Stories

The backwaters look different every few hours. Light changes. Water changes. The whole atmosphere shifts. If you care about getting good photos from your houseboat trip, timing matters more than equipment. Here’s when to have your camera ready and what … Read More

People come back from backwater trips talking about how calm they felt. How thoughts slowed down. How stress that seemed permanent just lifted. This isn’t placebo effect or vacation glow talking. Something specific happens when you spend time on slow … Read More

The question comes up constantly when people book backwater trips. One night or two? Day cruise or overnight? How much time do you actually need? The answer depends less on some standard recommendation and more on what you’re after. What … Read More

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale opened December 12 and runs through March 31. This is the sixth edition. Nikhil Chopra curated it with HH Art Spaces. There are 66 artist projects from over 25 countries, shown in Fort Kochi’s old warehouses, colonial-era … Read More

Seventeen years on Kerala’s backwaters taught us something: luxury isn’t about announcing itself. It’s about the moment you walk into a space and everything just feels right. Cardamom is our answer to that lesson; a luxury houseboat with six bedrooms, … Read More

You’ve settled on a Kerala houseboat cruise—good call. Now comes another decision that matters more than it might initially seem: shared or private booking? On the surface, this looks like a straightforward money question. Shared houseboats cost less, sometimes substantially … Read More

Kerala’s houseboats have achieved iconic status that normally belongs to places like the Taj Mahal, which is a bit odd when you really consider it. The Taj took decades to build and represents extraordinary architectural achievement. Houseboats are floating rooms … Read More

October hits Kerala and something shifts in the air. Those heavy monsoon rains finally back off, the humidity eases from unbearable to merely tropical, and suddenly the backwaters start resembling those photos that made you want to come here. If … Read More

There’s something about those houseboat photos that makes the decision seem obvious. Traditional kettuvallam gliding across glassy water, palm fronds reflected below, the whole scene drenched in amber evening light. Then reality hits when you start comparing prices and realise … Read More

Kerala’s backwaters run year-round. Houseboats operate in every season. But timing a cruise between October and March versus any other time of year makes a difference you’ll feel within the first hour. Weather shapes the entire experience on a houseboat. … Read More