May - June 2010
(PDF, complete/longer versions of stories)
ELITE TRAVELER, May/June: India Express
Traveling in India is now far more enticing with the launch of the country's first luxury train to cross state lines, the Maharajas' Express. Guests stay in well-appointed cabins named after gemstones like pukhraj (yellow sapphire) with a butler at-hand serving chilled champagne or opt for the Presidential Suite ($2500 per person per day). Evenings are spent in the two restaurants, where dress is formal and the food is excellent. On the Delhi to Calcutta trip (Mumbai to Delhi is also an option), we saw tigers at the Bandhavgarh National Park, temples in Gaya and the incredible Ganges in Varanasi. Guests have access to exemplary tour guides from Cox & Kings who started in India in 1758 and specialize in insider travel.
Town&Country, June 2010: Maharajas’ Express, The Raj by Rail, India
Exploring the subcontinent can be a daunting task even for seasoned travelers, but the new Maharajas' Express takes the hassle out of interstate touring in India. Mixing the refinement of the Raj era with a host of contemporary conveniences (LCD televisions, private baths), the train puts everything on wheels, engineering a ride that's ultra comfortable and rich in cinematic allusion. Choosing from seven- or eight-day itineraries that focus on royal palaces and gardens in western India or the spiritual centers the east, passengers can spend days off the rails on custom adventures, such as a sunrise cruise on the Ganges, and evenings aboard the moving equivalent of a plush hotel. Just outside their spacious cabins, they can dine in one of two restaurants, then have a nightcap in the club carriage, with game tables and granite-topped bar — all the while watching the lights of the tort towns roll by.
VIRTUOSO LIFE, May/June 2010: On Track Section
Over on the subcontinent, Cox & Kings offers departures on India's first luxe cross-country train, the newly built 88-passenger Maharajas' Express. Thirteen- and fifteen-day trips between Mumbai and Delhi in the west and Delhi and Kolkata in the east include tiger safaris, elephant polo matches, and visits to Udaipur palaces and the Taj Mahal. In-depth tours of Mumbai, Delhi or Calcutta, depending on departure, bookend the seven days of rail travel. Departures: Multiple dates October 20, 2010, through January 3, 2011; from $7945, including all meals and most drinks and excursions.
VOGUE LIVING/Australia: May/June 2010, Royal Tour
The Maharajas' Express evokes the splendour of travelling India in regal style. India's first Pan-India train offers journeys between Mumbai and Delhi, and Delhi and Kolkata, capturing the enticing colour and excitement of this great continent. Exciting trips straddle state borders and offer distinctive itineraries: "Royal India" is a week-long epic including a champagne lunch overlooking the Taj Mahal, a tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park, and elephant polo matches in Jaipur.
ARareWorld., May 2010: Maharajas’ Express
In India, we hopped aboard one of the inaugural journeys of the Maharajas’ Express. Having just begun departures in mid-March, this new train line brings unprecedented luxury and a “cruise on wheels” experience to a nice mix of India’s most favored destinations with a few diversions unto the road less traveled.
For many, a trip to India is more of an “experience” than a holiday. If you haven’t been yet, perhaps you’re too scared after hearing a friend recount an emotional and trying yet life changing trip where they spent the majority of their time sitting in the back of a car with a stomachache while the driver dodged livestock, children, and the occasional dead body. Though the fact of the matter remains that this densely populated country is just as densely packed with real world experiences, there is now a new way to make the trek which will have you wondering what your friend was fussing about. (…continue, read the complete/longer version of this story)
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Sunday, May 9th 2010
India's Maharajas' Express: All aboard for a train vacation that takes the stress out of sightseeing
– By Mark Ellwood
Train travel through India can be luxurious when taking the 'hotel on wheels' known as the Maharajas' Express. There's a brand-new train running on India's commuter railway, but it's a little more lavish than the LIRR or New Jersey Transit.
The Maharajas' Express has two restaurants — decked out in vibrant, gorgeous colors, like the swankiest Indian restaurant — as well as two bar cars and staffers with five-star service skills. There are also deluxe cabins, complete with private bathrooms and showers, since this train runs overnight. In fact, travelers step on board for seven days for a journey through the Indian countryside that's much like a cruise with wheels. (Read complete/longer versions of stories)
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