The charm of holidaying on a boat is truly special. You close proximity to a lake or a river… watching the world slip past as you gently, effortlessly float away…encountering the local communities as they go about their daily life… These vignettes need treasuring surely…? Ever since Lakes and Lagoons became operation in 1997 it has just not looked back… The delights of living on their traditional Kerala houseboats — Kettuvalloms (rice boats) was an enduring allurement for tourists passing their way in the rivers and backwaters of Alappuzha, Kollam and Kottayam districts in Kerala State.
They pioneered the air-conditioned houseboat back in the day…though now people take these things for granted. What a lift that must have been for business. The Kerala Governments stamp of approval is framed in the GOLD STAR classification of their beautifully appointed houseboats. Part of their well-oiled operations comes from adhering to the guidelines of the Tourism Department and the registration of all the houseboats and all the crews with the DTPC Alleppey, with the requisite Certificates. Its 26 houseboats fall under two categories— Deluxe and Premium with a choice of 1 to 4 bedrooms—very convenient for guests.
Each one comes with sundeck, private balcony with comfortable chairs, kitchen and toilet with WC. In addition there is also separate rest room for the crew. Traditional lanterns are used as lights. There are single bedroom houseboats for two people and two bedroom houseboats for four people. Lake Royale is the premium brand of houseboats. The cuisine is traditional Kerala with the local specialties.
The hospitality firm has recently launched a resort of its own near Marari Beach. This spanking new property—EL OCEANO BEACH VILLAS, offers 14 rooms. It’s also the GSA in Kerala state for Palma Laguna— the 5-bedroom luxury serviced villa located on the backwaters of Vembanad at Ponnad, in Alleppey, as well as for the Blue Jelly Cruise— a recently launched ultra-luxe houseboat. It has an extensive network with tour operators country-wide and the popularity of its products and services are richly endorsed with plenty of repeat business.
