Chicago Boathouse

oneheart

I read many tragic stories of tourists meeting mishap in Kashmir which made me feel kind of scared. A news report about a taiwanese who went missing and her body was found in the lake. Another women who was locked in a houseboat for 2 months and was assaulted sexually. Another european couple lost all their belongings including passport and money in a houseboat.
I'm traveling with one of my friend to kashmir soon and we're both girls, this is one of the greatest fear.

And having said that, we met quite a lot of difficulties finding a reliable houseboat to stay in but this forum is a good means to start with.. I swore to myself that i'm gonna post many reviews about india when i get back from my trip to help those who are planning their trips to india..

Finally, we read some forums where people recommended Chicago Houseboat in Srinagar. We did a research on it and realise that almost 100% of the reviews written were good ones, if not great compliment of this houseboat and especially Mr Ajaz who is the owner of it.

I emailed him and upon knowing the rates, i told him that we have some budget constraint and he was kind enough to talk to me over msn and work out a really good package. Whenever we see him online, he would chat with us and tell us more about srinagar. He is really helpful and even offer to help us find lodging in gulmarg. I'm getting more excited as the day goes.. I guess i can be more secure knowing that there is a reliable houseboat and this houseboat has door lock with keys for every room so you wouldnt be worrying about your belongings when you go for day tour.. More importantly, it's the nice and kind people you'll meet that makes your trip a fantastic one.

Here's a good review on India and the author mentioned Mr Ajaz from Chicago houseboat - http://blogs.timesunion.com/worldalone/

solesouljoy

You can find them at these websites:

http://www.easychair.nl/new/khar/houseboat.html

http://www.kashmirihouseboats.com/in...es/Page526.htm

oneheart

ya, i read in forums that his customer helped him set up the website..

oneheart

For the convenience of those who are interested..

Here are some reviews i read:
1) many reviews abt him in this page -
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Kas hmir.html http://www.easychair.nl/new/khar/houseboat.html
2) Recent thread (8 Nov 2007) - http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f5c0c/109251/3/?o=2
3) scroll down - Houseboat owners association link

or you can just google "chicago houseboat kashmir"

solesouljoy

see this website/thread for more information on chicago houseboat:

http://www.timeout.com/sg/en/travel/...days-go-grinch

Houseboat owners association link

I have stayed in chicago houseboat and i highly recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and safe houseboat to stay in. Comfortable houseboat, complete with hot water, heater and great food!

solesouljoy

Looks like oneheart mentioned a lot about the houseboat in this trip report:
http://www.indiamike.com/india/jammu...02/#post428313

After reading the report, i was inspired to continue this thread. haha. Anyway, here are several reasons why i recommend chicago houseboat.

1. Great food - I ate so much stewed curry chicken cos it was just so good! Cauliflower in mild spices was delicious too.

2. Private jeep and driver - Ajaz provided us with a private jeep with heater to travel around in. And the driver, Uncle John, is a safe driver. He horns at every bend and uses the headlights esp when driving round endless bends on the mountains. He also drove us through villages where you can see the lifestyle of the villagers.

3. Great people - Uncle Mohamed, Ajaz's worker, is a fatherly figure who took such great care of me. He wakes up in the middle of the night to fill the fire stove so that we won't be cold. Even laid hot water bottles in our bedsheets! He took us around for srinagar city tour and to the outskirts. As for Ajaz, he is a person of principles, loves kashmir and treats his guests not just as customers but as friends. Ajaz helped to book train tickets for us, gave us information we needed about the Golden Triangle, told us where to go in new delhi, gave us warnings about certain places in india and arranged everything in kashmir basically. He also spends time getting to know you and for you to know him.

4. Hot water, comfortable beds. Room with locks. (Some houseboats don't have that) Attached bathroom.

5. Honesty and helpfulness. I must commend the houseboat owner, ajaz on this. My friend and I gave him all our valuables to safekeep when we went to gulmarg for a skiing trip. We gave him our cameras, cash, passport and train tickets for safekeeping in srinagar as we feared losing those in gulmarg. When we came back, everything was intact. He did not take a single cent. In fact, when we departed from Srinagar, we left the hardcopy of our plane ticket back to singapore in his houseboat! We called him and he was very helpful. He faxed a copy to our hotel in new delhi, scanned and emailed another copy to my email and even offered to post it to a contact in new delhi to pass it to us personally. You can't find a more honest houseboat owner.

6. Peace and safety. Ajaz doesnt let sellers hang around his houseboat so that his guests are not harrased. So it's pretty quiet and you can treat the houseboat almost like your own house. The sellers that come into his houseboat are honest men that won't overcharge you. Bought shawls and cashemere pullovers for reasonable prices (1500 rupees for a pullover, price depends on quality too).

7. Lovely kashmiri tea that seems to flow endlessly from hot flasks! accompanied by various types of cookies.

8. Internet access. Haha. It's important to me. There's a television in the living room too, with channels like discovery channel and animal planet i think.

9. Good price for the package we paid. Ajaz offered us a package at an affordable rate when we told him that we were on a shoestring budget. Rest assured that you won't be overcharged. In fact, i think he published his rates on one of the websites.

saharanpuri

Is the interiors n bedrooms of Chicago Houseboats attractive n comfortable or is it merely the personalised services of Khar family that is the main attraction of Chicago houseboats?

Also has anybody heard of a resort called the island resort in pahalgam?JKTDC highily recommends it>

edwardseco

Dejavu, fresh to Srinagar in the 80's and happened by the Chicago..

vandy

Hi Solesouljoy,

Very comforting too see there are still some DECENT people around.

Looks like you had a wonderful stay in Kashmir.

I have been to Kashmir Twice(Long time ago)and had
Memorable & Happy experiences on both occasions.

I hope you have put in a Review for Chicago Houseboats in the Hotels Section.

Thanks for sharing your Forthright Comments re the
Above.

rgds - vandy

solesouljoy

Is the interiors n bedrooms of Chicago Houseboats attractive n comfortable or is it merely the personalised services of Khar family that is the main attraction of Chicago houseboats?

Hi saharanpuri...
The interior and bedrooms of chicago houseboat are comfortable. i'm happy with it. in fact i like the big bed haha. i wont say its luxurious cos it isn't some 5 star hotel in singapore. if you really really need photos you can send me an email or private message. i can send u photos of the interior and bedroom just so you can better make a decision whether to stay there.

And yes, the personalized services of the khar family certainly play a part! you'd enjoy it, trust me. they are like friends. Ajaz still keeps in touch with me

Hi vandy, i enjoyed myself in kashmir! Would like to go back in summer/spring!

sejjoe

Hi there,
Just wanted to put my two cents in and give two thumbs up to Chicago houseboat! After eight months of traveling through India, my husband and I were looking for a nice romantic destination to pamper ourselves for our first wedding anniversary. And we chose Srinagar. We are terrible planners and didn't have a reservation at any houseboat. When we got there, we were pulled one way and another to stay at everyone's houseboat. But luckily, the stars aligned and a friendly shikara driver brought us to Chicago houseboat. Ajaz is extremely warm and welcoming, and he didn't pressure us at all! He worked out a great deal with us that we couldn't resist. Mohammed and other workers made excellent food to our taste and made us feel like we were at home! We were definitely pampered. We were only planning on staying for a week, but we ended up there for nearly three weeks! We did a trek through Pahalgam which was gorgeous as well! Ajaz arranged everything for us from ponies, to guides to private transportation to Phalgam. It was really one of the highlights of our entire trip through India that I will never forget. Ajaz still keeps in touch with us through postcards and emails. I highly recommend this place and can't wait until the day I get to go back there! If you want to see photos, feel free to visit our website at http://www.sjpc.org/~jgraber/srinagar.html.

sejjoe