Hello Friends,
At the start of this winter, I decided to go to the beach and I immediately thought of Kerala. I decided to explore Alleppey after doing a little Google search. I booked a hotel by the beach without even consulting my friends Ganesh and Avinash but when I told my friend Gowtham what I was planning, he straight out asked me to cancel the hotel booking and suggested me to book a boathouse instead. That’s when I came to know how famous Allepey (or Alappuzha)is for its beautiful backwaters and boathouses. The Kerala backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast also known as the Malabar Coast in Kerala. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both man-made and natural, fed by 38 rivers.
The boathouse experience in the backwaters was something beyond calm, resting and peaceful. I won’t be wrong if I said that it is heaven indeed. Alleppey is humid and hot during summer but October to January is the best time to visit.
How to get there:
Nearest Station: Alleppey can be reached easily It is about46 km from Kottayam, 53 km from Kochi, 155 km north of Trivandrum and 28 km from Changanacherry.
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| Route map |
Trains from Bangalore:
Buses can also be booked but that is more expensive than traveling by train.
BoatHouse Booking and Details:
I chose “Alleppey Crystal Holidays Houseboat” on Make My Trip. The total price was about Rs 5800 for a single room for three people on sharing basis. But when we got there, we saw that it was a two bedroom boathouse and luckily, the other room was vacant that night and we got to use it (Complimentary ;)).
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| BoatHouse Interior |
Shown above is the inside of one of the rooms. It’s nothing less than a luxurious hotel room with all the facilities like warm, cozy beds, a bathroom, a toilet, a TV, a music system, dining table, and chairs. It was literally a house on a boat. We were welcomed with a cool drink, and they served breakfast, tea, lunch and dinner onboard, veg and nonveg all included in the booking price. I recommend you to definitely taste the authentic Kerala fish curry and other dishes. It was delicious.
The crew even takes you to a market where you can buy your own fish and they will prepare it for you in the boathouse kitchen. And while your dinner is getting ready, you can have a little party under the bright blue disco lights on the boat dancing away to your music.
The view:
We boarded the boathouse at around 9:30 AM and our journey started at 10 AM. There were breath-taking views while the ride was pleasant. You could see the little plants in the backwaters, all the Boathouses floating around you, some big and some small, little cottages and trees along the banks. There is no way I can describe how beautiful the view was so you can see it for yourself in the video below.
Major Attraction of Kerala Backwaters:
Boat races are occasions of great excitement and entertainment with thousands gathered on the banks to watch and cheer. Most of these races are held in the Kuttanad Region. The Thazhathangadi boat race held every year on Meenachil river, at Thazhathangadi, Kottayam is one of the oldest and most popular boat races in the state.
When Jawaharlal Nehru visited Kerala in 1952, four traditional chundan valloms went to receive him. A snake boat race was organized for him. He was so impressed that when he went back to Delhi, he sent back a gleaming silver trophy for a boat race. Even today, the 1.5 km Nehru Trophy Boat Race is the most prestigious.
Other Attractions:
You must also visit the Alleppey Beach. It is about a 2km walk from the backwaters. Since we got off the Boathouse at 11 AM the next day and our return bus was booked for 5 PM, we had a little time to spare so we hit the beach. It was a lot of fun. We built a little fort using the waste on the beach like a tube light and some tree-branches and spread a thin blanket over them. See the picture below J
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| Shed on Alleppey Beach |
Return journey:
Direct Buses to the Bangalore are available from here. So we booked it from the Red Bus and finished our one of the peaceful trip.
Gallery:
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