This weekend, Lu and I travelled down to Victoria station to take a very special train – the British Belmond Pullman train – for a round trip around the Kent countryside whilst enjoying a luxurious afternoon tea!
Belmond are known for their hyper luxurious experiences so I was very much looking forward to what promised to be an exceptional few hours!
Our amazing journey began at the station as we made our way to the Belmond entrance. There was a trio of singers outside serenading us with 20’s style songs as we checked in which was incredibly special. Seeing all the staff in special, old-school uniforms also added to the vibe that we were going back in time to a golden age of train travel.
Once on the train, I was blown away with the decor and attention to detail. We had booked in the Cygnet carriage, which is the one carriage on the train that was specially designed by renowned filmmaker Wes Anderson. The carriage was INSANE – the green and pink theme was on point!
The table itself also was beautiful and full of lovely details. Here are some close-up pics:
The train started pulling out of Victoria and we were off into the Kent countryside for a few hours of bliss! I loved that we got a map of exactly where we were going on our seats!
Once we were firmly on our way and we had taken in everything on the interior of the carriage, it was time to focus on the exterior! The countryside that we were gently steaming through was so pretty and quintessentially English. The green countryside complemented the green interior of the carriage perfectly so it was all incredibly aesthetic.
After some sightseeing, the stewards started to bring out the afternoon tea, which was just course after course of beautiful savoury pastries, sandwiches, scones, and sweet cakes and pastries.
AND the obligatory champagne and cocktails, obviously!
At some point during the trip, the singers who serenaded us on the platform came back and performed some songs for our carriage, which was really special.
After too short a time, the food and drinks had all been eaten and drunk, the songs had been sung and the countryside gave way back to London. We arrived back in Victoria very full, happy and with a newfound appreciation for the magic of train travel.
