Journey on the Orient Express

If you're looking for a grand gesture to celebrate an occasion or just interested in gathering the memories of a lifetime, look no further - book yourself on the Orient Express

Glamour, opulence, history and of course murder, the Orient Express has it all. So if you hanker after the romance of train travel but feel let down when the 8.15 to Hackbridge trundles into view (and it's late), you deserve to treat yourself. Because just turning up on the platform for an Orient Express journey is an event in itself.

 

We arrived at Prague's Hlavni station one sunny Saturday afternoon in October to take the train back to London. The station was thronged - liveried station staff, waiters in resplendent whites, excited passengers, interested onlookers, clicking cameras - there was even a film crew. The beautiful blue and gold carriages stretched majestically far along the platform, our bags were magicked away and we boarded the train to another blast of flash bulbs. If you've ever wondered how celebrities live, check it out ... You feel even more of a celeb when you arrive in your own personal cabin and your stewart is waiting to greet you with a glass of champagne ...

 

The Orient Express not only offers sumptuous luxury but is a thing of beauty both inside and out. The original carriages from the ‘20s and ‘30s have been restored to combine 20^th century style and elegance with 21^st century comfort and service. My cabin is all gleaming wood interiors with inlaid Art Deco panels, wide sofa, and a vanity unit tucked discreetly behind curved doors, stocked with monogrammed toiletries.

 

Settling back to enjoy my champagne, I felt like I had slipped into my own very stylish black & white movie. Should a Cary-Grant-lookalike have raised a quizzical eyebrow around the corner of my perfectly formed cabin, I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised. When he turned out to be Chris, my stewart, bearing afternoon tea on a tray, I was of course just as pleased to see him.

 

How it started

 

The inaugural Orient Express left the Gare de l'Est in Paris in October 1883, travelling through Vienna, Budapest and into Bucharest, completing the final leg to Constantinople by steam ship. The opening of the Simplon tunnel through the Alps in 1906 paved the way for the launch of the Simplon Orient Express in 1919 - this is the one the murder took place on (fictional of course!). Its current incarnation as the Venice Simplon Orient Express dates back to 1982 and since then over 350,000 passengers have walked the corridors and drank in the bars that have played host to kings, film stars and spies over the course of a century.

 

Where can you go?

 

The Orient Express offers a variety of routes, with departures through the year. Destinations include Paris, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakow and Istanbul - but be warned, the Istanbul trip only runs once a year and is extremely popular. You can choose a ready-made holiday package, with train travel and 5-star hotels included, or just opt for train travel and make your own accommodation arrangements.  Visit www.orient-express.com for full details of prices, packages and routes.

 

One option is to fly to the destination of your choice, and spend a few days there before taking the train back to the UK. Earlier that week we had flown to Prague, staying two nights at the gorgeous Chateau Mcely, deep in the heart of the St George forest. Located 45 minutes drive from Prague airport, this former castle has been restored from a near-ruin into a stunning five-star hotel - the restoration a real labour of love on the part of its husband and wife owners.

 

Travel options: Chateau Mcely

 

Here, five star opulence has been translated into a welcoming home away from home - the team of staff are like family, and made us feel part of theirs. And the hotel has just been awarded the prestigious title of World's Leading Green Hotel by the 2008 World Travel Awards. Read more about our trip to Chateau Mcely here.

 

Dress for dinner

 

On the Orient Express you dress for dinner. And the scene in the beautiful bar car at seven that evening is a feast for the eyes - with men, all dashing old-school style in tuxedos and women, film-star-elegant, in evening wear. There is a piano player tinkling the ivories on the baby grand - yes, on a train! - and for the duration of our journey, whenever I chance to wander into the bar, he's still playing - the man must have fingers of steel.

 

And so to dinner. Fresh salmon blinis and milk-fed veal, a lavish cheese trolley, Grand-Marnier roasted peaches and petit fours - and that's just the set menu, there's an a la carte choice as well. It looks great and tastes even better - and they do this on a train? It's even harder to believe when we pay the chefs an impromptu visit - occupying half a narrow corridor stretching between two dining cars, they produce hundreds of gourmet dinners nightly.

 

Blankets - how retro!

 

Showing remarkable restraint we leave the bar car at midnight - after all, this is a train which does not answer to licensing laws,  as long as there are people to drink, there are staff to serve. I find my cabin has been turned into a boudoir - my couch fitted with sheets and blankets - how retro - and turned down for the night. I slip into my silk pyjamas - well, what else would one wear overnight on the Orient Express? - and fall asleep somewhere in Germany.

 

I wake up in Paris, ring the bell and soon my breakfast appears on a tray, served by the ever affable Chris who surely can't have had more than a few hours sleep last night. Everything is delicious - croissants and pastries fresh in from a French patisserie, later at brunch there will be macaroons from the same location. This is eating locally at its finest.

 

After brunch we arrive at Calais, then it's a transfer to luxury coach for the short journey through the channel tunnel, before getting back on a train - the glamorous Pullman coaches for the UK leg of the trip - and we arrive into London Victoria at 8 o'clock on Sunday night.

 

Getting the tube home is a shock. What, nobody to carry my suitcase, nobody to greet me on board with champagne? After a blissful night's escape on the Orient Express, reality feels a bit too, well, real. So you have a once-in-lifetime celebration looming and you're wondering how to mark it, trust me - this will do the trick.

 

Prices for 2009

 

Prices on the Venice Simplon Orient Express from Prague to London start at £1440 per person sharing a double cabin, including all table d'hôte meals; departure dates in April, September and October. For more details and to find out about additional routes and fares, visit the website at www.orient-express.com.