Review / Why supermodel Kate Moss loves travelling on the luxury Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – for 30 hours of decadence
Style icon Kate Moss took some of her friends on the luxury train for celebrity hairdresser James Brown’s 50th birthday, and documented their overnight trip from London to Venice on Instagram
Kate Moss and Baby Spice are only the latest celebrities to board the glamorous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE).
Style icon Kate Moss recently took her friends – actress Sadie Frost, model turned nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson and Dave Gardner (Liv Tyler’s partner and David Beckham’s best mate) on the luxury train for her BF and celebrity hairdresser James Brown’s 50th birthday. Kate and co amusingly documented their overnight trip from London to Venice – a total of 30 hours and 30 minutes – on Instagram.
It’s a popular misconception that the VSOE travels between London and mainland Europe. In reality its sister train, the equally plush and storied Belmond British Pullman, covers the English leg. After enjoying a three-course lunch on board the Pullman while travelling through the countryside to the coast, you disembark at Folkestone (met with terrific fanfare by a brass band playing on the platform) and are transferred by coach onto another train, Le Shuttle, that passes through the Eurotunnel under the sea into France. Only then do you board the VSOE, at Calais.
Passengers are welcomed aboard the gleaming navy train by their own personal steward in blue and gold livery who’ll take care of them for the entire trip. The steward leads us to our art deco cabin where our luggage is waiting. There is a choice of cabins and we’ve opted for a Twin (from £3,255, or US$4,270, per person) which comes with bunk beds though during the day there’s no sign of the sleeping arrangements. Instead there’s a luxuriously upholstered banquette seat – perfect for taking in the view through the large window.
Kate Moss booked a Cabin Suite (from £5,208 per person) which is two interconnecting twin cabins and with the option of two single beds or bunk beds plus a bit more room in the daytime. In both types of cabin, luggage space is at a premium so it’s overnight bags only while the rest of your cases are stored for the journey. In true 1920s fashion, there’s a wash basin concealed in a smart wooden cabinet but no shower and the lavatories are at the end of each carriage. For an en suite bathroom you’ll need to book a Grand Suite (from £7,350 per person).
Although often mistaken for the Orient Express, the train service synonymous with Agatha Christie that ran between Paris and Istanbul, the VSOE is actually a collection of vintage carriages. They were found abandoned in railway sidings and people’s gardens and bought by businessman James Sherwood (who launched a luxury travel group, previously called Orient-Express now renamed Belmond, on the back of it). Each carriage has been exquisitely restored, all polished wood and richly coloured upholstery.