Travel in style and book a suite on a luxury sleeper train
01
BELMOND ANDEAN EXPLORER, PERU
One of the highest train journeys in the world. With the Belmond Andean Explorer, you’ll travel through the Andes mountains at a breath-taking 14,000 feet. The luxury sleeper train will take you from Cusco to the white city of Arequipa and along the way you’ll spy the famed Lake Titicaca and Colca Canyon. In the suites you will find a double bed and an ensuite, as well as a picture window that offers an uninterrupted view of the Peruvian landscape. If you want to see more, you can take a trip to the observation car where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or a Pisco sour as you watch the world go by. Stops on this journey include an archaeological Inca Site, the famed lake, and the Sumbay Cave where you’ll find 8,000-year-old cave paintings. After all that sightseeing you can recharge at the spa, or refuel in one of its two restaurants, where the Belmond chefs serve up dishes such as seared sea bass with muna scented broad beans and citrus yogurt. The train stops at quiet stations in the evening to make sure that you catch some perfect zzzs.
02
SEVEN STARS IN KYUSHA, JAPAN
You’ve heard of seven-star hotels now meet the seven-star train. The Seven Stars in Kyushu is elegance on wheels. While the bullet trains may reach 200mph, the Seven Stars in Kyushu travels as a far more sedate 60mph as it takes you on a four-day, three-night tour around its namesake island. This is less about the destination and more about the journey. It’s about embracing the slow life and connoisseurship. From the wooden Kumiko latticework that lines the walls to the wagyu beef served in the Jupiter restaurant. Along the way you can visit 400-year-old potteries, the UNESCO eco park of Bungo-Ono as well as onsens, temples and shrines. In the evening, you can watch a theatre show on the platform or enjoy a spot of stargazing thanks to the skylight in the Blue Moon lounge bar. The train is soon about to receive a tearoom and it is going to reduce the amount of passengers allowed onboard to make it even more exclusive.
03
VENICE SIMPLON ORIENT EXPRESS, ITALY
As if we’d need another excuse to board the Venice Simplon Orient Express, but the train is about to give us two more. Not only has it launched a new cabin category – The Suites, but it has also extended its traditional eight-month long season to nine, giving you 30 extra days to hop on board. Now all you’ve got to do is decide whether you want to go to Paris, Vienna, Florence or enjoy a trip to Venice. Book into your choice of Grand Suites, Suites or Historic Cabins, and watch the world go by. You can also pop down to the bar car ‘3674’ for a glass of fizz, or if you’re staying in the Grand Suite, you can just press the blue button for your butler. Though no matter, which room you choose, once you take a look at this 1920s palace on wheels, you’ll want to explore. You’ll find three dining cars – The Etoile du Nord, the Cote D’Azur with its Lalique glass panels and L’Oriental. Expect equally elegant dishes, such as lobster salad with avocado and buratta; deconstructed beef wellington and tiramisu souffle with mascarpone ice cream. Then return to 3674 where the night will just be getting started.