The house boat we went on was only 2 bedrooms but the night stayover was just relaxing. The river scenery was great and the food was delicious. The bed was nice but as expected the shower was luke warm. Once the AC was worked out the room was nice and cool. We enjoyed the scenery the next morning.We went on a tour the next day to see how coconut was used for milk , rope making and cream
We selected a premium houseboat through Allepy Houseboat Club. Cost was Rs. 20000/night for a 2-room houseboat. The staff behaved well. But the quality of the houseboat was not so good, especially the toilets. Food was just sufficient, nothing more to feel you great. The biggest thing I was missing is the interaction with the staffs. They were not ready to communicate / interact at all. I understand this may be due to language issue (we were speaking English, Hindi, Bengali and Konkani). The overall journey was also not very good. Since I lived in Netherlands and Malaysia, I find this backwater trip is much inferior compare to my previous experiences. I would not suggest to spend such kind of money for an overnight trip.
Views from the boat were lovely and transferring to the smaller boat was really special. As 3 of us were staying we had a mattress on the floor as a third bed. No blanket or pillow was initially provided until we asked…. The one we were given smelt dusty and like it had not been cleaned. Bathroom was okay but definitely not luxury - no hand towel or loo roll…. Food provided was good but we kept having to ask for more water. Staff could have been more attentive.
Took a 5-6 hour day tour with Srees tours in Nov 2018 and it was one of the highlights of our holidays in Kerala. I communicated with Sree online to organise bookings and he was always punctual and to-the-point in his responses. Took a single bedroom deluxe house boat for 4 people including my 84 year old father and it was spacious, clean and well maintained. The only sour point was the steep stairs to the upper deck - a minor inconvenience really. The food prepared on board will better what is being served in many of the hatted restaurants - it had variety, freshness and mind-boggling taste. The evening snacks of pineapple and banana fritters alongwith coffee/tea left us stuffed with absolutely no room for dinner! The trip itself was eventful...we lazed along the canals, the lake, beside a bird sanctuary and passed a number of houseboats along the way. The pilot of the boat was kind enough to allow me and my daughter to take the steering wheel, albeit for a few seconds (sufficient for a few photographs). Met the owner Sree at the start of the trip and he came across as a down to earth and friendly chap willing to please his customers. Will highly recommend Sree for all your houseboat needs- day tours or overnighters. Will be definitely back.
This was a tremendous experience, a trip into the peace of the backwaters. We were well looked after by our excellent crew who provided great information and superb food. The stop to buy fresh scampi and crab that the chef then prepared was a lot of fun. And the idiyappam (string hoppers) for breakfast were a real treat. Tying up to the canal side and enjoying a peaceful night was amazing.