Elite Traveler Spring 2023

elite traveler SPRING 2023 121

Above The gorgeous deco blue and gold Bar Car 3674 on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Below The train will travel between Paris’ Gare de l’Est and three stations in the heart of the Alps: Albertville, Moûtiers and Bourg-Saint-Maurice

(but no private bathroom), and the six, top-end Grand Suites, with en-suite bathrooms and over-the top glamourous style, each inspired by a key city on the train’s route (Paris, Venice, Istanbul, Vienna, Prague and Budapest). What better cabin to book for a once-in-a-lifetime trip? By Nicole Trilivas French Alps winter route will be launching with four overnight journeys in December 2023. Historical Cabin from approx. $4,070 per person, belmond.com

In addition to the new winter route, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is also debuting eight new suites — an entirely new cabin category — this spring. Drawing inspiration from Europe’s everchanging countryside of mountains and meadows, the sumptuously dressed new suites will also have marble-bedecked en-suite bathrooms — something that’s missing from the Historical Cabins. The new suites category will be positioned between the two existing cabin categories: the entry-level Historic Cabins, with twin bunk beds and wash basin

de l’Est and three stations in the heart of the Alps: Albertville, Moûtiers and Bourg-Saint-Maurice, all within easy reach of the glamorous ski resorts and winter snow hotspots of Megève, Courchevel and Tignes-Val d’Isère. The party in Bar Car 3674 — the train’s dramatic deco blue and gold bar carriage — is part of a press preview of this new route, which also includes a sumptuous seasonal supper of oysters smothered in sabayon; chestnut-topped Chapon de Bresse (a breed of French poultry with its own appellation d’origine contrôlée status); and an impeccable Bûche de Noël infused with hazelnut and co ff ee. The opulent winter menus come courtesy of Jean Imbert, the luxury train’s new chef who came aboard in April 2022 and is famed for taking the helm at Plaza Athénée after Alain Ducasse’s departure. Expect nods to the golden age of rail travel with all the traditional gastronomic luxuries like foie gras and imperial caviar, but reworked with Imbert’s signature modern twist (his eponymous eatery at Plaza Athénée has already garnered a Michelin star). No matter how comfortable the cozy, lamplit sleeper cabins are, as the wise steward said: No one is here to get a good night’s sleep, so the wintertime gastronomy is a real highlight of the trip. However, there is plenty more to enjoy — even on just a short overnight jaunt from Paris. Set aside a few moments to spend your morning swathed in the chic (and complimentary) Prussian blue kimono and slippers in the quiet of your sleeper cabin, watching the scenery grow snowy and the mountains come into view or scribbling postcards. (Venice Simplon-Orient-Express stationery is also complimentary, along with a mailbox service with special stamps.) Breakfasts — as simple as fresh baguettes slathered in Bordier butter or as decadent as lobster rolls and vintage blanc de blanc — can be served in your compartment or taken in one of the three dining carriages (don’t miss the original mounted glass panels by René Lalique in Dining Car 4141).

Photos Helen Cathcart