The best Amtrak booking is the private bedroom with 2 beds, a couch, and full bathroom for $1,000. Here's a look inside.

• I spent a night in an Amtrak sleeper car's private bedroom for $1,000 in October 2021.
• With unparalleled privacy and space, it's the most comfortable Amtrak accommodation I've booked yet.
• It made spending 30 hours on a train from Miami to New York City feel luxurious.

I've taken all sorts of Amtrak train rides in various classes. In 2021, I finally booked the top option.

On a trip from Miami to New York City, I booked Amtrak's bedroom accommodation in a sleeper car, which gave me my own moving hotel room for 30 hours.

Private rooms are available on sleeper cars for long-distance train rides , like my trip down the East Coast. At $1,000 for one overnight ride, it was easily the most expensive Amtrak ride I've ever booked. (According to a 2024 search for Amtrak bookings, prices range from about $800 to $1,000).

It was also the most comfortable, thanks to the privacy and space it provided. According to Amtrak's website, bedrooms are at least 45.5 square feet, which, for reference, is a little bigger than a standard king-size bed . They can sleep up to two adults, and mine offered ample space for me as a solo traveler .

After several Amtrak rides in various premium accommodations, I'm still thinking about the comfort the bedroom provides.

I've been on many Amtrak trains while traveling along the East Coast, where I live. I spent my childhood riding in coach. More recently, I traveled in business and first class on Amtrak Acela trains between Baltimore and New York City, which is about 2 1/2 hours each way.

Acela is an Amtrak express train on the East Coast with only business- and first-class seating . First- and business-class accommodations offer larger seats than coach, and first class comes with perks like in-seat service.

Before spending the night in a bedroom from Miami to New York City, I spent 30 hours on an Amtrak train traveling from New York City to Miami a roomette.

Unlike a seat among other passengers, a roomette is a private space with a door and blinds to cover up the windows. These are for long-haul train rides that travel through the night and cost about $500.

The bedroom accommodation is a step up from a roomette on long-distance Amtrak trains. It offers even more space, as well as a private bathroom.

The furniture in the bedroom folds up and down for various configurations, including a workday setup.

After so many cramped seating arrangements on previous Amtrak rides, the bedroom was a luxury. It was nice to have a big couch where I could stretch out my legs and put my feet up. That same couch transforms into a bed in the evenings.

There was an additional chair on the left, too, which you can fold up and stow away if it's not needed.

The bedroom also had a table that pulled out from the wall between two of the three seats, which made working from the rails more efficient.

A small closet with three hangers keeps clothing looking sharp.

A closet! I usually love unpacking upon arrival in my accommodations. The more I unpack while traveling, the more at home I feel.

This trip, I didn't use the closet, but it would have come in handy for storing jackets if I were traveling at a cooler time of the year.

Having storage spaces around the room made it easier to keep it tidy, which is essential in maintaining order in a tiny space.

The room features a sink, a vanity, and small towels for freshening up.

The bedroom comes with a three-panel vanity mirror, a sink, and towels, making a quick face wash or tooth brushing convenient. I joked that the setup was nicer than my bathroom at home.

I brushed my teeth and washed my face before bed and again the next morning, just like I would on any regular day at home. Feeling clean makes me more comfortable while traveling.

While I try to pack light, I always make room for my electric toothbrush, so having an outlet next to the mirror was great for keeping it charged.

To the right of the mirror, there's a cabinet where I stored my toiletries and other personal items.

This cabinet allowed me to unpack the way I would in a hotel room and easily see my items as needed. The cabinet snapped shut, so everything stayed in place as the train moved.

The roomette from my previous train ride included access to a shared bathroom in the sleeper car, leaving no room to unpack like this. It felt like an upgraded — and very welcome — amenity.

There were fluffy towels stocked in the room, too, as if I were in a hotel, not on a train.

The private bathroom has a door, a shower, and a toilet. In other booking classes, riders share a bathroom in their train car.

Having my own bathroom was a game changer for me as a train traveler. It allowed me to unpack and made me feel like I was being exposed to fewer germs. Plus, I never had to wait for my turn. I couldn't find a downside to a private bathroom for 30 hours of travel.

On the bathroom door were hooks to hold towels and clothing items. On a shelf above the toilet were two towels for showering. Then, of course, there was my sink with vanity mirrors in the room.

This was traveling as it should be.

Being able to control the temperature inside the room is a nice touch — and a luxury you don't get in business or first class.

Other bedroom features were a button to call an attendant for anything you may need and handy controls for the lights. There was a night setting and reading lamps in addition to the overhead light.

A dial controlled the volume of the speaker where an attendant would make announcements about where the train was stopping.

I could also control the temperature in my room, like I had in the roomette on a previous trip. For a 30-hour journey, picking my ideal temperature made me feel so much more comfortable. Dealing with sweat or shivers would have made the trip feel much longer.

At about 8 p.m., an attendant came to my room to transform the sofa into a bed.

In the evenings, Amtrak offers turndown service. An attendant will come to your room and set up your bed.

When the attendant came into my room about 8 p.m., they asked me whether I wanted to sleep on the top or bottom bunk. Since I tried the top bunk in the roomette, I went with the bottom bunk on this trip.

My first thought when I entered the room again was that the bed looked bigger than the one I slept in on my way to Miami in a roomette .

The bed and sheets were surprisingly soft, and I was happy to have more room to spread out as I slept.

Since there are outlets next to the sink, I propped up my phone to watch TV from bed, just like home.

The outlet I used for my electric toothbrush came in handy once again when I was ready for bed. I plugged in my phone to charge, propped it up on the vanity, and watched my favorite TV shows.

Watching my go-to shows relaxed me before I fell asleep.

Another key feature was the air vent above the bed. I prefer to keep the room cool for sleeping, so I pointed the air vent toward my face as I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up the next morning about 8 a.m. in North Carolina to the sun beaming through my window.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt much more rested than I ever had on a train. I believe it was thanks to the bigger, more comfortable bed — and my privacy.

The bottom bunk felt less bumpy than my previous ride on the top bunk, so I recommend opting for the bottom bunk on overnight trips.

When I head to another destination that requires an overnight Amtrak journey, I'll definitely splurge for the bedroom booking. The privacy, space, and better sleep is so worth it.

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