Eastern & Oriental Hotel

The Best Sleeper Trains in the World

"After a hiatus, Belmond is restarting the Eastern and Oriental Express in Southeast Asia. It first ran 30 years ago between Singapore and Bangkok. Now, passengers can embark upon the Wild Malaysia itinerary, a three-night round-trip from Singapore that travels north through Malaysia’s jungles, allowing passengers to disembark in the rainforests of Taman Negara National Park and wander the smoky backstreets and old quarters of Penang Island. With three classes of accommodation on board, passengers can sit at the windows of vintage cabins paneled with polished cherrywood and draped with blush pink silks as the train rumbles through rubber and palm plantations, giant leaves thwacking the sides. Dress early for dinner and take a cocktail to the tail end of the train where an open observation car lets passengers stand against warm wind, the smell of wet jungle rushing by, before sitting down for dinner in one of two dining cars for local Peranakan cuisine and a Singapore Sling or two."