FIRST CLASS on Asia’s MOST LUXURIOUS Sleeper Train

welcome on board the most luxurious train in Asia over the next 4 days and three nights we'll Journey from Singapore through Malaysia eating drinking and sleeping on the train and we'll do it all in the most luxurious room on board the presidential suite hello jet Setters I'm Jeet Brooks from Greener grass.com this is the eastern and Oriental Express and you're coming along here's the plan our journey begins in one of the world's greatest cities Singapore we'll leave about 3:00 in the afternoon and head north we'll wake up the next day deep in the Malaysian rain forest and get off for a bit of exploration we'll then climb back on board to head south again and then then turn north but this time along the coast to reach Butterworth for a visit to panang on our third day we'll get off the train here too our fourth and final day will take us back to Singapore and so that means we'll spend 67 hours on what just may be Asia's most luxurious train a transfer from our hotel was included in this Mercedes was a sure fire sign this was going to be a first class experience classy from moment one am I right very nice start hydration it's important this weather and a 30-minute ride brought us to Woodland's train station it was a chaotic but relatively smooth check-in procedure that we put behind us as quickly as we could before making our way through immigration and onto This Magnificent train these carriages were originally built in Japan in 1971 for New Zealand's SilverStar sleeper train which operated between Auckland and Wellington but in the 1990s they were shipped here to Singapore and we're excited to see what they look like like inside today and as we walked into the presidential suite you could say we were impressed this is amazing I think it's the biggest room we've ever had but also beautifully appointed this is it's going to be a good trip we are about to get out of here it is 3:00 we're going to have plenty of time to explore this massive room let's make our way to Malaysia a knock at the door meant delivery local tea now in our room we had snacks drinks fruit a box with tons of information and so much more but we wanted to investigate the hottest real estate on board this space at the very back of the train is going to be so hard for us to resist on the way out of Singapore and on the overnight sections the engine is the back of the train blocking the view here but for most of the daylight hours the space will offer unparalleled views out the back you'll also find a spectacular bar back here with comfortable seats and readily available drinks of just about any kind you can imagine and everything you eat and drink on the train is included in the fair no matter what room type you're booked into there are 52 passengers and 30 crew on this train we do our best not to film other people that's why you're not seeing many people around but back in our room we had a surprise waiting for us we just met the bar manager who brought us champagne and caviar this is quite a way to kick it off isn't it cheers to an amazing journey in Malaysia that's some good stuff mother of pearl spoon how classy what are you doing down there I'm not very good at eating caviar so I'm cleaning cleaning up as we've said many times we're not fancy we're booked into the largest room type on the train it's called the presidential suite level we'll talk more about the different room types as we go through the Journey here but it includes among other things these fresh flowers and fresh fruit as well as this caviar and champagne to kick off the trip but really what this trip to me is a about is what we're going to encounter as we travel our way through Malaysia the afternoon eased by like most train trips but this one with a healthy dose of luxury to go along with it we sipped champagne reviewed the menus and just watched the world go by this train was originally launched in September 1993 and was the first train to transport passengers between Singapore and Bangkok unfortunately though because of Co it stopped operating until early 2024 the trains operators continue to work with the Thai authorities to hopefully one day return to Thailand the eagle eyed among you will notice our luggage in the room while it was possible to check bags or even just leave them in Singapore since that's where we'll end the trip we chose to keep them with us in the room there was room here but some of the smaller accommodations I think that would have been a challenge quarter of five rolled around and a knock came at the door our room attendant had prepared our afternoon tea this very British tradition is celebrated daily when room attendants deliver sweet and savory snacks to every room on the train Jeb has some pretty strong feelings about afternoon tea I'm not a fan I am I am thoroughly American in my feelings about afternoon tea it's just not something I'm into so uh I'm going to probably eat a cheese sandwich and call it a day on the other hand I'm pretty into it I really enjoy tea and who doesn't like like mini sweets the afternoon starting with a tropical fruit panach I'm not familiar with a lot of these fruits but they're delicious they're freshing just looks like an orange rind covered in [Music] osmanthus Savory bite next the cheese sandwich how cute is this where do all the crusts go next one is a financy a cake the cream of Kaaya on top there's a much longer name I didn't I didn't read you the whole thing manari chocolate tart with green pepper and strawberry spicy chocolate in my [Music] mouth about 63% of the population here is Muslim with another 19% practicing Buddhism now religious Traditions are just one facet of Malaysia's fascinating Multicultural Society now I find food to be an incredible part of the experience too that'll come as no surprise to you and the way it's going to be presented on this train it's not only going to be delicious but also representative the many groups who call Malaysia home but it's not quite dinner time yet so let's explore the train there are 13 cars on the conest and that includes eight sleeper cars for passengers one of which is like ours with two presidential Suites in it the other sleepers are either Pullman carriages that turn into bunk beds like this or their state carriages with rooms that convert in twin beds at night there's also a staff Carriage two restaurant carriages a piano carriage and of course our favorite the observation Carriage the perfect place to take in the sunset there's just something different something almost magical about sunsets and sunrises in Southeast [Music] Asia well it's almost dinner time uh so the dress code uh switches at night and it's smart casual no sneakers no jeans again so much of the eastern and Oriental Express experience is about dining and our trip was no exception now two dining cars in the consist and for this first dinner we were headed to the second one called [Music] Malia this is true fine dining in every sense of the word even the menus are works of art in and of themselves now the food is first class Beyond question even more more impressive when you remember these chefs are working out of tiny kitchens that move but the best part at least in my opinion is that they're using locally sourced ingredients to prepare modern interpretations of traditional foods first up was a Bonito tataki which was followed by a seafood [Music] ceviche for our Mains we both chose the noi and dessert was a ganache with the chef's secret jungle spices it was both different and [Music] delicious well the room's been completely transformed which is great because it's time for bed uh we've got an early morning tomorrow uh I think we've got to get off the train at 8:00 for an Excursion so we're going to hit the hay see you in the morning I got to say I don't mind having two separate beds on a train overnight we made our way North toward the small town of maripo good morning jet Setters it's about 6:00 in the morning that was about 7 and 1/ half hours of Fairly fitful sleep if I'm honest it wasn't the smoothest track I've ever experienced uh but sure grateful for those comfortable beds uh they're super nice I've come up to the bar car where I'm the only person uh here I guess everybody else is asleep the staff are starting to uh uh set up for breakfast which we'll have in our rooms Believe It or Not which sounds pretty luxurious before hopping off the train at 8:00 for an Excursion so a super comfortable uh way to start the day here uh day two of the eastern and Oriental Express from there I made my way back to the observation deck unfortunately the engine blocks some of the view but the sunrise was still awe inspiring the landscape had changed significantly overnight as we approached T nagara National Park the eastern and Oriental Express currently operates two different routes but we chose this one because we wanted to visit this National Park I truly cannot wait to explore the rainforest but back to the room for me you see breakfast was served and this was quite a spread and it was really nice to have it in the room the Malaysian yogurt and dried fruits were nice and the traditional Malay soup was great too but it was the coffee I was most grateful for what a breakfast huh chicken noodle soup wish we did it like that back home but there was a lot happening outside so we headed that way and after that Unforgettable traditional welcome we left the station and made our way out deep into the jungle after leaving the comfort of the train behind we found ourselves in Malaysia's Tama nagara national park at an estimated 130 million years old this Forest is one of the world's oldest deciduous rainforests guests of the Eastern Oriental Express can choose from a variety of offra activities at stops like this we chose a photo tour of the Jungle not because we wanted to take pictures necessarily but because it involved a couple of short hikes but it wasn't the beauty of this Forest that struck us it's beautiful but so loud that noise probably the most impactful memory of this part of our trip is from millions of insects and even frogs it caused a lingering ringing in our ears but was so worth it to experience such a unique and special place well that was an amazing Excursion that was so great to get out there and explore the jungle but it's also super hot out there so it's time for a shower I'm going to I'm going to take care of that right now much better I think they're about to serve lunch here in just a little bit we'll head up there for that lunch today was in the other dining car adisorn it's worth saying too that we had our own large table reserved for us at each meal because of our room category and we'll take a full tour around that room just after [Music] lunch I'm telling you this food would be incredible in a f-star Star restaurant with a massive kitchen it was made even more delicious knowing it was created on this moving train we began with the kimchi Nisa and seir tuna meals on board are meant to be lingering Affairs there's no need to rush when the food is this good and when you really think about it we don't have anywhere else to be but here it is worth saying we ended up skipping tea after that first day because there just was so much food at each meal for the main course I chose the Wu beef [Music] Sukiyaki Suzanne opted for the seafood loxa fried rice the prawns were admittedly intimidating but [Music] tasty dessert meant creme caramel and naturally Petty Force let's work off that incredible lunch with a room tour hey come on in Welcome to the largest room we've ever had on a train anywhere this thing is massive 125 Square ft of pure luxury if you ask me this room is amazing the sofa folds down into two beds at night and through the magic of YouTube I'm going to show you that right now these are incredible beds so comfortable what a wonderful way to spend a night on the rails uh the bedding is is truly top class and luxury now down here during the day day there's some storage along with uh some up here as well that's for water now the water that comes out of the Taps it's not pable you can't drink it so uh there's always drinking water available here my favorite feature probably of any train I've ever traveled on is this table here it allows suzan and me to look out the window as we're traveling through Malaysia sipping a drink or eating a snack and enjoying the view that goes by now look at this though over here you have an amazing bar that's fully stocked there's Jin there's vodka there's whiskey and there's rum available 24 hours a day 7 days a week if you need it now down here in uh in this refrigerator are not only some mixers but also beer of course a pretty substantial closet here and the bathroom which let me show you that right now this bathroom is pretty impressive not only does it have everything you could possibly want in a bathroom but it's so well appointed and luxurious it's also pretty roomy I mean again this uh this presidential suite is really substantial uh you'll find all the amenities you could possibly want from from moisturizer and soap to really really plush towels and this massive shower let's take a look at that plenty of room in this shower I'm 5' 11 Ines tall and I've got well another foot and a half 2 feet of room up here uh there's also some really nice amenities to use on the train here as well which is great cuz I never travel with shampoo not sure about you but let me give you a better idea about how big this room really is I'm going to Pace it out 1 2 3 four Five Paces but there's a lot more to this train than our massive room and the pull of the observation deck was strong we stepped inside long enough to order a drink in the observation bar a French 75 for Suzanne and a genin and tonic for me [Music] so here we are our first full day on board we are nearing dinner time I will say the best thing about this train is the observation car we cannot tear ourselves away from that place I love spending time outside I wish every train had an observation car or some some place to get outside I think if if we think back to the the train experiences we've had I think you'll agree the best ones are the ones that have that outdoor space it's just so amazing to feel that wind in your face to be able to sense that fresh air in these in these environments it's great nothing like sipping a Sundowner um while enjoying those views and the afternoon flew by it's time to head for dinner there was always fresh bread available and the wine selections were quite nice too [Music] but it was the food in particular the presentations that impressed me the most now dinner often meant two introductory courses in this case an egg moose followed by this chicken soup for our Mains tonight we both chose the beef cheek as you'd expect it was quite good and for dessert well that was a tropical panach that was perhaps a bit too sour for my liking day two Ah that's a wrap yep as you know we're not really like fancy people I will say dinners on this train are kind of lingering Affairs four courses 2 hours it's fancy it's a lot and I also have to say we're not late night people so once dinner's over around 10:00 we are hitting the hay cuz we have another early morning tomorrow yeah another Excursion so uh see you in the morning overnight we turn northward again and we're coming near Butterworth the colonial town just across from panag our destination for the day good morning it's about 6:30 in the morning that means eight solid hours of great sleep honestly that was probably the best sleep I've ever had on a train these tracks are just you know so smooth the bed is so comfortable and uh the room is so dark uh what a great night of sleep um but it's time to start another day so we've got a couple more hours till we get into Butterworth station for another Excursion I think I'm going to head back to the observation car where there should be some coffee brewing so let's get the day started unfortunately I'd beaten the Barista back here but it didn't matter too much the sun was coming up in spectacular [Music] fashion I didn't wait too long we pulled into Butterworth station so I headed back to the room where breakfast was waiting Malaysian coffee is strong i e a lot of milk this minced pork and peanut kji a traditional Chinese kji might have been my favorite breakfast item from the trip I'm a fan it's pretty good which Excursion did you pick for us today Suzanne we are going to a cooking class wow cooking Jeff doesn't do a lot of cooking at home when in Malaysia when in Malaysia to reach panang Island over there we'll take a ferry like this one the trip only takes about 10 [Music] minutes once across we' reached Georgetown that's the capital of the state of panang we made a brief visit to the market to see some of the ingredients we'd be using and then we climbed this Steep and Winding Road up to this Colonial House turn hotel to learn a couple of local dishes 845 M up quite a view we made Malaysian Nasi ulam and Indian pori pori this is never going to translate to home is it no this is this is one and done best thing I've ever eaten in my life we get asked a lot on these train Journeys especially Amtrak you get off and kind of explore and the answer is really no experience like this is amazing cuz you really don't have to worry about anything transportation's arranged activities are arranged it's really great this was a lot of fun we made our way back down the mountain and back on to the train despite having just cooked off the train when we arrived our lunch reservation was [Music] waiting Cod versus meatballs meatballs all day as we made our way out of Butterworth heading south again we toasted with champagne we started with a plate of beautiful and fresh vegetables Suzanne's codfish was wonderfully presented as always and so fresh flaky but this meatball was The Culinary highlight of this entire journey and for dessert a special treat because we were traveling over my birthday in March neither Suzanne nor I are Foodies by any stretch and so simple food is fine with us and the fancy food we've been eating on the train is has been glorious don't get us wrong really very delicious but I think some of it's lost on us that said today's lunch was the best we've experienced yet I had the codfish with a curry cauliflower it was delicious it was my favorite meal on board so far definitely and uh if you've been watching this channel for any period of time you know how much I love a good meatball and let me tell you especially on a train right that's true this was you know an unbelievable meatball there was a hardboiled egg inside it was wagu beef with truffle it was spectacular yeah today's lunch Takes the Cake how's it compared to amtr Meats what you say a totally different League let's be fair after lunch we decided to check out the views from the piano ball bar which unlike the observation bar is located in the middle of the consist suddenly a tarot card reader appeared and we had our fortunes foretold turns out we were destined to return to the observation car let's talk about the proverbial elephant in the room the price now there's no reason to sugarcoat it this is an expensive trip our most expensive yet as a matter of fact we paid $8,600 per person to travel in the presidential suite you can cut the price by more than half by booking the entrylevel Pullman cabin at $3,750 per person but that's still a lot that said if you compare it to belman's orian express train in Europe well that one starts at over $4,000 for just one single night in the cheapest cabin three nights on board this incredible train in that luxurious cabin that seems at least somewhat more reasonable we made our way forward for one more dinner and this one was just as spectacular as the [Music] rest the olives and stuffed pepper were a great way to start that was followed by a delicate consum with an impressive presentation as always Suzanne had the red snapper and I tried the panang duck Curry which was great [Music] after dessert we made our way back to the piano bar for some evening entertainment just back from our last dinner uh on board and it seems like a great time to talk about the service it has been spectacular truly amazing everybody's been very professional and kind and warm uh this has been comfortable service but also really first class five stars to these guys oh overnight we continued our path Southward getting closer to Singapore it's about 6:30 this morning a little less sleep than the night before cuz we were up so late but uh still a good night of sleep uh just enough time for breakfast and then some border formalities the trip is coming to a close this final sunrise this last cup of coffee these last glimpses of Malaysia even this last breakfast on board felt really special I was sorry to be saying good by to the eastern and Oriental Express going to miss breakfast in bed every morning this is pretty nice each morning at breakfast there's a featured hot item uh today it's Roy bread and vegetable curry day one at Malaysian noodles uh it's been nice to highlight breakfasts uh along the way uh from some of the cultures that we've experienced on this train journey being our first time in Malaysia it's been so interesting to learn about the different cultures here and try the food that's been definitely a highlight of this trip that it was was but would we recommend this trip to you well if you like comfortable five-star service over-the-top food and interesting excursions in off the beaten path places then this may just be for you between now and the next time see you on the rails like I don't know what's coming so it's not n for me but this was once the British colonial capital of Joo it was once the this was once the this was once the administrative C this was British administrative capital of this part of Johor well we are getting ready for dinner on our first full day on the Eastern Oriental Express is that the name of the train Eastern and Oriental Eastern and Oriental Express it's got exactly what you'd expect in a bathroom on a train well that's not true cuz what you'd expect in a bathroom train is not much hey job so like what's in that cup yeah so the secrets of YouTube It's that's what we do our first night at dinner where there was that tilt in our wine and water glasses well we were on the same tracks last night headed back to Singapore and uh I loving lovingly call this the Leaning train of Malaysia

Channel: Jeb Brooks

Views: 259,757

Keywords: first class train, first class train cabin, first class train travel, eastern and oriental express, belmond, eastern & oriental Express, Belmond Train, Eastern and Oriental train, first class train ride, luxury train, luxury travel, train travel, train trip report, train in asia, luxury train travel, first class train asia, first class train reviews, trains malaysia, luxury sleeper train, luxury trains, train across asia, sleeper train, Asia's most luxurious train

Id: zEW1wA-dUMM

Length: 26min 10sec (1570 seconds)

Published: Sat May 04 2024