Raffles Hotel, with its graceful colonial style, is the face of Singapore. Since it opened in 1887, it quickly became THE place to stay in Singapore, with writers Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Ernest Hemingway, among others, adding to its fame. This epitome of luxury boasts 15 restaurants and bars, including the Long Bar where the cocktail Singapore Sling was invented. The Raffles Hotel is legendary the world over, down to the uniformed Sikh doormen who introduce guests to this bit of Southeast Asian history. The lobby of the main building is open to the public while the hotel museum is hidden away on the 3rd floor.