Houseboats Booking Alleppey / Kumarakom
Houseboat Booking in Alleppey
Alapuzha, ( also known Alleppey) the Venice of the east, welcomes one to the backwaters of Kerala, emerging as a hot spot of the millennium. Alapuzha is famous for its backwaters, boat races, houseboat holidays, beaches , marine products and coir industry. The land of lush paddy fields , kuttanad is called the rise bowl of Kerala and is one of the few places in the world where farming is done below sea level.
Have you ever gone cruising in a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala? If you haven't, make sure you do. This is easily one amongst the most remarkable and unique experiences that our state has to offer.
Present day houseboats are huge, slow moving exotic barges used for leisure trips, and are in fact a reworked version of the Kettuvallams of olden times. The original Kettuvallams were used to carry tons of rice and spices. A standard Kettuvallam can hold up to 30 tons of goods from Kuttanad to the Kochi port. In Malayalam language Kettu refers to ‘dwelling structures’ ‘Vallam’ means boat. These are boats with a thatched roof cover over wooden hulls. The boat is made of planks of jack-wood joined together with coir. This is then coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kernels. With careful maintenance, a Kettuvallam can last for generations.
A portion of the Kettuvallam was covered with bamboo and coir to serve as a restroom and kitchen for the crew. Meals were cooked onboard and supplemented with freshly cooked fish from the backwaters.
When modern trucks replaced this system of transport, people came up with a new way that would keep these boats, almost all of which were more than 100 years old, in the market. By constructing special rooms to accommodate travellers, these boats cruised forward from near-extinction to enjoy their present popularity.
Today these are a familiar sight on the backwaters and in Alappuzha alone, there are as many as 500 houseboats. While converting kettuvallams into houseboats, care is taken to use only natural products. Bamboo mats, sticks and wood of the areca nut tree are used for roofing, coir mats and wooden planks for the flooring and wood of coconut trees and coir for beds. Nowadays, Solar panels are preferred for lighting.
Today, the houseboats boast of the same comforts of a good hotel including furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cozy living rooms, a kitchen and even a balcony for angling. Parts of the curved roof of wood or plaited palm leaves open out to provide shade and allow uninterrupted views. While most boats are poled by local oarsmen, some are powered by a 40 HP engine. Boat-trains - formed by joining two or more houseboats together are also used by large groups of sightseers.
What is truly magical about a houseboat ride is the breathtaking view of the untouched and otherwise inaccessible rural Kerala that it offers, while you float in a relaxed way right through it.
We operate Houseboat in Alleppey and we have fleet of all category houseboats to serve the Guest at its optimum.
Houseboat exclusively for the Guest with all meals which includes Welcome Drink, Snacks, Tea, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, mineral water etc. Houseboat check in at 12 NOON and cruises till 5.30 PM. Boat will be anchored till 6 AM. A/C will be operated between 9 PM to 6 AM. Check out time 9 AM Full time A/C will be provided with additional charge. Package cost is inclusive of all taxes and levies.
