DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
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20 DIGS.NET | 10.15.2021 L E G E N D S | R A F F L E S S I N G A P O R E A R C H I T E C T U R E + D E S I G N the result absolutely is; everywhere one looks is a dazzlement (gaze out and the gardens delight, look up and the lighting mesmerizes). Champalimaud, an enthusiastic internationalist whose coveted design atelier has completed hotels throughout the world (including the Beverly Hills Hotel Bungalows), was especially active, treating the interiors to her poetic and highly attuned cultural vocabulary meant to provoke an emotional aesthetic experience throughout. Reimagined social spaces and exquisite new suite categories are among enhancements of the overhaul. To be fair, even pre- restoration Raffles was alluring, including its existing suites— each a spacious, elegant, and warm sanctuary with a residential vibe and every nicety imaginable. The same is true of its newcomers: Residence, Promenade and Studio Suites, which are, true to form, colonial in tone, contemporary in spirit and, in subtle ways, aesthetically pluralistic. The Presidential Suites are still the grandest at the grand-dame hotel. Vast at just under 2,800 square feet and overlooking the soothing Palm Court and posh porte-cochere, these suites are fit for a statesman, exhaustively ornamented with art and antiques and featuring, among other extravagances, private verandas, walk-in wardrobes and personal pantries. A long absence calls on a welcome return, and so it is for the revitalized Raffles—and a gleaming one at that. Better to backdrop the classy grounds and tantalizing dining concepts and bars, where one can request a world-famous Singapore Sling cocktail, or indulge upscale retail at the Raffles Arcade (the hotel's answer to Rodeo Drive). The result is a property not only beautifully reborn, but in full possession of a cultural cachet reserved for top hotels in destination cities where one mirrors the other. Put simply, what the Ritz Paris is to the City of Light, Raffles is to Singapore. It is a credit to the restoration team that they managed to actually raise the hotel to a beguiling new level of connoisseurship while deftly maintaining and amplifying its strong sense of place. And what a place. What a world! After quarantines and lockdowns worldwide, a little luxury (or a lot, in this case) is the declaration of a new day. Blessedly, Raffles does not hold back. There is no insinuation of extravagance here. It is an assurance. But always and immediately tasteful, and almost wondrously of another time. Only, the time is now. So as conditions allow, Raffles is well worth jetting to the other side of the world to experience. Should there be any reservation, let it be the one you make. raffles.com Put simply, what the Ritz Paris is to the City of Light, Raffles is to Singapore. (FROM TOP): FINE FRENCH EATERY LA DAME DE PIC IS ONE OF THE HOTEL'S SUMPTUOUS AND HIGH-TOUCH DINING OPTIONS; THE LIVING AREA OF THE EXPANSIVE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE; THE INTERIOR OF THE LONG BAR, HOME OF THE WORLD- FAMOUS SINGAPORE SLING, IS A MIX MODERN AND ASIAN-INSPIRED DESIGN ELEMENTS.