Blue Train Review
We’re going to flip the lid and give you a review of the Blue Train sharing the luxury of the journey and the few improvements that could be made to truly make it the most luxurious train journey in the world. We had a great time onboard The Blue Train and it was a once in a lifetime experience that we’re so happy to have experienced, especially as Simon loves trains but we want to give you a real review of everything.
Blue Train Route
South Africa’s railway network has seen better days but that doesn’t stop the Blue Train offering a range of luxury train routes to see South Africa. Its original heritage dates to the early 1900s when it offered a direct service between Cape Town and the diamond fields and mines of South Africa providing a quick way to get in land from the ports. However, it now offers routes between Cape Town, Pretoria, Victoria Falls, Port Elizabeth and Kruger National Park. The availability of these routes isn’t dictated by how many spaces are available but more by whether the track is still in place, if there are working signals along the route or if the power cables haven been stolen. We chose to do the most popular route travelling from Pretoria (Johannesburg) to Cape Town on an epic 3-day journey. Meaning we’d finish by the coast and then be able to enjoy the garden route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth
Hotel Accommodation – Blue Train
With your booking onboard the Blue Train a night’s hotel stay is included as part of the package, either the night before or on the day of arrival at your destination. Travelling from Ants Safari, a couple hours north of Pretoria we decided to stay the night before so we didn’t have to rush in the morning and could arrange our luggage for the journey. The cabins onboard have limited space so it’s an idea to keep to two bags onboard and the rest can be put in the luggage carriage.
Sheraton Hotel Pretoria
Our nights’ accommodation for the night before the Blue Train was hosted in The Shertaon Hotel in Pretoria, right next to Union Buildings and Gardens. Listed as a five star it felt a bit dated and dusty, but we were just grateful for somewhere safe to stay in Johannesburg as we were told not to leave the hotel for our own safety. The hotel has a grand entrance with a giant open lobby, our room was on the 7th floor which you need a room key to access with its own private lobby area.
Sheraton Pretoria Review
Everything at The Sheraton in Pretoria felt a bit unprofessional and not what you’d expect from a 5 star in a capital city, the porter got lost and didn’t know how to get to our room and things being broken, dirty or repaired with Sellotape was the norm. Our room was reasonably spacious, and the bathroom was very nice, comfortable with air conditioning, but the décor once again felt dated and dirty. We however had a good night’s sleep, and as a stop over it did the job with a good breakfast.
Check In & Welcome Reception
The luxury and hospitality of the Blue Train begins before you get on board, a champagne and canape reception hosted in the Blue Train Lounge at your departure station. This sets the tone for your journey. High-quality refreshments, champagne, canapes, anything you want! Due to the lounge at Pretoria Station being refurbished our welcoming reception was held at the Sheraton Hotel. This is also where the check in happens, you drop your bags off and they’ll take care of the rest, putting the luggage you want in your cabin onboard the train and any extras in the luggage car. The welcoming reception had some lovely food available; we used this time just to relax and think about all the little treats we had coming up on our adventure.
Boarding
A coach arrived to whisk us off to Pretoria station where the Blue Train was waiting to begin our 3-day adventure heading from the administrative capital of Pretoria to Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa. Pretoria station isn’t anything like a European railway station with only a few trains a day, staff lined the entrances and we quickly made our way to the red carpet and flowers adorning the entrance to the Blue Train.
Blue Train Interior
Walking along the interior of the train your first impressions are those of elegance, gleaming wood panelling and gold trimmings; somewhat of a palace on wheels. We were in Suite 12 towards the front of the train which took us through the lounge and dining car which we’ll tell you more about later. Like any classic train the cabins were to one side, with individual doors. While a long corridor was along the other with the large windows, they gave us an epic view of the scenery on the way.
Personal Butler
The service onboard the Blue Train is its key selling point and the butler is the one that makes this all happen. He welcomed us into our cabin and explained that any single request we had, he would be available at any time to help. We’ve never had a personal butler, and it made us feel very privileged to be able to enjoy this experience. He was on hand whether we wanted a drink, snack, or just a bit of help with anything. All the features of our cabin were explained and the itinerary for the day was explained.
Blue Train Suite
Walking into our suite onboard the Blue Train we felt like royalty. The opulence and design which neatly put everything into a small space but so beautifully was designed perfectly. Following the same theming as the rest of the train polished panelling, golden metallic trims and a classical royal design completed our accommodation. Suite 12 featured a double bed and a bath but was set to daytime mode when we arrived, so the double bed was neatly tucked away into the wall with a comfortable sofa in its place and a table and chair by the window side.
Luxury Train Accommodation
In one corner was an inbuilt cupboard with a smart tv, next to the entrance to our own private bathroom. The Suite had lots of drawers and spaces to put everything, bedside lights, a phone to call our butler and a great view out of the window which we’d spend hours just gazing out of watching the world go by. On the table our welcome pack included the history of the Blue Train along with a bottle of champagne on ice.
The only curiosity which threw us was that to turn the temperature down you had to turn the temperature up on the air con control, it was the odd small feature like this and little oversights that you noticed during the journey. Overall, the experience completely outweighs these and is a luxurious experience but don’t expect complete perfection.
Blue Train Bathroom
Train toilets have a reputation of being place you usually want to avoid but the Blue Train Bathroom was a luxuriously designed bathroom suite with a full-size sink, toilet, bathtub and heated floor and of course completed with tiled floors and walls. Enough hot water was onboard to have a piping hot bath, and this was topped up throughout the trip.
Blue Train Facilities
A whole hotel is packed onto the Blue Train with everything you’ll need to relax, eat, drink, sleep and explore. Everyone has access to all the facilities on the Blue Train, but with a maximum of around 50 guests there is plenty of space so nowhere feels cramped or busy.
Lounge Car
The Lounge Car is your bar and go to for a refreshing drink day or night, and of course it’s all included. The barman made us some beautiful mocktails and ice coffees during the trip and could put anything together. High tea is also served at around 3pm in the Lounge Car featuring cakes, fruits, finger sandwiches and a buffet of meats and cheeses. The one thing you won’t be on the Blue Train is hungry.
Dining Car
Full dinner service is served during two seatings in the Dining Car every night. Formal wear is a must and the service is impeccable. Your own waiter will be with you explain all the courses along with a great selection of wines to match. Some of the menu options won’t be exactly as advertised due to seasonal variations but the food is of a Michelin standard and presentation is spot on. One of our favourite treats was the cheesecake for dessert, probably the best we’ve ever had.
Observation Car
My favourite place to visit on the train was right at the back where watching the world go by is the sole purpose of that car. The observation car was another relaxation lounge with large sofas, seats and tables. Whether you wanted to chat with friends or enjoy a snack while looking out of the window this was the go-to car. At the rear of the Observation Car are floor to ceiling windows giving you a completely panoramic full view of the world. We loved just sitting here, talking to other guests and watching the tracks fade off into the distance.
Club Car
For the smokers onboard the Club Car offers the same bar facilities as the Lounge Car but with the added benefit of being able to enjoy a cigarette or cigar. We never visited the car and don’t think it was particularly busy throughout the trip but was perfect for an evening cigar.
