May 20th, 2011
Hercule Poirot? Yes. Orient-Express? Yes. Murder? Not so much… Feeling low since the ending of the latest Upstairs Downstairs? Counting down the days until the next installment of Downton Abbey? Ease your Masterpiece cravings this weekend with everyone’s favorite detective Hercule Poirot. The main character of Agatha Christie’s epic Murder on the Orient-Express is about to board the train once more. Actor David Suchet (known for playing the savvy Poirot) will be traveling from Calais to Prague, stopping off in Venice, aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for PBS’s documentary David Suchet on the Orient Express: A Masterpiece Special. Suchet will trace the history of the Orient-Express, from its elegant beginnings to its tumultuous final days, and explore what made it the perfect setting for one of Christie’s most recognized novels. Break out the pipe and slippers and tune into Masterpiece Theatre on May 22 (check local listings for the time).
May 17th, 2011
Orient-Express Trains and Cruises has announced that the following are now members of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association: the Road to Mandalay, the Eastern & Oriental Express, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, and Afloat in France. All of these haut modes of transport provide stunning journeys on rails and water.
- The Road to Mandalay travels up and down the Ayeyarwady River for three, four, or seven nights between the pagoda city of Bagan and royal Mandalay with a variety of itineraries.
- The classic Eastern & Oriental Express itineraries are the two-night journeys between Singapore and Bangkok and the three-night journeys between Bangkok and Singapore through the Malay Peninsula. They’ve recently introduced the new Chronicles of Southeast Asia, which are a series of three- and six-night rail voyages through Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, and Singapore.
- The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is the classic art deco train that travels the iconic trip between Paris and Istanbul.
- Afloat in France is a fleet of several barges that travel through the canals of Burgundy, Provence, and Languedoc.
To book, contact Orient-Express Centre, The Americas, Trains & Cruises at 800 524 2420 or email greatjourneys@oeh.com.
About Orient-Express Trains and Cruises
Orient-Express (NYSE: OEH, www.orient-express.com), the name behind an elite collection of travel experiences, first came into being in 1883 as one of the world’s most exciting and indulgent train journeys. Today that evocative name embraces hotels, cruises, and other luxury rail adventures in 24 countries across five continents. The Company has offered exceptional luxury travel experiences since 1976, when it first purchased Hotel Cipriani in Venice and then, shortly afterwards, recreated the celebrated Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, linking London, Paris, and Venice, along with other European cities. Today, the company owns or part-owns and manages 50 businesses, 41 of which are highly acclaimed hotels, each unique in style, from the Mount Nelson in Cape Town and Rio’s Copacabana Palace to the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg and Maroma Resort & Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. There are six luxury tourist trains, two river cruise operations, and ‘21’, one of New York’s most iconic restaurants.