Signature Aviation Spring 2025

elite traveler SPRING 2025 135

IN THIS ISSUE’S HOT LIST, ELITE TRAVELER ’S REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR JOHN O’CEALLAIGH EXPLORES TWO NEED-TO-KNOW TRAVEL TRENDS — THE GREAT RAIL REVIVAL AND JOURNEYING TO THE EXTREME ENDS

The rail revival

In the fall of 1883, Europe’s fi rst transcontinental express service chugged its way along a 1,700-mile route from Paris to Constantinople. For that era’s moneyed and curious, this exotic new Express d’Orient service suddenly o ff eredane ff ortless way to access a spread of Europe’s most enigmatic cities, with the promise of stops at the beer halls of Munich, ballrooms of Vienna and spa waters of Budapest. For

armchairs sheathed in the softest Spanish leather. Of course, life has altered beyond all recognition in the 140 or so years since that maiden voyage — which is perhaps why there seems to be so much nostalgia for the unhurried romance and whimsy of that era. Around the world, a resurgence of interest in train travel has precipitated the launch of ambitious new rail routes and hotel concepts that draw from the age-old allure of the locomotive. Newly created by the French hospitality behemoth Accor, the Orient Express hospitality brand makes its debut this spring with the launch of the La Dolce Vita Orient Express train. Initially o ff ering eight leisurely itineraries across Italy, glossy carriages will accommodate a maximum of 62 passengers across 12 deluxe cabins and 18 suites. Interiors will be inspired by Italian design from the 1960s and ‘70s; regional menus will be overseen by chef Heinz Beck (of the three-Michelin-starred La Pergola); and live musicians will perform in the Players’ Lounge as guests compete in chess and backgammon. Also in the spring, the fi rst Orient Express hotel will launch in a 17th-century palace beside the Pantheon in Rome, with a Venice hotel to open later in the year. Common throughout the growing portfolio will be sophisticated Art Deco-style interiors that reference classic train cars, Ottoman-inspired spa rituals, a ‘Wagon Bar’ cocktail venue and a jovial approach to service, with team members paying homage to the conductors and porters who catered to VIPs aboard the original train. Somewhat confusingly, these new Orient Express services will run in competition with the long standing Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train journeys operated by Belmond. That latter service has undergone a makeover of its own with the launch of its L’Observatoire carriage, conceived by the French artist JR and featuring a library with hundreds of titles, tea room and bedroom. The world’s most expensive train car, it is ambitiously priced at about $100,000 per night. In summer, Belmond will also introduce the fi rst luxury sleeper trains to tour through England and Wales with its new Britannic Explorer. Departing from London, its bucolic, multi-day itineraries might incorporate pit stops for wild swimming in the Lake District or breezy hikes through Welsh valleys, followed by lavish suppers overseen by chef Simon Rogan, whose longtime focus on sustainability and local produce chimes well with rail travel’s planet-positive credentials. But new upmarket train journeys aren’t con fi ned to Europe. Using restored vintage steamers, Vietnam’s Revolution Express will make daily return trips between Da Nang and the former royal capital Hue when it commences operations this year. As part of the country’s sweeping investment in luxury tourism, Saudi Arabia will inaugurate the Middle East’s fi rst luxury rail services in 2026. Operating along an 808-mile route, the 34-suite Dream of the Desert

many on board, though, the train itself was just as big a draw as the landscapes revealed beyond the window pane. This ‘rolling palace’ was unfathomably lavish, with plush sleeping chambers, mahogany lined carriages and white-glove dining experiences. Walking from one ritzy salon to another, privileged passengers might spot royalty or the day’s celebrities admiring the passing lakes and mountains from deep

All images La Dolce Vita Orient Express launches this spring

Photos La Dolce Vita Orient Express