Romance  on the Orient Express

Combining the ultimate train journey with the ultimate hotel is one way of ensuring an unforgettable holiday. And Venice and the Orient-Express deliver both in bundles. The treat starts after landing at Venice’s airport, as I discovered.

Stepping onto our private launch we already felt special. Then before long the ancient Venetian skyline rises up from the sea, looking like a floating museum. The ‘pièce de resistance’ is when the launch glides into the lagoon with the dome of the Doges Palace in St Mark’s Square glittering in the sunlight. We head across the water to the small island of Guidecca and one of the world’s top hotels, the Cipriani.

From the moment we enter the Cipriani the atmosphere exudes peace and tranquillity. Through an ancient courtyard, and passageways that burst with flowers in summer, we reach our apartment. It’s in the Palazzo Vendramin, one of two of the hotel’s 15th century buildings. Silk walls, Fortuny lampshades and Venetian antiques give the suite of rooms an air of elegance. A massive terrace offers views across red-tiled rooftops and into the gardens. It’s totally private. In warmer months jasmine bushes perfume the air and swallows dart and dive in the blue skies. Everything we need is catered for and a quick call will summon our butler.

The hotel has everything from top restaurants and bars overlooking the water, to an outdoor Olympic-sized salt water swimming pool and a spa. The food is excellent, the wine list comprehensive and service attentive. There’s no need to leave, but if you want to see the sights, a free motor launch is available 24 hours a day.

When they describe the Cipriani as an oasis they’re right; because after a day trawling through Venice’s ancient streets, the hotel is a wonderful antidote to the bustle. Everything about it makes you feel privileged. Saying goodbye is a wrench, but ahead is the excitement of travelling in train luxury. At Venice train station the real world returns, but only for a moment.

Checking in for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a breeze. And there it is, putting other trains to shame with it’s beautiful blue and gold vintage carriages that evoke the era of European train travel in the 1920’s and ‘30’s.

From the moment we’re helped aboard we’re transported back in time. Every carriage has a tale to tell. King Carol of Romania conducted love affairs on board. The Duke of Windsor travelled in sleeping car 3525. And when the train was caught in a snow drift for ten days it inspired Agatha Christie, a regular passenger, to write ‘Murder on the Orient Express’.

From 1883 to the 1920’s and ‘30’s, when the journeys became legendary, the Orient- Express served up elaborate meals, decadent company and fine wines. In 1977 it went out of service until entrepreneur and rail enthusiast James B. Sherwood bought two carriages at Sotheby’s auction in Monte Carlo. He then found 35 vintage sleepers, Pullmans and restaurant cars. On 25 May 1982, after spending $16 million, the restored VSOE made its maiden run from Venice to London.

Today people travel on the Orient-Express for many reasons. The train’s manager tells us there are one or two proposals of marriage every month. Many people are celebrating an occasion. Then there’s the rail and Agatha Christie enthusiasts. The small shop on board sells special issues of Murder on the Orient Express, which the stewards will sign. All of which creates a distinctive atmosphere of privilege and pleasure.

The carriages are tiny yet perfect, making dressing for supper an art. An inlaid panelled corner cabinet swings open to reveal a small washbasin with hot and cold water. On goes the glam and evening wear ready for supper. Although it’s not compulsory to really dress up – smart is necessary – it’s part of the fun. Sipping wine in one of the restaurant cars, admiring the René Lalique glass panels, and the Austrian mountains with their doll-like houses, all adds to the magic. And then there’s the food.

Eating on the VSOE is an event. Each carriage is looked after by an immaculate steward in blue uniform with white-gloved hands, who books in your meal times. The brunch of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, lobster with cress butter and caramelised apple tartlet were all perfect. Later tea and cakes are served in the carriage. And then it’s dinner, the grand affair. A starter of cod perfumed with tarragon is followed by lamb in a black olive and parmesan crust. There’s sweet stuffed peppers, cheeses, cardamom flavoured dessert, pastries and coffee. Yes, it’s a gourmet’s delight. And there’s still breakfast to come as the train pulls in to Paris, and then lunch the other side of the Channel.

The whole break takes three days. By the end the sights and delights of Venice and the Orient-Express are buzzing in your head, and it feels as though it was much longer. And just to make sure the holiday mood continues back on British soil, a jazz band serenades us while we wait for our Pullman and lunch en-route to London’s Victoria station and home.

For more information of the twin package visit  www.vsoe.com. Prices start from £2,505.
For more information on the hotel visit  www.hotelcipriani.com   
For more information on other train journeys visit www.orient-express.com  


By Michele Nevard