The Blue Train

The Blue Train - Luxury train journeys

Description

The Blue Train is unique - it is not merely a train but combines the luxury of the world s leading hotels with the charm of train travel. Think of it as an all inclusive luxury rail cruise with an opportunity to view South Africa s spectacular landscapes and visit interesting tourist attractions along the way. Take a journey into a timeless world of grace, elegance and romance, where spectacular scenery stirs your imagination and luxurious comfort soothes your body and soul. Sit back, de-stress and relax. This unique luxury recreation and business experience takes you where you want to go in an endless, five-star splendour. It pauses only to pick up prestigious World Travel awards for being a cut above the rest and the Diner s Club accolade for its connoisseur selection of South African wines. The Blue Train cuisine puts sheer good taste on a plate while butler personal attention puts you on a pedestal.

The Blue Train has an aura of mystique about it. Kings and presidents have travelled on this magnificent moving five-star hotel. Its very name has become synonymous with the ultimate in luxury and personal service.

The routes of The Blue Train - both scheduled and chartered - take guests through some of the most breathtaking countryside to be found anywhere in the world.

Have a look at our Special Routes and Packages with our select hospitality partners.

As the ever-changing scenery flashes past the windows, guests can savour exquisite meals freshly prepared on board by top chefs. Our meals are complemented by the best wines South Africa has to offer.

The suites on The Blue Train live up to its reputation for magnificence and splendour. The finest bed linen, marble tiles and gold fittings in the bathrooms and sheer opulence all ensure that guests will never forget the time they spend on The Blue Train.

When you choose to travel on The Blue Train, you choose to travel in a world of grace, elegance and romance.

 Accommodation

Luxury Suites

The luxury suites extend your personal domain by more than a metre, and the twin or double-bed suites offer deep, long baths for slow, luxuriant soaking.

The suites extend the choice of radio and movie channels even further by including a private digital entertainment centre and an inviting selection of music CDs and big-screen movies on DVD.

De Luxe Suites

There are nine De Luxe coaches on the first train and eight on the train with the conference car. The De Luxe coaches have four suites per coach; one suite with a bath and the others with showers. The De Luxe suites feature either twin beds with a shower, or double beds with a bathtub and handheld shower.

Elegant lounges

Linking the private suites of The Blue Train are two wood-panelled cars: the lounge and club cars. Our elegant lounges are ideally positioned for an apéritif, an interlude between meals or an after-dinner conversation over coffee, cognac and Cuban cigars.

Smokers will feel at home instantly in the burnished surroundings of the club car, where mellow lamplight sets the tone for quiet reflection or the glow of good company.

You can while away the miles with a game of cards, chess or backgammon, tune in to the big-screen television or browse through a volume from the library while savouring your beverage of choice from the well-stocked bar. Unwind, relax, and indulge.

Fine dining

The Blue Train experience is a banquet for all the senses and this is especially true of our dining car. Here the reassuring weight of Sheffield cutlery and crystal glassware on crisp white linen set the tone for the delights to follow.

As the sky darkens over the landscape, the day's smart-casual dress code gives way to a parade of elegant eveningwear or traditional attire, in keeping with The Blue Train's classic livery and earthy African décor.

Each meal is scored to a selection of tasteful background music, ranging from smooth jazz to light classical to the mellow tones of the Soweto String Quartet.

A meal on The Blue Train is an experience in itself. Our menus feature a selection of local cuisine from Karoo lamb and ostrich fillet to Knysna oysters accompanied by award-winning cultivars from the Cape winelands, all serving as the perfect complement to the landscape through which you are travelling.

Prepared from the freshest produce and ingredients, artfully presented in the finest Silver Service tradition, The Blue Train's legendary cuisine is an irresistible tribute to culinary mastery.

The Blue Train is fully equipped to accommodate vegetarian, Halaal, Kosher or other special dietary requirements, which should be specified when you make your reservation. Join us at one of two dinnertime sittings, or savour your meal in the comfort of your suite. A Continental or full English breakfast is served at your leisure.

Take your seat and make yourself at home. The banquet is about to begin.

Jewellery Boutique

The boutique on The Blue Train is a treasure trove of gems and minerals as rich as Africa itself. It allows the discerning traveller the opportunity to purchase treasures from South Africa's best designers. Our current range includes an exquisite collection of wildlife jewellery designed and manufactured by internationally acclaimed jewellers.

Competitively priced, exquisitely set and designed, these desirable pieces will prove ideal for a loved one, or as a glittering memento of this unforgettable experience.

A selection of elegant art objects exemplifies the distinctiveness of our award-winning craftsmen. Gold, diamonds and quartz are merely a few of the materials from which these objects are crafted. Many of the pieces reflect African culture with wildlife a predominant theme.

The boutique also offers The Blue Train branded mementos, such as:

• golf shirts,
• caps,
• clocks,
• playing cards,
• letter openers,
• leather goods and
• coffee table books.

Scheduled Routes

Pretoria - Cape Town - Pretoria

The route between Pretoria and Cape Town is a 27-hour journey of 1 600 kilometres (994 miles), through some of the most diverse and spectacular scenery offered by the African sub-continent.

On the Southbound trip, the train departs from Pretoria main train sation at 8:50 and arrives in Cape Town train station at 12:00 the following day.

En route to Cape Town there is a stopover and excursion in Kimberley, where we take a step back in time to the days of the diamond rush.

On the Northbound journey, the train leaves Cape Town at 08:50 and arrives in Pretoria at 12:30, in time for high tea the following day. It stops at Matjiesfontein for an off-the-train excursion.

On arrival at Matjiesfontein guests are invited for a glass of sherry at the bar.
The Victorian buildings and original nineteenth century London lampposts impart to the traveller, the uncanny sense of entering a colonial time warp – an oasis suspended in a different age.

Guests are reminded that they must be at the station an hour before the departure time.

Rates

Rates 2010

Maximum 2 guests per suite. Rates are per person, inclusive of all meals, high tea, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and off-the train excursions excluding French champagne, caviar and external telephone calls.
Rates quoted are for a one-way journey and are subject to change without prior notification. Arrival times and off-the train excursions cannot be guaranteed. Reservations for children on request only.

Special requests for meals (e.g. Kosher and Halaal) to be specified at time of reservation.
Bed preference (double or single) to be specified when making a reservation, as double beds are limited.

Guests are requested to check in 1 hour prior to departure at The Blue Train lounges in Pretoria and Cape Town.

The Blue Train terms and conditions apply to all bookings.

High season

1 September to 15 November

Low season

1 January to 31 August and 16 November to 31 December

Cape Town / Pretoria

2010