After a great Gala Dinner at the buffet, why not dance the night away to Bollywood rhythms, welcoming the New Year with some fireworks and drinks between the swimming pool and the lake!
Join our group travelling in December – here are the details
After a good day sightseeing around Kerala, why not treat ourselves to a traditional typical Indian meal or thali where a selection of (beautiful) food is served on the one plate – so cheap and so healthy!
Join our group travelling in December – here are the details
Waling along Alleppey Beach at dawn, the suggestive lights of the sky are joined by the one of the light-house
Join our group travelling in December – here are the details
After a good day sightseeing around Kerala, it is great to get back to a great air conditioned room, relaxing and reflecting on the day
Join our group travelling in December – here are the details
Have you ever gone cruising in a houseboat on the backwaters of Kerala? If you haven’t, make sure you do. It is really a wonderful and unforgettable experience!
Present day houseboats are huge, slow moving exotic barges used for leisure trips, and are in fact reworked version of 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 from Kuttanad to the Kochi port.
The kettuvallam is held together with coir knots. Not even a single nail is used during the construction of the boat.. 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 is covered with bamboo and coir to serve as a restroom and kitchen for the crew. Meals are cooked on-board and supplemented with freshly cooked fish from the backwaters.
When the modern trucks replaced this system of transport, a new way was found to keep these boats, almost all of which were more than 100 years old, in the market. By constructing special rooms to accommodate travelers, these boats cruised forward from near-extinction to enjoy their present great popularity.
Now 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 area nut tree are used for roofing, coir mats and wooden planks for the flooring and wood of coconut trees and coir for beds. For lighting though, solar panels are used.
Today, the houseboats have all the great comforts of a good hotel including furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cosy living rooms, a kitchen and even a balcony for angling. Parts of the curved roof of wood or plaited palm 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!
Travel the Backwaters in Kerala with a luxury houseboat during our
Christmas in Kerala trip – click here for more information
or Contact Us directly
Is an important tourist destination in India. The Backwaters of Alleppey are the most popular tourist attraction in Kerala. A houseboat cruise in these backwaters is a delightful experience.
Alapphuzha is built on canals that form a web, which serves the coir industry. All around are coconut palms, and obviously, coir making, boat building, toddy tapping and fish farming are mainstays of the village economy.
Every August, Alappuzha comes to life with an adrenaline-pumping event that sees huge, low slung chundan vellams (snake boats), rowed by up to 100 people, compete for the Nehru Cup. Alappuzha’s attraction does not, however, lie solely in its natural aspects. A paprt from the Poomkavu Church, other well-known religious sites in and around Alappuzha are Mullackal Raja Rajeshwari Temple, Mannarasala Temple and Salafi Juma Masjid Mosque.
Visit the Alleppey during our
Christmas in Kerala trip – click here for more information
or Contact Us directly
Ohm Retreats 