Just last September, Raffles Boston was the biggest hotel opening we have seen in Boston for a long time. The property is the first North American hotel and residences from the 136-year-old brand. And for Boston, this marked the most luxurious property to open in town since the Four Seasons One Dalton. I recently spent a night at the hotel, tried the signature restaurant, Amar and even got a massage at the very posh Guerlain Spa. This is what 24 hours at Raffles Boston is like.
Accommodations at at Raffles Boston
First of all, when you check into the hotel you do not do so in the lobby level, there is what those in the hotel industry call a “Sky Lobby”, meaning that while you enter on the street level, you do not give your credit card and ID to anyone until you head up to the 17th floor. This arrangement is popular in cities that tend to be a bit more vertical than Boston, like NYC or Hong Kong.
There are 147 guest rooms and suites and trust me, even the base rooms are very luxe.
Dining
While the 17th floor serves as the hotel’s sky lobby, it is also the main dining level of the hotel as well. When you exit the elevators to your left is the Long Bar & Terrace and to the right is Amar. We named Long Bar as the best new bar in Boston last year and as soon as you catch a peak of it you will see why. The bright airy space, the plush seating (indoors and outdoors), and the views stretching for miles all pair well with the upscale all-day dining and craft cocktails. This is the place to bring a colleague, date or the kids. Somehow it serves every so well. Go for the Boston Sling if you want to try the local take on the Raffles Singapore classic, the Singapore Sling, which is also on the menu.
Amar is the fine dining restaurant by by Chef George Mendes, serving modern Portuguese cuisine with influences from Boston’s great selection of seafood. This is the new spot to book for celebratory dinners or big date nights. You really feel as if you are in a chic restaurant somewhere across the globe, rather than here in Boston. And when you leave and realize that you are in fact home in Boston, it is a nice feeling that we deserve nice things here too, just like all those cities like London and New York.
And if you head up the grand staircase, you may find a semi-hidden speakeasy tucked in yet another corner with a sweeping view called the Blind Duck. This is yet another spot that you would not expect to find in Boston and is somehow still a hidden gem so on weekdays it is not impossible to snag a table, but on the weekends, it is a little bit trickier.
The Guerlain Spa
After breakfast on the morning after my night’s stay, I headed down to the 4th floor to check out the Guerlain Spa. But I also snuck a peek at the spacious state-of-the-art gym and the 20-meter indoor pool with expansive city views. I love these types of hotel spas, ones where the product partner is not some clinical product brand, but rather more of a beauty and lifestyle brand. I feel that it blends so much more seamlessly with the ethos of a luxurious getaway, i.e. you are there to relax and be pampered, rather than receive a treatment that is going to “correct” whatever skin problems the spa deems you have. The whole experience is top notch and well worth a visit even if you aren’t staying at the hotel.
I had been into Raffles for drinks and lunch at Long Bar several times before this stay and I can say that it is my favorite new place to hang out in the city. Between the views, the service and the just the quality of everything that you see, touch and interact with, this is the world class level of hospitality that we have deserved in Boston for a long time and finally we can all enjoy it.