Asia Concierge - Cruises

The cruise division of Asia Concierge features a range of luxury cruises in South East Asia and Australia, and provides a a personalised booking and information concierge service.

Australia Cruises

  • Whitsunday Island sailing: Barefoot Cruises
    The Whitsunday Islands are one of the most beautiful sailing and cruising destinations in the world - the scenery is spectacular and the marine life is teeming with vivid colours and magnificent corals waiting to be explored. Whatever your sailing preference - be it the slap of sail and creak of timber of a classic tall ship, or the pleasure of luxury cruising - Barefoot Cruises have a vessel for you for private charter.
    More information on Barefoot Cruises

South East Asia Cruises

Road To Mandalay Cruises along the Ayeyarwady River -
a voyage of a lifetime ...
Few places on earth remain untouched in their natural beauty and charm from one century to the next, but the ancient land of Burma, now known as Myanmar, is an exception to the rule. With the comfort and personality for which Orient-Express is famous, a journey along the Ayeyarwady River on the Road To Mandalay provides a comfortable vantage point from which to admire this fascinating, unspoilt country's treasures, long hidden from the world’s gaze - absorb the surrounding serene beauty of golden-spired pagodas, ancient temples, sleepy riverside settlements and saffron-clad monks.

The Road to Mandalay offers the following cruises : -

Premier Cruise :

  • Mandalay-Bhamo-Bagan Cruise (12 days/11 nights)

Week Cruises :

Short Cruises :

Following the effects of Cyclone Nargis, the Road To Mandalay river cruise service will be suspended for the 2008/2009 season, during which time the vessel will be repaired and substantially reconditioned in Myanmar. The boat will return to service in the summer of 2009 at the start of the 2009/2010 season.

Myanmar and the Ayeyarwady River location :
Stretching for over 1,930 kms, from the North Himalayan region to the south tip of the Tenasserim region faceing the Andaman Sea, Myanmar borders India and Bangladesh to the North West and West, China and Laos to the North East, and Thailand to the East and South East. The Ayeyarwady River (also known as the Irrawaddy River) runs the length of the country, flowing over 2,000 kms. from the Kachin Hills in the north to the Andaman Sea.

Road To Mandalay - ship information :
With its inaugural voyage in January 1996 the Road To Mandalay marked a new venture for the famed Orient-Express. The ship itself originally began life as a Rhine cruiser in Germany and made her maiden voyage on 6 July 1964. Originally built to a very high standard for its day, and following a period as a floating hotel in Dresden, the ship was purchased by Orient-Express Hotels, Trains & Cruises in 1994.
The ship then underwent a major refurbishment programme at Lauenberg/Hamburg at a cost of US$6 million. This mostly consisted of reducing the number of cabins from 98 to 72, and installing decorations that blend contemporary with traditional Burmese designs, plus a state-of-the-art sewage system to preserve the purity of the Ayeyarwady River.

Road To Mandalay deck lounge

Once the refurbishment was completed, the ship was transported, courtesy of a specialist transporting ship, via the English Channel and the Suez Canal to Myanmar, arriving towards the end of 1995. The Road To Mandalay was unloaded in Yangon and, after attracting a great deal of local interest, sailed up the Ayeyarwady River to Mandalay. Once in Mandalay, local craftsmen added final decoration and fittings, including locally woven furniture for the Observation Lounge and carvings for the Restaurant. Local antiques were also sought and carefully chosen to provide a true Burmese atmosphere on board.

The inaugural cruise departed Mandalay on 31 January 1996 and arrived in Bagan on 5 February 1996; guests included HRH Princess Michael of Kent, HRH Prince Michael of Greece and HRH Princess Marina of Greece, and actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Today the Road To Mandalay continues to ply the waters of the Ayeyarwady River, giving passengers the opportunity to see this fascinating and ancient land while travelling in traditional comfort.

Road To Mandalay ship exterior

Contact Cruise Concierge for further assistance.

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