Rail and Cruise through South East Asia
Asia, Cruise, Thailand Wednesday, December 26th, 2012
Eastern Orient Express runs between Bangkok and Singapore
Love rail travel and cruising? Yes, me too! As far as travel options go, they have a lot of similarities. Settling down into a well fitted out cabin for an extended stay without having to pack up and move is just one of the advantages. Indeed rail travel is a little like cruising without all that pesky salt air. How about a whimsical jaunt to the Orient where rail and cruise travel is redolent of elegant times past?
Orient-Express has a choice of voyages in South-East Asia’s tropics, providing fascinating and authentic experiences aboard the Road To Mandalay river cruiser in Burma and the Eastern & Oriental Express train between Bangkok and Singapore, or vice versa.
If you want to extend your time aboard, epic journeys take in more of Thailand, travelling east then north from Bangkok over 6 nights on a couple of different itineraries. The colonial style carriages of this luxurious train offer opulent surroundings, fine dining and exquisite service including your very own butler. Room service breakfast as well as morning and afternoon tea are an indulgent luxury unique to this style of rail journey as intriguing landscapes of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Burma flash by beyond panoramic windows.Whistle stop tours allow enough time for travellers to disembark (or de-train to use the onboard lingo) and explore far-flung villages and towns before hopping back onboard air-conditioned carriages.
Many of the regions visited are well off the regular tourist trail, and with little tourist infrastructure, travelling by rail is often the only way to visit these areas while enjoying luxurious surroundings.
Combine rail with a cruise for a splendid Oriental getaway
New Eastern-Oriental Express Journeys
Orient-Express has launched a series of new thrilling rail voyages through Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and Singapore aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express (E&O). The quartet of new rail voyages called ‘Chronicles of South-East Asia’ will be offered alongside E&O’s existing year-round schedule of classic departures between Bangkok and Singapore. All new itineraries offer an extensive programme of exciting excursions, overnight off-train experiences and guest lecturers.
Departing from Bangkok, a variety of pre and post rail options are available. Combining your journey with a stay at Bangkok’s iconic Mandarin Oriental Hotel is highly recommended. Checking into this historical hotel is a fitting extension to any Eastern Orient Express train journey.
New for 2013 is an exciting cruise option through Myanmar on a Road to Mandalay luxury cruise. Now is a splendid time to visit this intriguing country while it’s in the very early stages of welcoming foreign visitors to her shores.
Rail travel is a little like taking a cruise - without the water view!
Check the Eastern-Orient Express website for more details.
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Posted by Fiona Harper
on Dec 26 2012. Filed under Asia, Cruise, Thailand.
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Fiona Harper is a freelance journalist specialising in travel, boating and lifestyle genres. Highly acclaimed, widely travelled and much published, Fiona spends much of the year travelling, researching & writing.
