Modern hotels are often a bit like an episode of a soap opera — if you've seen one you've seen them all. Sure, it's good to expect a certain level of comfort, but often these hotel clones can make you forget which country you’re actually in.

However, there are a precious few that buck the trend; blending five-star opulence with an elegance and style that money simply can't buy. Unless you're the customer of course, in which case you'll pay handsomely for the experience. These hotels, with their marvellous blend of history and luxury, are affectionately known as the 'Grand Old Ladies' of the hotel world. So, next time you hit the high seas on a world cruise, here are five places to step ashore in the style you've become accustomed to...

Raffles, Singapore
A little slice of England in the Orient, Raffles was first opened in the 1880s by four Armenian brothers and has gone on to become a Singapore landmark and one of Asia's best-known hotels.

Today the white Victorian building still sells the charm and tradition of the colonial era — quite aptly, since it was named after Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the man who turned the country into a Little Britain during the early 1800s.

Little more than a hundred years later, the hotel named after him became a home from home for the likes of Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward and Joseph Conrad. Yet its luxury also attracted Hollywood bigwigs (Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks) and assorted heads of state.

But it hasn’t all been champagne and caviar — during World War II Raffles was the last British rallying point against the Japanese occupiers.

The glamour faded during the 70s and 80s, but it has since been restored to its 1920s heyday, complete with arched ceilings, teak floors, ceiling fans and period furnishings.

There's also the safe where the hotel's bartender Ngiam Tong Boon — who created the famous 'Singapore Sling' — locked away his precious recipe books at the turn of the century. Today, drinking the world's most famous pink drink in the hotel's Long Bar has become a Singapore institution.

The Ritz, London
Nestled in the heart of St. James, The Ritz Hotel is a lavish hybrid of French chateau and Edwardian elegance.

Featuring Louis XIV style architecture and interiors since its 1906 opening, the hotel boasted innovations like bathrooms in every room, air conditioning, double-glazing and walk-in wardrobes — all courtesy of legendary hotelier Cesar Ritz.

Offering a double bedroom with private bath for thirty shillings a night, the hotel soon became a favourite for British royals and aristocrats, who still pop down from Buckingham Palace every now and again.

It could have something to do with the ratio of two staff per guest, or the fact that, in certain areas jacket and tie are compulsory while "jeans and/or training shoes" are not permitted. By Jove!

High Tea is an institution at The Ritz, and with five sittings a day it's a tradition everyone, not just royalty, can enjoy — provided you're willing to fork out £34 per person for a spread of several varieties of tea, scones, jam and clotted cream, sandwiches and pastries. It's rather popular, nonetheless; booking six weeks in advance is "absolutely essential".

Not quite so popular, but equally famous, is the Ritz Restaurant, where synchronised silver service extravagance and people waltzing between the tables after dinner make for a fine evening in town. Jolly good!

Mount Nelson, Cape Town
South Africa's entry into the grand old dame pageant meets both the requirements of being a Grand Old Lady. Opulent, with a long history involving wars and celebrities, 'The Nellie' has managed to combine its old-world pedigree with the latest amenities that come with the bonus of a recent nip 'n tuck.

The Mount Nelson has it all when it comes to location, location, location. Tucked away in nine-acre gardens at the foot of Table Mountain, it's easy to forget you’re just outside the centre of Cape Town — a 10-minute walk away depending on how much champagne and caviar you enjoyed at the hotel's trendy Planet bar the night before.

Make sure you're back in time for Afternoon Tea though. A legendary spread offering everything from scones with cream to cucumber sandwiches; it's become a firm favourite with Capetonians. Piano accompaniment comes standard, of course.

Opened in 1899 for passengers of luxury cruise liners, the guests from European high society were soon joined by statesmen like Lord Kitchener — strategising for the impending Anglo-Boer war — and the then-reporter Winston Churchill.

It was the celebratory mood at the end of World War I which saw the hotel slipping on its 'Mount Nelson Pink' coat for the first time. The grand entrance and palm-tree lined driveway came with the 1920s state visit by the Prince of Wales, and in the 1950s the Pink Lady got the first heated swimming pool in Africa.

Expansions — and another pool — followed, leaving the Nellie of today with some 200 individually-furnished rooms in six unique wings. Throughout the hotel the emphasis is on understated elegance, while being just laid-back enough to put the stuffiest old-world traditions to rest.

Not your scene? Click here for Arabian nights and a New York landmark.

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