouse where the world renowned cocktail the Singapore Sling was invented. 
The hotel also has a two storey shopping arcade which features several high end retailers like Armani Casa, Iladro, Tiffany and Co, Louis Vuitton etc. This grand hotel is considered to be the ultimate luxurious destination and has won a slew of awards and accolades over the years. The hotel which was declared a national monument in 1987 and underwent extensive renovations in 1991 has welcomed many celebrities and heads of state through the ages.
Though I consider myself to be lucky enough to have spent a night at The Rafffles Hotel, I must confess that I did enjoy myself even more at the other equally historic but perhaps not as well known hotel in Singapore, the Fullerton hotel.
The Fullerton Hotel is situated in the midst of Singapore's Central Business District (CBD) and has grand views of the Singapore River. The Fullerton building with its many Doric columns and its grand Palladian style of architecture was built in 1928 and has served as the home the General Post Office, The Exchange, the Chamber of Commerce and The Singapore Club over the years. This imposing building which is steeped in history was transformed into a hotel with 400 hundred plush rooms and suites in 2001.
The Fullerton Hotel also has several dining and recreational facilities like Jade, a Chinese restaurant which serves contemporary Chinese cuisine and the raucous Post Bar which has the original ceiling and pillars of the General Post office and is a favored meeting point for an after-work drink.
Both the Raffles and the Fullerton have their own unique brand of charm and budget permitting you should try and spend a night at either one of these grand hotels on your next trip to this charming island nation.
Images of Singapore Hotels posted on http://www.flickr.com by toddsmithdesigns,mat honan,alex.ch and formulagpguys
