Best place to explore backwater and village life |
 |
Jul 27th, 2010, 22:18
| #1 |
| Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 23
| Best place to explore backwater and village life Where is the best place to explore the backwater? I plan to get on a small canoe boat to explore the village life (I prefer less touristy place somehow). Will Kollam be a good chance (rather than Allepey?) |
|  |
|
Jul 31st, 2010, 16:06
| #2 |
| Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Delhi
Posts: 7
| Vembanad Lake is a nice place to explore. If possible try Apsara's luxury stay. |
|
| |
|
Aug 2nd, 2010, 23:49
| #3 |
| The road never ends !!  Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 508
| For me Alleppy would be better than Kollam.
__________________ “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” |
|
| |
|
Aug 3rd, 2010, 22:57
| #4 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mexico....from Kerala
Posts: 154
| Alleppy and hire small country boat for day,with heavy rains this season,there are more waterway open. |
|
| |
|
Aug 4th, 2010, 01:53
| #5 |
| Maha Guru Member  Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Netherlands
Posts: 927
| In 2008 we were in Alleppy and stayed at Johnson's He arranged, among others, a great trip with a rowing boat for us.
__________________ . See our travel journals Mumbai-Dehli in three months; From Kochi to Delhi Narrow gauge Bardhaman-Katwa (video) |
|
| |
|
Aug 4th, 2010, 06:35
| #6 |
| brother my cup is empty member  Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp
Posts: 16,735
| Look also at this older sticky thread: Kerala Backwaters - A cruise on budgets!. It is older (take note of its posting dates), but many of its general details should still be more-or-less accurate.
__________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike  : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links |
|
| |
|
Aug 16th, 2010, 16:22
| #7 |
| Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: KOLKATA
Posts: 29
| what wud be the cost for Apsara's luxury stay? |
|
| |
|
Aug 16th, 2010, 16:30
| #8 | |
| brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp
Posts: 16,735
| Quote:
| |
|
| |
|
Aug 16th, 2010, 16:36
| #9 |
| Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: KOLKATA
Posts: 29
| Indeed they have the website....as its park hotels owned...but nothing is mentioned about tariff...so posted the query only after checking the site Thanks |
|
| |
|
Aug 16th, 2010, 16:44
| #10 |
| Didn't You Used to Be Nick-H?  Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India
Posts: 41,876
| I wonder about that: some hotels have clear tariff listings on their sites, others conspicuously do not. Maybe the latter take most of their bookings through agents? |
|
| |
|
Aug 16th, 2010, 16:44
| #11 | |
| Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Netherlands
Posts: 927
| Quote:
| |
|
| |
|
Aug 16th, 2010, 16:45
| #12 | |
| brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp
Posts: 16,735
| <cross-posted with Vonkla just now. 90-99,000 Rs. single or double, btw?!  I guess they'd better come up with some luxury at that rate, I kind of have trouble thinking of what precisely. A few geishas thrown in, perhaps? That's 1600 Euros, folks. Oh, I see now that's for "3nights/4days sailing, on APAI basis, inclusive of two-way airport transfers, luxury accommodation onboard, all meals, happy hours (complimentary drinks & cocktails on select pouring brands) and all taxes." Well, whatever, I guess if you have a buck to crack... I see now their rooms as such go for some Rs. 15,000-35,000, depending on season. Per night, yes, and apparently you're expected to stay for two nights at least.>Quote:
Wouldn't read too much into it. Pop them an email, or give them a call. You'll realize it may always mean you'd conceivably get a better deal rocking up there in person (or find them full) than if you contact them beforehand. That may again be precisely what they want; and I might again take the exact same approach if I were running such a place. (Then at the higher bracket, I guess "money talk" may be considered simply "not done.") (After my edit above though, I wouldn't expect bargaining to be exactly considered chic at these kind of places. What, you don't have a room with shared bathroom? How's about minus the mai tai?) Last edited by machadinha; Aug 16th, 2010 at 17:11.. Reason: checked rates (!) | |
|
| |
|
Aug 16th, 2010, 23:04
| #13 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mexico....from Kerala
Posts: 154
| 90-99,000 WTF...man that some price for exploring the backwaters of Kerala.With boat race just over,you should be able to get great places to stay elsewhere, less than half the above price and spend the other half buying souvenirs. |
|
| |
|
Aug 17th, 2010, 00:39
| #14 | |
| brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp
Posts: 16,735
| Quote:
(Some here have accused me of being not a true budgeteer for it.) As always, to each their own, and I'd expect you might find the rather nicer room for what you're willing to pay. What I got for that money I'd consider acceptable at a budget rate. | |
|
| |
|
Aug 17th, 2010, 01:14
| #15 |
| Member  Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Murcia - Spain
Posts: 20
| Great place to experience the backwaters is Munrothurutu (Munroe Islands) 40 km or may be less from Kollam. Small canals and no tourist at all. You can go there by autorickshaw from Kollam to Punalur and then near Kundara take the road to Munrothurutu. Jorge Jr |
|
| |
|
Linear Mode
