For long, Europe knew about luxury train travel on the Orient Express. The opulence of Orient Express has been recreated in the USA with the GrandLuxe Rail Journeys. Six 1950s railway cars are attached to Amtrak’s California Zephyr that passes through some of the most historic and picturesque locales of USA.
On boarding the luxury train butlers escort the guests to the wood-paneled ‘vintage Pullman’ room, 5 feet wide and 7-feet long with a 4 inch wide closet and two drawers. A beaming butler will show the passenger how to fold down the Pullman’s tapestry-upholstered seatback to become a bed and how a nozzle serves as a shower in the 2 feet by 3 feet toilet. There are guidebooks for every passenger that explains the detail and historical importance of every stop.
A week onboard the GrandLuxe, with all the luxury and tours of plantations and cities such as Savannah and Charleston starts at $4,320 a person. The cost includes meals and tours. Meals on GrandLuxe are quite a lavish spread with expensive wines and the Manhattan entertainer Annie Lebeaux playing your favourite tunes on the piano. There is cooked-to-order breakfast, lunch and a five-course dinner.
The train runs from Emeryville, California to Chicago.
Image: passenger train journal
Source: usa today
