Latest news with #EasternOrientalExpress
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
The incredible train journey that'll ‘ruin every other railway trip you take'
WHAT is your idea of a great rail journey? Perhaps managing to bag a seat in rush hour... or even that it turns up on time. Well, there's once fancy train that is so posh, it even has its own spa and an open-air 'sightseeing carriage'. 4 4 Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury train with five routes in Malaysia and Singapore, with views of jungles, ancient temples and mountains - think Agatha Christie's Orient Express, without the murder. The experience is so mind-blowing that travel blog Hand Luggage Only said: "It's easily one of the best train journeys in the whole world! "[It] might just ruin every other train experience you'll take." The outside views are stunning but so are the interiors, with carriages featuring wood panelling, silk furniture and velvet walls. One of the best-looking cars is the Piano Bar Car, which has a jazz club atmosphere and features with vibrant yellows and luxury fabrics that are inspired by the exotic Tiger Orchid flower. Lunch and evening meals are served up two different dining carriages, with Michelin-starred chef Andre Chiang offering dishes with typical Malaysian flavours, like beef salad, duck curry and spicy 'tom yam cappuccinos'. Meanwhile, breakfast and afternoon tea is served to guests in their cabins each day. European sleeper train with private cabins Away from the dining, there is also a Wellness Car with a "moving spa", with a choice of five different treatments that passengers can enjoy whilst on the move. For those looking to really soak up the sights, the rear carriage of the train offers an open-air observation deck, where guests can take in the views while enjoying a cocktail. There are five different three-night experiences travellers can book, on the Eastern & Oriental Express. The first journey allows passengers to join Chef André Chiang for amazing food experiences, alongside Michelin-starred Vicky Cheng, Jason Liu, Jungsik Yim and expert mixologist Shelley Tai. Alternatively, the Wild Malaysia journey takes guests through the Taman Negara National Park and into Penang. Then the Essence of Malaysia route goes to Southeast Asia. And there is a Malaysia Celebration which departs from Singapore for a festive voyage. 4 All of the journeys last three nights in total. Passengers can also choose from three different accommodation types including the Presidential Suite, then there is also the State Cabin and the Pullman Cabin. In the Presidential Suite, guests can enjoy free-flowing champagne, caviar, a fruit basket and flowers upon boarding, a complimentary spa treatment and 24-hour service. Depending on what journey you choose, there are different stopping locations and points of interest, but some include Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. However, all of this luxury doesn't come cheap. Prices start from $4,650 (£3,455.51) per person. Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences. Davos to Geneva, Switzerland "After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass." - Caroline McGuire Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen "Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you're whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too - as you'll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way." Kara Godfrey London to Paris by Eurostar "Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what's so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won't have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord." - Sophie Swietochowski Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail "From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond." - Hope Brotherton Beijing to Ulaanbatar "The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city's high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I've witnessed anywhere." - Ryan Gray Looking for something a bit cheaper? One man who travelled 4,000 miles across the UK by rail says the country's most beautiful train journey takes just 10 minutes and costs £3. Plus, the UK train line 'that time forgot' is crowned one of the best in the world by National Geographic.
Globe and Mail
12-06-2025
- Globe and Mail
Travel in the charm of another era on board Malaysia's Eastern & Oriental Express
I take the train for the romance of it – for a taste of an older world. Visiting Malaysia, I had been dazzled by the futurisms of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, scion-cities of late-stage capitalism, filled with glitzy shopping malls, spacey light shows, skyscrapers so avant-garde they might be half-built or simply newfangled, and assurances that Asia was the future of the world. It was also pitilessly hot and humid. 'You don't know how to walk in Singapore,' a girl said to me, hiding her giggles at my sweaty shirt behind her hand. 'You have to slip from mall to mall, spending as little time outside as possible.' But passing from one air-conditioned arcade to another struck me more like hell, and one can only drink so many $16 beers, hear so much unending traffic and read so many signs like 'Failing to flush toilet is illegal' (who needs such a sign?) before thinking the future isn't all it's cracked up to be. I felt like taking a step backward, away from that shining Tomorrowland, into something a little cozier. Standing on the open-air caboose of the Eastern & Oriental Express, watching the Lion City and its stippled skyline fade into the horizon, I felt entirely at peace. How luxury train travel is turning the journey into the ultimate destination The E & O Express was resuscitated by Belmond in 2024 after a COVID-19 pandemic hiatus and is now the only sleeper train still operating in Malaysia (the Intercontinental Express still runs overnight from the Thai-Malay border north to Bangkok). And a comfortable sleep it is. My cabin was stately, wood-panelled, snug, lush without being garish and filled with flowers and light, not to mention vintage marquetry and upholstery. The sofa bed and lounge chair converted to cushy single beds in the evening, and the ensuite included a full shower and marble sinks (no haughty signs needed). In the dining cars, one could chat with the sweet and smiling staff over fine dining that mixed the local with Provençal cuisine; our first spread was sakura ebi fricassee with black bone chicken soup and goose oil pilaf, with tropical panache for dessert. From Singapore, we had 1,800 kilometres of Y-shaped travel to go, first to the Malaysian junction at Gemas, then right to the protected rain forest of the Taman Negara, then left along the west coast to Butterworth, and finally back down again to Singapore, all in all, a journey of four days and three nights. Along the way, I'd be experiencing, so the brochure assured me, 'some of the most intoxicating places on Earth.' I took that as a sign to start things off in the bar car. While the barman fixed my gin and tonic, I eyed an ancient-looking map on the wall. It gave a slightly cockeyed view of Southeast Asia ('The East Peninsula of India,' it read). Malaysia, outlined in green, hung from Thailand (here, still the Kingdom of Siam) like an unopened lily bud. I put my finger where I estimated the train to be, somewhere within the white, unmapped centre of the country, an anachronism down to the map's date, 1755. 'That,' the barman said, leaning over the bar counter conspiratorially. 'Is the most expensive thing on the train. One million dollars.' 'This map? A million?' More from Southeast Asia: Singapore is a theme park for foodies He nodded knowingly while I sipped my gin and tried to look unquestioning. Banana leaves were slapping at the windows, filtering the setting sun. I remained in the bar car, listening to the chatter of the passengers. 'Awful lot of palms,' and 'You don't mind if I have another gin, do you dearie?' And 'Look at them cattle!' when we passed a small herd of skinny, humpbacked zebus. For all its advancements and agriculture – from the train, the country seemed at times entirely covered by oil palms – Malaysia lies close to the gnarled roots of nature. We alighted the first morning of our journey near the national park of Taman Negara, and were taken on a guided walk under the green canopy, the fronds above us meeting like eyelashes over the road, the path lined with palms like green fountains. We were primed for movement in the bush – it is one of the oldest rain forests in the world (more than 130 million years), with a menagerie of animals whose twisted familiarity enhance its primeval aura: the pig-like tapir, the bullish gaur, the catty civet and the minuscule mouse-deer. There is also black leopard, Malayan tiger, Asian elephant and a small population of Indigenous Betaq peoples. We didn't encounter the latter – they are shy, our guide told us, but there were sightings of civets, hornbills, grey macaques, even a long-armed gibbon swinging in the trees. Over that afternoon and into the night, we travelled from Taman Negara to Butterworth. From there we disembarked and ferried onto the island of Penang for a morning of free time before our return to Singapore. The British influences on Malaysia are fast fading – China and Australia are the great systems in its orbit now – but the last shreds of the Empire still cling to Georgetown, a former colonial post on Penang that is a marvel of preservation, if a little rough in upkeep. 'There are three untouchable things in Malaysia,' a taxi driver in Georgetown told me. 'Royals, race and religion.' The country is ethnopolitically complex, with a history of racial tension, but today the dominant races (Malay, Chinese and Indian) and religions (Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism) live in relative harmony, and the country is peaceful and quite safe for a foreign visitor. We happened to be driving down Harmony Street, when the driver asked me 'Are you knowing, sir, that today is New Year's Eve?' I had one of those brief moments of panic – Good Lord, isn't it April? Just how intoxicating has the trip been? I caught his smiling eyes in the rear-view mirror. 'We celebrate five new years in Malaysia,' he said. 'And 387 festivals.' Hearing that, I felt it wasn't peace that was improbable, but rather the fact they got anything done – and Penang is a hub of electronics manufacturing. 'Today is Vaisakhi, isn't it? Sikh new year. I will take you.' And we were off, to the local Gurdwara, the Sikh temple, where Jasdev abandoned his taxi to sit and chat among the revellers as we ate the freely given dahl, paratha and chai. Jasdev returned me to the ferry, to await passage back to the train station. When we parted, he placed his hand on his heart, and I mine. It is the graceful action for all Malaysian interactions. 'I wish you a peaceful and prosperous voyage,' he said. Later, in my cabin, watching the sea recede and the Cameron Highlands loom ahead, it wasn't gloom I felt at the prospect of returning to Singapore. Just the sense that all good journeys are over too soon.
New Straits Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Cara Delevingne on a mission to save Malayan tigers
KUALA LUMPUR: British actress and model Cara Delevingne, 33, is currently in Malaysia campaigning to save the critically endangered Malayan tiger. Delevingne shared highlights of her visit on Instagram, showcasing her participation in various activities, including exploring forests and enjoying traditional dance performances. She emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating, "With only an estimated 150 Malayan tigers remaining in Malaysia's forests, we must do everything possible to restore and conserve this dwindling population." Delevingne further highlighted the threat posed by illegal hunting: "Poachers have become the apex predators in these ancient, 130-million-year-old forests. It's crucial that we raise widespread awareness about this issue and prevent the permanent disappearance of the Malayan tiger." Expressing hope for the future, she added, "Wild tiger populations can recover if we allow them to thrive undisturbed." Her visit has garnered enthusiastic responses from local netizens, who have lauded her dedication to this important cause. One online commenter wrote, "Welcome to Malaysia! Thank you for your efforts in raising awareness to save the Malayan tiger." Joining Delevingne in this campaign is fellow actress Jaime Winstone. Together, they visited Taman Negara National Park and traveled on the Eastern Oriental Express train.
