We (group of 6) decided to embark on a backwater cruise and selected Seasons Cruise as it came to us with good recommendations from a friend . The interactions from the onset with Joffy (guess the Manager of Season’s cruise) was pleasant and he made sure an Innova (with a good driver) was present at Cochin airport to pick us. We boarded the houseboat called Grace at regular check-in time of 12 PM as it was drizzling at the boarding point (near Aleppey boat jetty). We had booked a 3 room air-conditioned houseboat for the Aleppey to Kumarakom cruise - each of the rooms was large enough for a couple and had a decent sized bathroom with necessary amenities. The houseboat has a sitting area in the front for at least 8-10 people and a full and well stocked kitchen at the rear. The lunch and dinner served was fabulous, both in quality and quantity, and comprised of fish , chicken and vegetarian dishes prepared in Malayali style (they can make North Indian varieties if requested early).
On the way we stopped at a fish stall and bought some crab and jumbo/tiger prawns (we may have shelled out a bit more than the actual price as we did not know the going rate!), which was as cooked as per our wish, which was very tasty too. The houseboat was docked for the evening and night at around 5 PM, when we were served tea and snacks. Since we opted for the premium package, we were taken for a 45 minute canoe ride through the canals of the lake where we were able to see the late evening activities of the inhabitants in the backwater area. The night
was pleasant and we as a group played games and heard songs from the CD player. This houseboat had an LCD TV but did not have a satellite TV connection, We did not really feel the need to see TV/movies through our 1 night cruise. Finally a big thumbs up to the crew of the houseboat - Mathai, Brijesh and Jayesh, who played along with our requests and tantrums :). Service is definitely an USP of this houseboat. Some words of caution - do make sure you carry some insect repellent creams (like Odomos), lots of games (like cards, monopoly, etc), a good camera to capture your trails/memories The sleep was decent and the breakfast was relishing too (our group folks are big foodies and can relish good food 24/7!). We finally were dropped off at the Kumarakom’s boat jetty w The overall experience was fantastic and we thank Joffy and team for making our stay memorable and comfortable.
You can reach them at https://seasonscruise.com