Keralan Backwaters

We had a terrific couple of day on the house boat. It was our first time and something that we wanted to do for a long time. Everything exceeded our expectations. The number of the house boat was 20 and the crew was excellent.

The setting of the tour was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed the additional activities we paid for (small boat & traditional massage). It’s worth pointing out that we were unaware that there would be additional costs associated with the tour prior to departure. While we appreciate that a massage is an optional extra, it should be made explicit that the package is not inclusive of all activities and rather only covers the boat itself. We had not brought sufficient cash to pay for all the additional expenses (not wanting to carry too much cash) and therefore had to go to an ATM during the trip. The boat used was not an acceptable standard. The furniture was limited and damaged. The bedroom had an unpleasant smell from the primitive bathroom. We were rationed for air-con; we were only allowed it at night, and it was turned off when we were sleeping (very early in the morning). The water from the bathroom taps was brown and the shower ran out of water. There was also no mosquito net over the bed and holes in the sheets! The bathroom door was also challenging to shut as it was partly broken around the latch. Overall, the general feel was shabby and a bit dirty. The driver who collected us was excellent and the transfer to the boat was good. Communication with us regarding this was also very good. The food on the boat was very tasty, however we were taken to a fish market and had to buy fresh fish for the boat. This cost 44,000 rupees for two days! I had expected all food to be included in the cost of the tour. I view fresh fish as an integral part of the houseboat experience and was shocked that if I had not bought, it would not have been on the menu. The first night we stayed in a beautiful, small village, however the second we stayed at a busy port where we felt unsafe as two female travellers. The only reason we could work out as to why we were there was that the captain wanted to spend the night at home; we sailed in the morning of the last day so the choice of location did not seem to be driven by time constraints. Overall, a beautiful part of the world but a less than beautiful boat.