Houseboat
Good for: relaxation, houseboat kerala, homestay alleppey, alleppey stay, budget houseboat
Not good for: long stays, Long Duration Stay
- Address
- DTPC Tourist Reception Centre Town Centre
- Website
- Phone
- tel, info: 0477 2253308
- Hours
- 08:30-18:00
Lonely Planet review for Houseboat
Renting a houseboat designed like a kettuvallam (rice barge) could be one of your most expensive experiences in India, but it's worth every darned rupee. Drifting through quiet canals lined with coconut palms, eating deliciously authentic Keralan food, meeting local villagers and sleeping on the water under a galaxy of stars - it's a world away from the clamour of India.
Houseboats cater for groups (up to eight bunks) or couples (one or two double bedrooms). Food (and an onboard chef to cook it) is generally included in the quoted cost. Houseboats can be chartered through the DTPC in Kollam or Alleppey, or a multitude of private operators.
This is the biggest business in Kerala and some operators are unscrupulous. The boats come in a range of qualities, from veritable rust buckets to floating palaces - try to lay eyes on the boat you'll be travelling in before agreeing on a price. Make sure that everything (eg food) has been included in your price.
Travel-agency reps will be pushing their boats as soon as you set foot in Kerala and most of the bad experiences we hear about are from people who booked their trip outside the backwater hub towns. Your choice is greater in Alleppey (350 boats and counting!), but it's also the more popular base and you're quite likely to get caught in something approaching backwater-gridlock there in high season.
It's possible to travel between Alleppey and Kollam, or Alleppey and Kochi, by houseboat over 24 hours but only on larger boats that have an inboard motor, which not only cost more but aren't as environmentally friendly. Those that are propelled by punting with two long bamboo poles obviously don't allow you to cover as much distance (no more than 15km in 24 hours, usually a round trip from Alleppey), but can be a wonderfully relaxing way to travel.
Prices are hugely variable. Expect a boat for two people for 24 hours to cost anything from Rs 3500. Shop around outside the high season to negotiate a bargain; in peak season you'll definitely pay more.
Pollution from houseboat motors is becoming a real problem as their numbers swell every season. The Keralan authorities have introduced an eco-friendly accreditation system for houseboat operators. Among the categories an operator must fulfil before being issued with the 'Green Palm Certificate' are the installation of solar panels and sanitary tanks for the disposal of waste, as well as trying to minimise the use of outboard motors. Although the system is still new, ask operators whether they have the requisite certification. There's been talk of running boats on cleaner natural gas, though we've yet to see this being implemented. Seriously consider choosing a punting, rather than motorised, boat.
Traveller reviews for Houseboat (7)
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Kerala Backwater Tourist Information & booking - 09895407909
ecohouseboat recommends this,
Kerala Eco travel Planet is the online backwater tourist information center for Kerala backwater travelers. Funky Houseboat, Standard, deluxe, Super luxuries houseboats classification, also shearing houseboat plans to. canoeing tour, village walk, Eco fiber village visit, Lake view village homestay, Bed & breakfast plan. www.alleppeylakehome.blogspot.com
Good for: houseboat kerala, homestay alleppey, alleppey stay, budget houseboat, backwater homestay
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Royal Suite Luxury Houseboat Experience with Iris Holidays
renata_luiz recommends this,
If you want to experience unspoilt backwaters of Kerala in a luxury houseboat, then I would suggest the Royal Suite Luxury Houseboat Experience with Iris Holidays ! The name of our houseboat was Royal Suite and it should be among the best luxury houseboats in Alleppey giving us a truly royal experience. It had a Jacuzzi with a fantastic backwater view and the bed is designed in such a way that when you sleep and lie down , you will see only backwaters. The window is placed in such a way that you can just lie down on a comfortable bed and see the scenes in the village life including canoes and ducks and fishermen from the bed.
We are a couple who planned a houseboat vacation in Alleppey for our wedding anniversary and the first challenge was to identify the best houseboat that would be the best from along the 1000+ houseboats in operation in Alleppey. We went with the only tour operator (Iris Holidays) who told us that they will give us the exact houseboat as they showed us in the pictures of the brochure and I was in love with the jacuzzi even before I reached alleppey :)
We reached Alleppey by 12 PM and the check in was smooth and fast and they served us tender coconut as well. The boat had 3 crewmen dressed in white shirt and black trousers all through out the trip who doubled as captain/steward/chef etc. The boat start ed at around noon and halts at a common docking place at around 5:30PM. The cruise is along the narrow canals opening to big wide streams studded with paddy fields/coconut groves along the sides. The bed in our houseboat was designed in such a way that , You can lie down in your bed and see the sprawling backwaters from your bedroom window which makes it a perfect holiday! 'The more , the merrier' is a perfect phrase for the house boat cruise in this luxury houseboat which can be called as the royal experience. I just lied down on the bed while my wife enjoyed in the Jacuzzi and the scenes from the backwater just paraded before us..
The houseboat was fully air conditioned for 24 hours and was fully covered with glass to ensure that we had complete privacy. There was also a covered sundeck which was air conditioned as well. We had a great lunch that included dished like vegetable salad, fried fish, tapioca , lobster (We bought this on the way and gave to chef)and fish curry , duck curry and steamed rice. Every item had less coconut oil as we had already instructed Iris Holidays. All meals (Lunch,evening snacks,dinner, breakfast) are served on the houseboat when you are doing an over night stay. Make sure u tell your preference (veg/Non Veg/White Rice) at least 24hrs in advance.
The best part of the cruise is to sit and watch the backwaters from bed during afternoon and in evening and sip tea and enjoy a hot bath in jacuzzi during day time. We had also packed a few DVDs and music CDs as we were promised a TV and a DVD which can be used anytime in advance. There was nothing much to do after anchoring and we just enjoyed the movie in TV inside our own cabin because of which there were no mosquitoes at night.
We had a candle light dinner and it was just awesome. We were on the top in a dimly lit upper deck and had complete peace and withgood privacy and it was just us watching all the houseboat moored far far away from us and having a dinner before a good night sleep sans mosquitoes.
When we woke up, the first thing that I saw was backwaters and houseboats which were moored at a real distant place, it was just awesome, Great sight to start a day and it was just sad that we had to check out that day. But I will be back again certainly only If I get the same houseboat with the same awesome experience (same jacuzzi and same bed as well) . We are already planning to go back next year .
Good for: relaxation, Relaxation and good food, anniversaries, laid back romance
Not good for: long stays
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Amazing Houseboat Experience with Iris Holidays
n_thomas recommends this,
We just came back from a trip to Kerala and I must thank Iris Holidays for making my backwaters trip absolutely awesome and pleasurable!!. When browsing through tripadvisor and lonely planet we had decided that we need local help in making our houseboat trip extra special as we wanted to celebrate our wedding anniversary in a houseboat.
Our stay on the waterways of Kerala in houseboat exceeded any expectations. We were looking for relaxation, which was in abundance but the beauty of the area, the peace and tranquility and the friendliness of the staff in houseboat and the promptness of their tour executives, made our wedding anniversary in Kerala houseboat very special and memorable.
Traveling the backwaters of Kerala on a rice boat was certainly a highly relaxing and enjoyable experience during our Kerala trip and it was the highlight as we wanted to celebrate our anniversary there. The boat was well equipped and the crew helpful. The food was very good and the scenery superb. The crew had excellent command of English and was able to communicate to us really well.
Iris Holidays staff had arranged for excellent accommodation and had done up our rooms and beds very well as we were celebrating our wedding anniversary.Since we had informed the agent earlier about our anniversary, Houseboat and decorated our room with flowers! In fact, they were kind enough to present us with a beautifully set up candlelight dinner right in the middle of backwaters where we had some romantic time together.
Our on-board crew Mr.Shaji (Captain) & Mr.Thoams (Cook) were really hospitable and took care of us in a very kind and homely manner and showed us the way to cook some traditional Kerala Chicken curry. Simple people with geniune desire for good customer service.The food was truly exceptional!
The Operations Executive at Iris Holidays, Paul was for constantly keeping in touch on the phone and making sure the arrangement were ok. They made extra efforts to make sure nothing interrupted our experience and everything went as per schedule.
Ms Venetha the young lady who helped me make the booking was extremenly patient and courteous in helping me customise the package.She was very quick in responding to my mails and calls even at night and we managed to close the deal in less than 24 hours at a really affordable price! She even sent me pictures of the houseboat, and those pictures were exact depiction of the actual place.
Iris Holidays is the perfect example of how a Customer should be treated.Keep up the excellent service guys! My husband and I are grateful for the beautiful holiday you gave us. :)
Good for: One night stay, Wedding anniversary
Not good for: Long Duration Stay
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beautifully relaxing
tk2010 recommends this,
Renting a houseboat was the most relaxing thing we did in India, it was so tranquil just watching the world go by for a couple of days, and very surreal being in such a quiet, watery place when you've been spending time in the bustle of Indian cities. And everything is seriously picturesque. The rooms and the food on the boat were amazing, some of the best food we had all holiday, and the staff were super friendly; definitely recommended, although it's probably best in low season, as it was busy even then so I dread to think what the boat traffic jams would be like in high season!
Good for: local people, relaxation
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All your cares are far away!! (literally)
walkercandice recommends this,
Check out the attached photos for an idea of how calm and relaxing this experience can be. We travelled along the backwater canals until we got to the Vembanad lake. Moored off a tiny little island (more of a sand bank) in the middle of the lake for the night and then onto Kumarakom. Picturesque! Picturesque!! Picturesque!!!
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Kicking back in Kerala
whelanjes recommends this,
Staying on the houseboat in Kerala was one of the highlights of our Indian trip, not only because it was a chance to relax away from the chaos that is India, but we saw a whole different side to Indian life. We boarded our boat at Kumarakom and were donned with Lei’s of fresh, fragrant jasmine flowers and immediately sat down to a beautiful lunch made by our own cook on the boat. We spent the afternoon cruising the canals, passing the locals as carry on with daily life. We waved to many people as our boat flowed past, workmen building new bridges and homes, children walking home from school, women washing their saris in the water- every single person shone back a beautiful big smile and a generous wave.
In the evening we wandered the smaller canals of our docking village, watching boats of people float by on their way home from work and smelling the fresh spices getting cooked up for dinner. Our own cook whipped up another scrumptious meal (with heaps of seconds if required) and we knocked back a few kingfisher beers as the foot traffic and boats outside our own started to ease… we brought the beers on board ourselves, but the crew were cool with this! We had a twin room, with air-con and a private bathroom, all perfectly maintained and clean. Our morning started with breakfast as we meandered through the canals again, we passed a few other house boats (even a few where the guests on board were watching tv?!?!) and talked to our crew of 3 about life on the boats and living on the water. It was a relaxing 24 hours, but didn’t fail to provide the colour and excitement India has to offer.
One tip- take pencils! Every child who passed us asked for a pencil or a pen as they only have chalk at school. We only had one to give away and it seemed to make this little kids week!!
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