Following a four-year hiatus brought about by a combination of Covid-19 and an operations reset, the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train was back on the tracks in February 2024, gently wending its way once again between Singapore and the dappled green interiors of Malaysia and Thailand.
Dior Spa on the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train
Featuring 16 art deco-inspired carriages, eight of which are sleeper cars, the train’s offerings have been gently tweaked on at least two fronts. The first is the tapping of chef Andre Chiang, who’s taken to his new role as a culinary curator with gusto, serving up laksa bouillabaisse and spiced cacao ganache. The second is the transformation of the saloon car into the Dior Spa, which follows the French marque’s temporary residency on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, and its first permanent residence on another sister train, Royal Scotsman, in 2023.
The partnership is something of a no-brainer, with both Belmond and Dior betting that the union of two premier luxury brands will provide a very natural counterpoint to the train’s unapologetically romantic trail through the rarely travelled hinterland of the Malaysian Peninsula. Located between the Piano Bar and the restaurants at the front of the train, the spa is a delight; Belmond’s design team dressed the relaxation salon and twin treatment rooms with dark-stained tropical timber, and green and beige carpets embedded with rose emblems, alongside Dior’s signature cane work and swathes of Toile de Jouy print.
For indecisive passengers, the spa menu consists of five treatments, each blending traditional Asian techniques with Dior’s Prestige skincare line and Professional products. If the Kobi-Dior Facial Treatment, which incorporates Japanese Kobido massage techniques, doesn’t please, then perhaps the D-Jungle, a deeply relaxing head-to-toe stretch and facial, just might do the trick.
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