For a luxury rail holiday, South Africa is a world-beating destination. South Africa has some of the world’s most fascinating and dramatic rail journeys, such as Rovos Rail’s Pride of Africa, the Shongolo Express and perhaps the most iconic and luxurious of them all the Blue Train. Get aboard the Blue Train as it plies the lusciously beautiful South African hinterland between the administrative capital, Pretoria and the unofficial holiday capital; Cape Town.
Start your journey in Cape Town, a vibrant cosmopolitan city at the southern tip of the continent, surrounded by a sightseer’s utopia of spectacular mountains, sparkling surf beaches and lush vineyards. Overlooked by the brooding bulk of Table Mountain, itself a hikers’ paradise, Cape Town is a city brimming with history, culture and lifestyle attractions making it a relaxed and welcoming departure point on your luxury rail journey.
The Blue Train is globally recognised for its luxury and elegance, cosseting soft-adventure travellers in utmost comfort as it makes the 1600km journey through the heart of South Africa. You’ll be pampered with full butler service to attend your every whim, treated to a formal high tea and elegant gourmet dinner with unlimited premium wines (dress to impress!) before retiring to your sumptuous suite for a nightcap, and perhaps a soak in the ensuite bath. Sure beats the 7.15 from Parramatta.
Your journey will take around 27 hours and, and on the trip you’ll enjoy a stopover and excursion to a private game reserve where you’ll get up close and not too personal with semi-wild cheetahs. You’ll be watching South Africa’s fascinating landscape unfold as you sit in air-conditioned comfort sipping a cocktail delivered by your personal butler, and naturally, the supply of DVDs will keep you entertained well into the night.
All too soon, your indulgent journey will come to an end and the jacaranda-lined streets of Pretoria will await your exploration. A fascinating and historic westernised city, Pretoria has much in common with Canberra with its swag of embassies and bureaucracies lining the streets. Although the nightlife leaves a little to be desired there are many museums, galleries, gardens and monuments to explore.
Blue Train fun facts
For the guests' comfort, each suite on the Blue Train has individual temperature controls ranging from 18 to 24°C
Pretoria is also known as Tshwane
Cape Town is South Africa’s most popular tourist destination
Magical Mauritius
Tuesday 1st June 2010
Travel Counsellor: Jake Bartlett
In June 2010 I travelled to the island of Mauritius as part of an educational trip. Mauritius, if you are exploring for the first time, is an idyllic island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Africa.
During my 5 night stay I inspected around 10 hotels and resorts around the island ranging from a 3 star in an intimate boutique setting to the very luxurious 5 star with beachfront access, private plunge pools and 24 hour butler service. While I won’t go into all the details of the resorts here, if you wish to discuss the best option for your trip, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Being a small island, it is easy to travel from east to west in around an hour so distance is definitely not an issue. A hire car is definitely recommended if you wish to get out and explore as many of the hotels and resorts are remotely located. It is easy to base yourself in one location or perhaps sample a couple of resorts on different sides of the island as I did on this trip. For optimal... view full story
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