Malaysia · A private journey

From the Rails to the Sea

A Colonial-Era Rail Journey, Then an Island Retreat.

Singapore  ·  Malaysia  ·  Indonesia

Enquire See the journey
A welcome performance beside the Eastern and Oriental Express

The Journey

The Essence of the Journey

From Singapore into the green heart of Malaysia aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express, then across the strait to the quiet shores of Bintan. Rail travel at its most storied, followed by an island where the days slow to the rhythm of the sea.

  • Singapore

    The Grandeur of Singapore

    Layered cultures, striking architecture and verdant gardens, before the journey by rail begins.

  • On board

    The Romance of the Rails

    Elegant cabins, refined dining and ever-changing Malaysian landscapes aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express.

  • Malaysia

    Malaysia, Beyond the Rails

    Heritage towns, cultural excursions and remarkable landscapes, shaped by your chosen departure.

  • The Singapore Strait

    Across the Water

    Back in Singapore, a short sea crossing carries you to Bintan and a slower island rhythm.

  • Bintan

    The Island Uncovered

    Mangrove waterways, coastal landscapes and Malay heritage, explored beyond the resort.

  • Bintan

    The Art of Island Seclusion

    Attentive hospitality, restorative mornings and unhurried days by the sea.

Why Hayah Reserve

Why choose a Hayah Reserve journey?

  • Planned around you

    Every journey is built from scratch, around how you like to travel, eat and rest.

  • Handled end to end

    Flights, transfers, guides and timings, arranged so the days run without friction.

  • Quiet access

    Private visits and experiences that are hard to arrange alone, often before the crowds arrive.

  • Chosen with care

    Hotels, lodges and villas we know well, picked for character rather than star ratings.

The Journey

Singapore

Before the train

The Lion City

Singapore

You are met on arrival and settled into the city before the journey begins. Singapore blends Chinese, Malay and Indian traditions in a few square kilometres: the shophouses of Peranakan Katong, the supertrees of Gardens by the Bay, and a Singapore Sling at the Long Bar if the mood takes you. Your afternoon is yours until it is time for the train.

Private transfer to Woodlands Train Checkpoint · about 30 minutes

Day 1: All Aboard

Singapore to Johor

The Eastern & Oriental Express departs

The lounge car of the Eastern and Oriental Express

Your steward welcomes you aboard and shows you to your private cabin. The train pulls out of Woodlands in the afternoon and crosses the Johor Causeway into Malaysia. Take afternoon tea, wander to the open-air observation car as the plantations slide past, and dress for dinner in the dining car. By night your cabin is turned into a bedroom as the train runs north.

Overnight on board, north along Malaysia's west coast

Day 2: Alor Setar

Pulau Payar Marine Park

Rice paddies and coral

The coast near Langkawi

Breakfast is served as the train rolls through rice paddies and quiet villages in the far north-west. Around midday you step off at Alor Setar and take a short boat to Pulau Payar Marine Park, off Langkawi, for snorkelling over reefs full of parrotfish and angelfish. Back on board there is time to relax before the train departs in the evening, with dinner served as you head south to Penang.

Evening departure, overnight to Butterworth

Day 3: Penang

George Town

A UNESCO heritage island

A Peranakan shophouse in George Town, Penang

From Butterworth you cross to Penang Island and choose from a set of guided excursions in George Town. Walk the heritage lanes and street art, visit a clan house or Peranakan mansion, and taste the hawker food Penang is famous for. You rejoin the train for lunch before it departs in the early afternoon.

South through the afternoon and night, passing Kuala Lumpur after midnight

Day 4: Homeward

Johor to Singapore

Breakfast through Johor

A window table in the dining car

Linger over a last breakfast in the dining car as the train crosses Johor, with its beaches and rainforest. By mid-morning you cross the Causeway and arrive back at Woodlands, where you say goodbye to your steward and step off.

Private transfer to the ferry terminal, then the ferry to Bintan · about 1 hour crossing

Bintan

Indonesia

The island finale

Bintan

A short ferry from Singapore lands you on Bintan's north coast, where the pace drops at once. Spend the days on a quiet beach, in a spa, or out among the mangroves by boat, and finish each evening with a long dinner by the sea. After the train, this is where you do nothing at all.

Ferry back to Singapore, then private transfer to Changi · about 1 hour crossing

Departure

Singapore, and the flight home

We time the ferry and the airport transfer around your flight, with your luggage handled throughout, so you leave Singapore unhurried.

Along the Way

Aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express, and the stops in between.

  • Breakfast served at a window table on the train On board Breakfast with the countryside

    A leisurely breakfast in the dining car, with rice paddies and rural villages passing the window.

  • A set dinner table in the dining car On board Dinner in the dining car

    Multi-course dinners in the Malaya and Adisorn cars, with menus by culinary curator André Chiang.

  • The open-sided observation car On board The Observation Car

    A panelled lounge at the rear of the train, open to the air, for watching Malaysia unfold behind you.

  • A treatment room in the Dior Spa carriage On board Dior Spa carriage

    A private treatment room on the rails, the first Dior Spa in Southeast Asia.

  • Carved and gilded heritage interior in George Town Penang George Town, your way

    A choice of excursions in the old town, from a tuk-tuk tour to an artist’s studio or a cooking class.

  • Fresh produce at a Penang market Penang Market and street food

    Walk the local market and taste Penang’s street food, one of the great food cities of Asia.

A few of many. We place them where they suit your journey. Tell us what you love.

Raffles Hotel Singapore

Singapore

Raffles Hotel Singapore

Opened in 1887 and carefully restored in 2019, Raffles is an all-suite hotel on Beach Road, behind the white colonial facade that has stood for more than a century. Every suite is looked after by its own butler.

We choose it for the night before the train. The Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling was first poured, is downstairs, the courtyards are quiet by evening, and Woodlands is about 30 minutes by car when it is time to board.

Why we like it

  • All suites, with butler service throughout
  • The Long Bar and the Writers Bar under one roof
  • A short drive to the train at Woodlands
The Eastern and Oriental Express

On board

Eastern & Oriental Express

Three nights on Belmond’s restored train, running from Singapore up Malaysia’s west coast and back. Your cabin is private, with its own bathroom, and is made up as a bedroom each night while you dine.

The train is the stay. Days pass between the dining car, the bar car and the open-air observation car at the rear, with your steward on hand from the moment you board at Woodlands to the moment you step off.

Why we like it

  • A private cabin with its own bathroom, turned down each night
  • Menus by chef André Chiang in the dining car
  • The open-air observation car as the countryside slides past
The Sanchaya, Bintan

Bintan

The Sanchaya

A small estate of villas and suites on Bintan’s north coast, built in a colonial style around lawns, tropical gardens and its own stretch of private beach on Lagoi Bay.

We end the journey here on purpose. After the train, the pace drops at once: a villa with its own pool, long afternoons by the sea, and dinner on the terrace as the light goes. Singapore is about an hour back by ferry.

Why we like it

  • Villas with private pools, set in quiet gardens
  • A private beach on Lagoi Bay
  • An hour by ferry from Singapore

Our Curated Selection

The Investment & Inclusions

A Note on Design & Tariff: Expeditions of this scale are custom-priced based on your seasonal travel window and private party requirements.

    • Private transfers with airport meet & greet

    • Hotels with daily breakfast

    • Private experiences along the route

    • Round the clock support, before & during your journey

    • International flights and visas

The Long Way Through Japan

Begin the conversation

Tell us a little about your plans. We will shape the journey, and its length, around you.

  1. i.We reply personally within 24 hours.
  2. ii.A private call to understand how you like to travel.
  3. iii.A proposal with route, stays, timing and length.

Prefer to talk now? WhatsApp us
or write to hello@hayahreserve.com

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