15 Holiday Facts to know before booking a House Boat in Alappuzha

Alappuzha situated in Kerela, known as the Venice of the East! is famous for Houseboats.

What is a Houseboat? Houseboat Meaning, “Kettu Velam” in Malayalam, meaning boat tied with knots. Used in transporting rice and spices from Kuttanadu to Kochin Port through the network of backwater rivers. Numerous adjoining villages have used this route for many centuries. These slow-moving boats have been converted to Houseboats.

In short, the house boat house is a floating home with all the modern amenities of a Hotel.

You can rent a houseboat based on the accommodation size starting with 5 bedroom houseboat being relatively affordable and 1 bedroom houseboat being the most expensive.

5 & 4 bedroom houseboat – for those joint family trips or an affordable budget.
3 & 2 bedroom houseboat – for those who would want to get away from the noise but at a reasonable price
1 bedroom houseboat – Complete Privacy. Ideal for the Just Married Honeymoons

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Houseboats tourism in Kerela are very popular, about 15 years ago, there were about 10 to 20 Houseboats in the entire Alappuzha, today more than 1000 houseboat operators are making it a wonderful destination to get away from the noise and enjoy the tranquility of the backwaters.

How to Get there? – If travelling by air the nearest airport is Cochin, which also happens to be an international airport.

Although wonderful destinations to be at, there are 13 facts you should know before you book a House Boat.

The Route: When booking a House Boat you can also enquire about the route of the House Boat, this is important as the activities and the tourist attractions that you would want to cover will also vary.

What is the Best Price? – Some House Boats offer Discounts on Advance payment in Partial and Full. Check on the refund policies before making that payment.

Check-In & Check-Out – Vary based on the House Boat Operator. The usual Check-in time is afternoon 12 PM and the Check-Out Time is 9:00 AM. One stay is for 21 hours and not 24 hours.

Air Conditioning – Remember to check whether Air Condition Facility is available or not. Since resources are limited on a Houseboat and Air Conditioners are powered by Generators they are timed, ensure you know the Air Conditioning timings, find out what time they switch on the Air Conditioner, and till what time will they run it? (Mostly it would be 9 PM to 6 AM) Some Houseboats offer 24/7 Air Conditioning and the charge for them is relatively higher. (Of Course!)

Note: There are some unfortunate times when you would have booked an AC House Boat and the Air condition would have failed, for such situations, the regular tariff is charged (AC failure rarely happens these days though).

Food & Water: Insist on providing drinking water cans. Food on the House Boat is limited. Before you book a cruise find out what the cuisine is? Find out How many dishes are provided? If you are a vegetarian you can ask if there is a vegetarian menu. 90% of the time the Menu is fixed. Once the House Boat leaves the shore all the services provided to you are from the House Boat only. During Lunchtime the boat is halted for about one hour.

Note: Resources on the House Boat are Limited, do not compare the same with the Hotel. All Houseboats are stocked sufficiently to meet your needs.

The Staff – Employees who work on the House Boat are from the Local villages through which the backwater network is connected. Being a tourist spot and many tourists visiting from all over the world. The crew speaks approximately 3 to 5 languages so that communication should not be a problem.

Eco House Boats – About 15 years ago Houseboats there were only 10 House Boats in the entire Alappuzha. Today House Boat has become the main attraction with more than 1,000 House Boats. Resulting in pollution of the rivers. Some owners have moved to Eco House Boats. I get it you think is it Solar Energy / Wind Energy / Hydro Energy, well it is not. Eco stands for the Eco Worthy of the House Boat.

So what does this mean?

Eco Certifications – With the increase of House Boats dumping of wastage into the river, pollution has begun to rise. Govt Introduced Eco Certifications like Green Palm Certified, Gold Certified for setting the standards of House Boats. The Government also installed Waste Disposal Units where you can discharge waste. There are a lot of House Boats without these Eco Certifications.

Awareness – Articles and News Paper clips are framed and kept to keep guests aware of the seriousness of the negative impact of their actions on the environment.

No Cruise Time: No cruising after 5:30 PM and it is anchored, during this period fishermen cast their nets for catching fish as per the Government Law.

The Don’ts, Seriously!

No swimming in the river (that’s a major No! No!)
The backwaters system connects to villages, any noise on the House Boat can cause them disturbance at night.
Beyond 10:30 PM, you are to retire to your bedroom, sleeping in the common hallways or any common area in the House Boat is prohibited.
House Boats are meant to enjoy the quiet environment, most House Boats do not provide Television.
Do Not throw Garbage in the river.

You Need to Know

This is a slow boat do not expect to cover more than 20 to 30 kilometers on your entire trip. Please note House Boat cruises routes can be altered based on the weather condition, this decision is taken by the captain.

Routes & Additional Activity: Based on your route or request some House Boats offer additional activities like

Catching fish,
tap fresh sap from palm trees, and brewed into toddy by the local villagers.
Some House Boats even offer specialty Cooking Classes by the Master Chef.

Privacy & Protection – House Boats are enclosed well enough to provide you privacy and protection from insects

Additional Events to Celebrate on A Houseboat? – Some House Boats even offer Conference facilities, ranging somewhere from 55 to 120 people on board, they can also be used for Family Get together, Parties, Birthdays.

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