Grand adventures

01-Jan-06

The worldwide market for luxury train travel is developing apace. Today's discerning travellers are looking for new routes, five-star service and modern facilities combined with period charm. "A better understanding is being developed of the different types of experience on offer," says Nick Varian, chief executive of Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. "There will be further consolidation from the supplier side of the market, and economics and regulations will preclude the entry of many more 'enthusiastic amateurs'.

"New trains and destinations are likely to be introduced, especially in Europe, Russia and the Far East, but gradually and with the emphasis on niche market experiences. Links with landmark hotels will also be important in developing new routes. We've recently bought the Great South Pacific Express carriages from Queensland Rail and are looking at ways of re-introducing these into Australia's luxury train arena."

Other new luxury routes to be developed this year include Hong Kong to Beijing, Mumbai (Bombay) to Darjeeling, and a service to the Crimea. In 2007, the first trains are scheduled to begin operating on the new route to Lhasa, Tibet, with connections from Beijing, Hong Kong and Moscow. At the forefront of these developments is British firm GW Travel (www.gwtravel. co.uk) based outside Manchester, .

The company recently signed a deal with the Russian-based Zircon Corporation to lease specially built, fully en suite carriages that will operate on the 5,771-mile-long Trans-Siberian railway from 2007. "Twelve luxury sleeping cars will be built in Silver and Gold class," says Tim Littler, managing director of GW Travel, "and they will rival anything being offered around the world." As well as en-suite shower and toilets, the compartments will have an audio and video system, and air-conditioning. "This type of luxury travel has already proved popular," says Mikhail Rabinovitch of Zircon, "but we think it has even greater potential, hence the state-of-the-art carriages we've been asked to build."

"We've built our business by providing luxury train journeys around the world, and the market is growing hugely," says Littler. "We've used the best trains Russia has to offer, but the time was right to build our own train based on what we believe international customers want."

In 2007 the plan is to run 30 trains and carry some 3,000 passengers on the Trans-Siberian route. Prices will be £5,200 (Silver Class) and £6,300 (Gold Class) for a two-week trip, which includes accommodation, food and drink, and off-train excursions.

Pick of the bunch

Recommended by Vivek Binepal

Business Development Manager, The Luxury Trains

India

Train/journey: The Deccan Odyssey.

Destinations: The seven-night trip, which begins and ends in Mumbai, takes in many of the cultural highlights of Maharashtra province. Passengers visit Ganapatipule, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Tarkarli, Sawantwadi, Pune, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Ellora with its rock-cut temples, the exquisite cave paintings at Ajanta, and Nashik. Most travel is at night, allowing passengers maximum time at each attractions.

Best carriage/cabin on board: The Deccan Odyssey has two Presidential Coaches, each of which contains two suites. Each suite has 24-hour service, two toilets, two telephones, a TV and a music system. For the business traveller, a Conference Coach offers telephone and computer links, and a plasma TV. Guests needing relaxation can head for the Health Car, with its steam baths, gym and beauty parlour.

Onboard fare: Meals in the two 37-cover restaurant cars offer the best Indian cuisine, as well as Chinese and Western dishes. While there is no particular dress code for meals, guests might want to pack at least one suit or evening dress for special events. Entertainments are laid on at each destination.

Recommended excursions: Excursions are included, as are sightseeing tours, entrance to monuments, parks and palaces, a cultural programme, camel, boat and rickshaw rides. An extension allows travellers to begin and end a tour in Goa instead of Mumbai. Other options include a Goan cruise or a backwater boat trip in Kerala.

Butler service/luxury transfers: Room and valet service are available day and night from the Deccan Odyssey's 40 staff. A 'meet and greet' service includes transfers . A day's sightseeing in Mumbai is also included.

Itinerary and costs: The Deccan Odyssey is run by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corp and Indian Railways. The seven-night tour costs £1,300pp per night, based on a couple sharing a Presidential Suite in the Peak Season (October-March 2007). Children aged 5-12 pay half-price.

Contact: +91 11 2335 9011. Toll free from the UK: 0800 032 7748 or email: salesuk@theluxurytrains.com. Website: www.theluxurytrains.com

Best of the rest

Switzerland

Name of train/journey: The Glacier Express

Destinations: Known as the slowest express train in the world, the Glacier Express travels from Davos or St Moritz to the Alpine village of Zermatt, an eight-hour journey through the Upper Rhine (known as the Swiss Grand Canyon). The route goes through 91 tunnels, over 291 bridges and the 6,700ft Oberalp.

Best carriage/cabin onboard: There are no cabins as this is a day-trip. It's best to travel in a first-class carriage and to reserve a table for lunch in the dining room, from which there are uninterrupted views.

Onboard fare: The three-course lunch is typically Swiss and there is no dress code on the train. Onboard entertainment consists solely of looking out the window, although there is a bar.

Recommended excursions: There are no stopovers, but plenty of options at either end. The new Kempinski Hotel by the lake in St Moritz has a superb spa and the town itself is full of stylish boutiques. Zermatt boasts the highest cable car in Switzerland, which takes clients on a spectacular ride to the Klein Matterhorn.

Butler service/luxury transfers: Private (including luxury) transfers can be arranged on request. Guests of the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof are met by a coach and horses for the transfer to the hotel. Heli-skiing and helicopter tours are also available.

Itinerary and costs: Kuoni Travel offers an itinerary that includes three nights in St Moritz, travel on the Glacier Express (first-class, with lunch) to Zermatt and on by rail to Montreux. An eight-night holiday, staying at the Kempinski Hotel in St Moritz, the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof and the Montreux Palace is available from £1,174 pp. This is based on two sharing, includes BA flights into Zurich and out of Geneva, transfers, half-board, train travel and taxes.

Contact: Tel. 01306 747 008 or go to www.kuoni.co.uk or www.glacierexpress.ch

Recommended by Linda Pedler, product manager, Switzerland, Kuoni

North America

Name of train/journey: The American Orient Express - Great Transcontinental Rail Journey

Destinations: Washington DC-Charleston-Savannah-New Orleans-San Antonio-Santa Fe-Grand Canyon-Los Angeles. The Transcontinental is one of 10 US routes offered by the American Orient Express.

Best carriage/cabin: The best cabin on the train is, by far, the Grand Suite, a larger cabin that has two lower beds in an "L" configuration, a full-size couch, a small sofa seat, private sink, shower and closet.

Onboard fare: The dining car has an elegant, romantic atmosphere reminiscent of the 1940s, while the menu changes to reflect the various regions through which the train passes. Dining is regularly voted one of travellers' favourite aspects of the American Orient Express. Entertainment includes a lecture series, nightly piano music, and welcome and farewell champagne receptions.

Recommended excursions: The package offered by the train is comprehensive and includes all accommodation, meals (including lunch in New Orleans' French Quarter) and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as a number of scheduled guided tours.

Butler service/luxury transfers: All passengers enjoy the personal service of a rail car attendant.

Itinerary and costs: International Rail offers the American Orient Express Transcontinental route for £4,494 per person (flights not included), which is based on two sharing one of the train's Grand Suites.

Contact: 08707 515 000; www.international-rail. com or www.americanorientexpress.com

Recommended by Rod Maton, managing director, International Rail

South East Asia

Train/journey: The Eastern & Oriental Express

Destinations: The E&O begins in Bangkok and journeys through rural Thailand to the River Kwai before heading south into Malaysia. The train calls at colonial Georgetown and Fort Cornwallis before crossing the straits of Johor to arrive in Singapore. An extended, three-night southbound itinerary for 2006 takes in the wooden trestle viaduct at Tham Kasae, one of Thailand's most scenic stretches of railway. Departing Bangkok on Sunday evening, the train will cross the Bukit Merah Lake in northern Malaysia during daylight, arriving in Singapore on Wednesday morning.

Best carriage/cabin onboard: There are three grades of accommodation: Presidential Suite, State Compartment and Pullman Compartment. All are air-conditioned, have large windows and an en suite shower, washbasin and WC. Facilities include a 24-hour steward service. The presidential suites also have a complementary bar.

Onboard fare: The cuisine is Euro-Asian with table d'hote meals included in the fare. Lunch and dinner are served in the two dining cars, while breakfast and afternoon tea are served in compartments. At dinner, a jacket and tie is recommended for men and evening dress for women. Entertainment includes local dancers and musicians, a pianist and a fortune teller.

Recommended excursions: The E&O can be combined with a Mekong River cruise. This tour, new for 2006, allows guests to enjoy the Golden Triangle with a stay at the Anantara Resort, Chiang Rai, followed by a two-day cruise to Luang Prabang in Laos.

Butler service/luxury transfers: Guests are looked after by liveried stewards who attend to their every need. Transfers are booked via a local agent.

Itinerary and costs: The three-night journey from Bangkok to Singapore costs £990pp sharing a Pullman Compartment.

Contact: 0845 077 22 22; www.orient-express.com

Recommended by Nick Varian, chief executive, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Steam Trains of Hungary and Slovakia

Destinations: The train's route traces the course of the River Danube and takes in a number of castles and palaces, as well as the two great cities of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire: Budapest and Bratislava.

Best carriage/cabin: Passengers will travel on several trains, ranging from a traditional cog railway to a steam-hauled train and an historic steam train. At night they will disembark to enjoy the local cuisine before spending the night in a luxury hotel.

Onboard fare: Passengers enjoy local cuisine in select restaurants. The tour, which departs 22 June includes a dinner on board the Candlelight Express. A gourmet selection of Hungarian food and wine is followed by live music in the saloon car. Passengers travel in a pre-World War I carriage from the Orient Express.

Recommended excursions: Among the excursions included in the journey are a guided tour of the Budapest Train Museum and sightseeing tours of Buda and Pest, the twin cities on the River Danube, which were officially united in 1873. Optional excursions that are not included in the price are a cog railway ride with dinner and wine-tasting, and a boat trip to Devin.

Itinerary and costs: The seven-day itinerary costs from £759 per person, including return flights from London to Budapest, accommodation and some meals. This price is based on a departure in the last week of May.

Contact: Page & Moy, tel. 08700 106 400, or see www.pageandmoy.com

Recommended by: Phil Newcombe, director, product & commercial, Page & Moy