First look: the Eastern & Oriental Express is reborn in Asia
Experience Malaysia in motion on this luxury train designed with imaginative touches and invested with nostalgic glamour after a four-year absence.
The sight of the gleaming, moss-green train stopped locals in their tracks. The Eastern & Oriental Express, a Belmond Train, Southeast Asia, back on the rails after a four-year absence, powered through the palm- and rubber-tree plantations of central Malaysia. Inside, passengers clinked glasses, feasted on refined meals and marvelled at the lush, leafy views from their windows.
In what is emerging as a banner year for luxe sleeper trains, the revamped E&O is tempting rail enthusiasts in Southeast Asia. Earlier this month, The Australian was granted the first look at its three-night Wild Malaysia itinerary, which departed from Singapore’s Woodlands station and stopped at national parks and bustling cities on the Malay Peninsula, before making its way back to the Lion City.
“Unlike checking in and out of hotels, trains offer an experience and a true journey,” said Wolfgang Eipeldauer, E&O’s senior train manager. To grease the wheels of this journey, hospitality brand Belmond upgraded the train’s 15 carriages – including two restaurants, a piano bar and open-air lounge – with intricate marquetry, spiffy fabrics and old-world glamour. Air-conditioning and Wi-Fi are among the modern touches.
Heading up the culinary offering is Taiwanese chef André Chiang, known for Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris and Taipei and for haute dishes such as laksa bouillabaisse and black-bone chicken consommé. Guests also enjoyed punchy cocktails in the observation car – one served in a tiger-shaped porcelain vessel – and lively musical performances in the bar.
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Accommodating 64 passengers, the train has three cabin categories. The most common is the marine-coloured State suite, with plush lounge chairs that convert to two single beds, elaborate pelmet windows and en-suite bathrooms. A beaming cabin steward delivered breakfast and afternoon tea and assisted when it was time to clear customs in Malaysia.
By the time we reached Taman Negara National Park, I was ready to stretch my legs with a canopy walk. The dense rainforest is home to wildlife including macaques, tapirs, hornbills and the Malayan tiger. “There’s a sliver of a chance of seeing one,” said guide Siti Khadijah Ahmad. The apex predator, threatened by habitat changes and poachers, is seriously endangered. Low-impact tourism can help, we learned.
The following day, guests disembarked at Penang in the northwest to explore George Town. The city is a hub of pastel-hued, colonial-era buildings, fusion eateries, and eye-catching landmarks, including the “Blue Mansion”, a boutique hotel with cameos in films Crazy Rich Asians and Indochine. At this port, guests could opt for a Peranakan cooking class, an art tour or a trishaw ride around its historic centre.
Back on board, the fizz flowed again, the musicians entertained guests and the cinematic scenes flew by. The train, constructed in Japan in 1971, had an earlier life in New Zealand. Reborn in 1993, it originally traversed the rails from Singapore to Bangkok. “It’s a good time to discover Malaysia,” added Eipeldauer, en route back to Singapore. “It has a lot to offer, and now with the ease of the train.”
The writer travelled as a guest of Belmond. The Wild Malaysia journey runs every week from March to October, while a coastal journey The Essence of Malaysia runs November to February. The three-night excursions start at $US3,410 per person and include all meals, a selection of beverages and activities. belmond.com