I am standing in one of the “most expensive hotel rooms” in the world.
So per square meter.
That’s according to Matthieu Ollier, manager of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, who said the train’s Grand Suites cost 24,000 euros ($25,850) for a day trip from Venice to London.
That’s $2,000 per meter – if you can secure a spot. Reservations for Grand Suites often start a year in advance.
Thanks to a last-minute cancellation, I won the freelance journalist’s equivalent of Willy Wonka’s golden ticket — a call from Belmond, the luxury company that owns the train.
Train steward on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
Source: Chris Dwyer
Could I join? Unsurprisingly, I squeezed it into my schedule.
But at a time when a 31-hour trip for a couple costs more than low-wage workers in the United States produce in a yearcould the one night experience be worth it?
Train
Ollier explained that by traveling in one of the Grand Suites, I joined an elite group of former passengers, including John Travolta (who traveled “many times”), Angelina Jolie (“Just her and her daughter, no assistants”), Kate Winslet, Beckham and perhaps most appropriately Wes Anderson.
Train conductor Matthieu Ollier on an original folding seat called a strapontin.
Source: Chris Dwyer
Every carriage has its own story. I’m in 3309, the oldest sleeper car on the train. Built in 1926, it operated various Orient Express train routes in the 1920s and 1930s, including routes connecting Paris to Bucharest and Munich to Istanbul.
In February 1929, a carriage was abandoned for five days in a snowdrift outside Istanbul, an incident that inspired Agatha Christie’s famous novel “Murder on the Orient Express”.
It has three suites, one of which Christie herself lived in — now called the Budapest Suite.
Budapest suite
This suite is a work of art on wheels, a mobile celebration of luxury and Art Deco craftsmanship. Embroidered silks sit alongside beautiful Lalique glass and Baccarat crystal. The mirrors alone cost 27,000 euros each, a train employee told me.
Private bathroom in Budapest Venice Simplon-Orient-Express suite.
Surprisingly, most guests on the train have a sink in their cabins but have to share a bathroom – albeit an impeccably maintained one – but the Budapest Suite has its own bathroom with onyx, marble and Murano glass.
Space on the train is very expensive, even in the Budapest Suite, so guests are advised to pack a small bag. Closet room is also limited, but there is enough room for the steward to hang tuxedos and dresses that guests bring to dinner.
Grand Suite guests are greeted with a chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot Saint Petersbourg champagne – served as you wish for the entire journey – along with a can of Steluga Tsar Imperial caviar per blini spoon.
Champagne and caviar welcome guests staying in the train’s Grand Suites.
Source: Chris Dwyer
The part of the suite that is quickly becoming my favorite is probably its most humble — the sofa. From it, through the large windows of the carriage, I enjoyed the beauty of Europe in the cinema – from the snow-covered Italian Alps and chalets in the Austrian Brenner Pass to the green pastures of Switzerland and the vineyards of France.
Cocktails and cuisine
One shackled guarantee on board the train: You will never go hungry.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express’ partnership with one Michelin star chef Jean Imbert Jean Imbert of the Plaza Athénée in Paris has ensured that the kitchen is truly stellar at every service.
From a champagne breakfast – served in the suite – to afternoon tea and a four-course dinner, it’s a way to forget the calories.
Breakfast in a Budapest suite.
Source: Chris Dwyer
It’s amazing how in such a small kitchen, plates are made with such artistry and finesse. A quick glance shows it to be six meters long and one meter wide — with five chefs inside.
Guests dress in tuxedos and glamorous evening gowns for the dinner, which begins with cocktails in the Bar Car. Aa, the pianist serenaded us, the feeling was like being transported back in time.
Bumps in the road
If you have the means, it’s a very special way to travel.
But there have been a few bumps in the road. To begin with, it wasn’t easy to get online. The in-flight Wi-Fi never worked for me, but I was able to connect to other networks at various points along the way.
Kitchen on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
Source: Chris Dwyer
The bed in the Budapest Suite is big, comfortable and luxurious, but of course traveling by train involves a lot of movement – and a lot of noise. Earplugs are included and you’ll need them to have a night full of sweet dreams.
The en-suite is described as “spacious”, but that’s a generous definition. But if moaning about the size of a marble bathroom aboard a nearly century-old train car isn’t the definition of first-world problems, I don’t know what is.
It’s worth it?
Paying nearly $28,000 for a one-night train ride from Venice to London is almost unbelievable. You can charter a private jet for less money.
But it’s the historic nature of the journey that makes the experience unique. In a fast-paced and ever-evolving world, there is something to be said for slow and elegant travel.
Bar car on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
Source: Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
It’s also worth remembering that train travel is more sustainable than most modes of transport, especially private aviation.
The data shows many travelers they do not restrict traveldespite the global cost of living crisis, but this path is out of reach for almost anyone but the 0.1%.
If you’re lucky enough to have pockets this deep, there are few travel experiences that can match it.