Houseboat is a special kind of boat in Kerala, India. It is also known as Kettuvallam. Kettuvallam literally means "bundle" or "package"     boat ( Kettu means tied with ropes, and vallam means boat - Malayalam language). A house boat is about 60 to 70 feet in length and  has a width of around 15 feet in the middle. The boat is made of wooden planks joined and stiched together using coconut fiber  ropes. Usually the wood used will be 'Anjili', The roof covering is made of bamboo poles and palm leaves.

The outside of the boat is  painted using cashew nut oil, which acts as a protective coating. During the time when road and rail transportation was expensive or  unavailable, traders used Kettuvallam as a form of main transportation in the inland waterways. The boats had enough facilities for cooking and sleeping for the boatmen.

Sometimes boatmen's families also accompanied them.These boatmen were also famous for the folk songs they sang while rowing the boat and for their style of cooking which they developed for the conditions inside the boat. The new generation Houseboats are renovated forms of original Kettuvallams. The modern type Houseboats have all the creative comforts like a Star Hotel ie well-furnished bedrooms, modern hygienic toilets, cosy living rooms, dining area, beautiful kitchen and in some cases even a balcony for angling. Most of the Houseboats are powered by remarkably unobtrusive inboard diesel engines and use solar energy for power requirements.

A backwater is a part of a river in which there is little or no current. It refers either to a branch of a main river which lies alongside it and then rejoins it or to a body of water in a main river which is backed up by an obstruction such as the tide or a dam. Stay in kingly luxury, located in a peaceful atmosphere with lush greenery at the confluence of several rivers merging into the Kumarakom Lake. Enjoy this unmatched abode in a perfect eco-setting - a pleasant escape to the lap of nature.

House Boat Interior

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Food Available In House Boat

Breakfast

Idli with Chatni & Sambar OR Dosa with Chatni & Sambar OR, Puttu (Steam Cake) with Chenna masala (chick peas)OR Appam with Chutni powder OR Toasted bread with jam + Tea / Coffe + Omlette (to order)

Lunch (Kerala Meals)

Kerala Rice, Chappathi ( to order ), Pappad, Pickle, Fresh Garden Salad FISH FRY- Karimeen Fry ( Pearl Spot Fish ) , OR Seer fish fry, Kerala fish curry

DINNER

Chicken Curry OR Duck Roast OR Vegetable Stew OR Dal fry, Seer fish Curry, Dal Fry, OR Fish Curry with Rice or Chappati Or Poori

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