The Orient Express reveals its luxurious first-ever yachts
The 54 all-suite Orient Express Corinthian, the world’s largest sailing yacht, will sail the high-seas in the summer of 2026
As luxury travel brands go, the Orient Express has been remarkable for its savvy ability to unveil one unique experience after the other, invariably cornering the high ground, sometimes literally, with a luxuriously grand fleet of trains and hotels. And now, the high seas are firmly in the cross-hairs, the marque recently announcing the debut of the first of two yachts.
Scheduled to set sail through the Adriatic, Mediterranean and the Caribbean in the summer of 2026, the Orient Express Corinthian will be – for now, anyway – the world’s largest sailing yacht, clocking in at 220m from bow to stern. Crowned by three 100m-high masts which can unfurl 4,500 sqm of sails, the vessel, propelled solely by wind, can reach speeds of 17 knots, though a high-tech LNG-powered engine is reassuringly on hand.
On every metric, the 54 all-suite yacht is an object of beauty, its super structure conceived at the Nantes-based shipyard, Chantiers de L’Atlantique, and its Grecian-luxe interiors by Maxime d’Angeac, the architect and artistic director of Orient Express. ‘Drawing inspiration from the golden age of luxury cruises, the Corinthian reinvents movement and comfort on the water,’ says Sébastien Bazin, Group Chairman & CEO of Orient Express’s owner, Accor.
Not that guests will be spend too much time holed up in their suites. Not when the Corinthian lays out five restaurants, eight bars, a cabaret, cinema, spa and - just in case you’re moved by all that fresh sea air to exercise your vocal chords - an actual recording studio. All this alongside an almost 17m lap pool.
Swathed in a palate of creamy accents, timber veneer wall panels, slender Ionic columns, Greek key patterns and Art Deco wardrobes, the suites are framed by deeply-set bay windows, with bathrooms edged with rich red-veined marble.
By any yardstick, these are usually busy times for Orient Express as the brand preps for the unveiling of two hotels - one in Rome by the end of the year, and another in Venice next year - as well as the launch of another train, La Dolce Vita Orient Express, which will journey through Italy.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Agnès Varda, Luca Guadagnino and Wim Wenders: why Aesop’s love affair with cinema is more than skin-deep
Aesop’s new 2024 Christmas campaign celebrates its long love affair with cinema. Laura Havlin speaks with the brand’s head of global store design Marianne Lardilleux to discover why film is inherent to its DNA
By Laura Havlin Published
-
First look: Honolulu's Victoria Place at Ward Village reveals interiors
Victoria Place in Honolulu's Ward Village is a new residential tower that blends cosmopolitan living with Hawaii life and nature
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Type Archived’: a must-have manual for hot metal enthusiasts and linotype lovers
A new book provides a stunning visual tour of traditional typefounding and offers a definitive account of London's legendary Type Archive
By Anne Soward Published