15th July 2011 – Orient-Express prides itself on offering the best possible experience and service to all its guests – least not their pint sized ones. As such, they have created a series of authentic experiences, from kite making to ice-cream making, around the world that are designed to enhance children’s holidays and give parents some much needed R and R.

Brand new at Villa San Michele this summer, is the dedicated children’s programme designed to immerse younger guests in the rich culture of Florence. Treasure hunts in some of Florence most famous museums, visits to chocolate workshops, and ice-cream making classes at the world famous Vivoli ice-cream factory are sure to keep little ones enthralled (and might just tempt their parents too!). The renowned cookery school at the hotel is also offering kids a chance to develop their culinary interests with special classes with the hotel’s chef, Attilio, who will go through the basics of Italian cuisine and pasta making. Also available are exclusive private cooking lessons for the whole family to enjoy together and picnics in the ‘enchanted’ forest above the hotel’s pool, with special Tuscan wine and cheese for the parents and savory flatbreads for kids.

Orient-Express’ luxury resort in the heart of Ubud, Bali, Ubud Hanging Gardens has introduced a novel way for kids to experience the culture of Bali first hand with kite making classes conducted with local Balinese children. Using a few strips of shaved bamboo, a piece of paper, and a length of string, young guests can create their own handmade masterpieces and take to the skies with their new creations, perfecting the favourite pastime for both children and adults alike. Classes are offered on a complimentary basis.

Hotel Cipriani in Venice endeavours to make every one of its guests, young or old, feel special. The Smile Club, a complimentary service that offers an exciting space for kids from four to 12 to play and experience Italian culture, does just this. Tiny ones will have the opportunity to learn traditional Venetian arts and craft, including making Venetian Masks, and will be taught how to create Venetian necklaces and purses. Hotel Cipriani’s resident chef will be holding pizza making master classes and trips to the spa for mini manicures can also be arranged. Along with a specific Kids Menu on offer through Room Service and at the hotel’s restaurants, mini tourists will be offered a range of fun activities to keep them busy, including ping pong, foosball, and Nintendo Wii competitions.

At the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, teenagers and even little ones are spoilt for choice at the hotels’ award winning Librisa Spa. For a solution to either pre or post exam stress and tension, the spa offers the Sodashi Pure-teen Refreshing Facial designed to cleanse, pamper, moisturise and revitalise as well as the Sodashi Sensitive Lux-teen Facial, a calming and reviving facial for teeny boppers with extra sensitive skin. Mini manicures and mini pedicures are available for mini princesses and for super excited kids, yoga classes can be arranged to calm and relax. Mount Nelson’s children’s club, The Nellie & Nelson Activity Centre, for children between the ages of 0 and 12 is open all year round and provides a fun range of organised activities from storytelling to group games and sports. There is also an enclosed outdoor play area for kids to work off their steam before milk and cookies at bedtime.

Located in the lush gardens of Reid’s Palace in Madeira, the newly built Fun @ Reid’s Kid’s Club is designed for children between three and nine years old, offering a personalised check-in and invitation to a welcome virgin cocktail, an exciting range of activities including face painting, sports, and trips to Funchal. The Kid’s Club also boasts its very own swimming pool and extended outdoor playground as well as a large indoor space for children to enjoy electronic games, DVD’s, and group activities. At the spa at Reid’s, The Nangfa Angel Bliss treatment for children, designed to improve a child’s quality of sleep and strengthen the immune system, truly completes the offering for little ones and can be booked in a double treatment room allowing children and parents to indulge themselves together. The Fun @ Reid’s Club is a complimentary service, open from 10am to 5pm and again from 6:30pm till 9:30pm, offering parents the option to enjoy a romantic evening or moonlit dinner alone.
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Orient-Express, (NYSE: OEH, www.orient-express.com) the name behind an elite collection of travel experiences, first came into being in 1883 as one of the world’s most exciting and indulgent train journeys. Today that evocative name also embraces hotels, cruises and other luxury rail adventures in 24 countries, across five continents. The Company has offered exceptional luxury travel experiences since 1976, when it first purchased Hotel Cipriani in Venice and then shortly afterwards, recreated the celebrated Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, linking London, Paris and Venice, along with other European cities. Today, the company owns or part-owns and manages 50 businesses, 41 of which are highly acclaimed hotels, each unique in style, from the Mount Nelson in Cape Town and Rio’s Copacabana Palace, to the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg and Maroma Resort & Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. There are six luxury tourist trains, two river cruise operations and ‘21’, one of New York’s most iconic restaurants.

For further information, please contact Sara Mirza or Emily Wilson at Orient-Express on 020 7921 4069 or sara.mirza@orient-express.com, Emily.wilson@orient-express.com