Eco Houseboat Tariff Options

 Alleppey Houseboats Rates

Johnson's alleppey kerala

We have  introduced 4 Options for our customers who want to hire out our houseboat for an overnight trip. The rates given below are for the same boat -the best one bedroom houseboat in Kerala -Johnson's "The Pride" Eco-houseboat. The room, the deck and the master bathroom of this unique houseboat is on the upper deck. This 4 optional rate system is to make the boats affordable for all people of all budgets.

During peak season the rate are changed to Rs.4000/- per perso.(Dec.20th to Jan 30th)- minimum 6 people.. Only option 1 trips during this period. Time reduced by half an hour.

Pls note:-

Please read through the different options, and choose as per your needs and budgets. Also, it is important to go through the various instructions on this page after the options listed, to make your booking procedure as well as the cruise smoother.

The ecohouseboat is now aircon- additional charge of rs.1500/- for ac facility that keeps the room cooled from 9.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m.



 Option 1- PREMIUM - Rs.12,000/- (For 2 People) 24 hours trip including 2 hours of canoeing.

12.00 noon to 12.00 noon with 2 hours of canoeing.
1/2 an hour lunch break. 6.00 p.m. evening stop.
9 course Lunch includes Fish & veggies.
7 course dinner with chicken, veggies, etc. .
Indian/Continental Breakfast.
Additional lunch before check-out includes roast duck and tapioca.
1 Complimentary Beer per person.
Village walk. Fishing.

And with this option, the Rs.850/- room at Johnson's comes free for a night for two people.
Extra person @1500/- per person. (More people can make the amount less as you pan it around per person).


Option 2 - Mid-range -Rs.10,000/- for 2 people 22 hours trip - 12.00 noon to 10.00 a.m. -
1/2 hour lunch break.
5.30 p.m. evening stop.
7 course lunch includes Fish.
5 course dinner includes chicken.
B'fast Indian/continental.
Village walk.Fishing.

And on this option, you are entitled to one night's free stay at the Rs.600/- Eco-art theme room.
Extra person @1500/- per person. (More people can make the amount less as you pan it around per person).


Option 3 - Budget - Rs.8000/- for 2 21 hours - 12.00 noon to 9.00 a.m.
1 hour Lunch break.
5.00 p.m.evening stop.
6 course vegetarian lunch.
5 course dinner including Fish or Chicken. Indian B'fast.
Fishing Village walk.

Choosing this option gets two people a free night's stay at the Cricket theme room (Rs.500/-) at Johnson's.

Extra person @1500/- per person. (More people can make the amount less as you pan it around per person).

The above three Options include Free To and Fro Transport. (within Alleppey town limits). Hygienic drinking water, fruits, complimentary welcome drink(non-alcoholic) provided for all above 3 options as well.


Option 4 - Super Budget- Rs.6500/- 

12.30 to 8.30 am next morning.

5 course Veg Lunch and  4 course Veg. Dinner. Break Fast.
(Guests can purchase their own non veg food, and bring it on board. our cook will prepare it at no extra cost.)

1 and half hour lunch break. 5.00 pm evening stop. Only half hour cruising in the morning.

Fishing, Village walk.

Extra person @1250/- per person. (More people can make the amount less as you pan it around per person).

Option 4 does not include free room at Johnson's guest house. To and fro transport is not included in this option either. Hygienic drinking water is provided free.

Rates given above are for the same boat, Johnson's, Alleppey, Kerala, houseboat'The Pride' Ecohouseboat. No taxes, or any other hidden costs. It is however,  recommended that the staff be tipped handsomely, if the clients are satisfied with the service. The owner does not accept tips.

The above rates, we believe are competitive. We are the only houseboat operators who have  a 24 hour option.  
The running time on Option 4 is what almost all other houseboat operators give their guests, even though some may say otherwise. So, when comparing rates with other operators, try to keep comparison to that particular Option(Option 4). 

Our Option 1 trip is possibly worth more than two nights with another operator. 

We have no problems with competitors who may charge less, they know what their product and service is worth. 

For the record, there are other Super luxury houseboats that boast swimming pool, jacuzzi, uniformed English speaking staff, and are ridiculously priced. 

Unfortunately, unlike Johnson's rates, houseboat operators vary their rates through the season, as per demand. Not unlike in the Western world either, in the tourism sector. Johnson takes pride in the system he has evolved and originated. The rates are hiked only when living expenses make it mandatory- that he does so.

The rates have been devised keeping in mind the cost of fuel, food, and other services. More running time, more fuel is consumed. 9 course lunch is more expensive than a 5 course veg lunch. Thus, option 1 is more expensive than Option 4. 

Why are house boat rates more expensive than other things or tours to do in India? Cost of building a houseboat is very expensive. Maintenance, staff salaries, 3 full time, ever increasing cost of fuel, groceries and general living expenses make it not a viable business otherwise.

For multiple days' cruise, any combination of the houseboat options can be chosen. The boat does not dock at the same place for the second, third or fourth day. The record on ecohouseboat is 4 consecutive nights. Record in Alleppey for a houseboat cruise, longest ever, believe it or not, is 21 consecutive nights. Backwaters off Alleppey is a vast area. Guests can hire the boat  for multiple days without worrying about going around in circles. Johnson's Ecohousboat does not do Alleppey - Kollam tours. He reckons it's boring, in fact he knows it is:-)

The to and fro transport provided free on the first 3 Options is within Alleppey town limits only. Includes Bus and railway terminus, to and fro Johnson's guesthouse or other hotels in Alleppey town within a 4 kilometer radius. 

Taxi fares:-

Kochi airport pick up by taxi or drop after the trip for upto 4 people - Rs.2200/-

Fort Kochi pick up or drop - Rs.1600/-
Munnar town pick up or drop -Rs.4200/-
Periyar/Thekkady pick or drop - Rs.3500/-
Varkala -pick up or drop -Rs.3000/-
Trivandrum city or Airport- Rs.3750/-

The boat has 3 staff - Captain, cook and an assistant. They are indeed the real reason for the success of Johnson's boat. Their English is limited but they are genuinely nice people, who have been working with Johnson for a number of years. English speaking guide provided @Rs.500/- per hour, for a couple of hours, on request.

Village walks and fishing is done when the houseboat comes to rest, unless other wise requested. The place where the boat is moored is in a quiet area, chosen so that guests get a good nights' sleep. It is also next to Johnson's riverside guesthouse where he has 5 rooms. It is a scenic spot, lovely for walks but do not expect much of village life there. Village life can be observed through the cruising hours from the boat. For guests who are particular about a guided walk in the busier village area of the backwaters, please request early while making the booking, so that the boat can stop at that particular area, during the course of the cruising hours.

Peak time rates - rs.4000/- per person(minimum 6 people)  (Dec. 20th to Jan.30th). During this period, Option 1 trips only, and the time of Option 1 is reduced from 24 hours to 23 and a half hours. - 12.00 noon to 11.30 a.m.

Please Note:
The free room at Johnson's offer is for one room only, regardless of how many guests take the houseboat. When guests from different rooms at Johnson's guesthouse or from elsewhere get together to take the houseboat (as often happens), then everybody pays for their respective rooms and the amount of the free room is reduced from the total of the houseboat charges, and then split up per person. The free room offer cannot be redeemed as a discount if the guest is not willing to stay at the guesthouse. If guests take the boat for multiple days, the free room offer stays at only one day, regardless of how many days the boat is booked for.


Advance is required for booking. Payments from India, by online transfer from bank or Cash transfer from bank. From outside India, via Western Union, Moneygram, transfers only.

 The first people who book the boat has the right to say- if they want other people to share the boat with them, or not.The first people who book the boat can also share the boat with others, but keep the room on the houseboat to themselves. The extra people, if any, can sleep on the riverside guesthouse where Johnson has 5 bath attached double rooms (15 meters from the boat). The boat itself can take upto 7 people -see video on the site.Sharing is the best way to reduce the costs. But we have no problem if a couple wants to book and not share the boat.

Booking Cancellation Policy.

Rs.2000/- from advance refunded if Cancellation happens before 29 days of booked date.


If the amount sent as advance is less than Rs.2000/-, 40% will be reduced from the sent amount before refund if cancellation happens before 29 days of booked date.

No refund if booking is cancelled less than 29 days of the booking date, whatever be the amount sent as advance.

It is difficult,if not impossible and expensive to send money out of India, in case of cancellation. Thus, all cancellation refunds will only be made to address in India, and the postage/courier and any sundry expenses to be borne by the clients.

Even after the advance is sent, please be kind enough to send three reminders, one a month before and the last two at your convenience, within the last week. This might be considered an odd request. It is also the best way to cut off all chances of  last minute misunderstandings, overlapping of dates, et al. 

The above instructions, advice and payment methods, etc. have evolved after years of dealing with thousands of tourists who have booked Johnson's alleppey Kerala Ecohouseboat. Please try to co-operate in making your booking as trouble free and smooth as possible.


Very Important-

Once on board, enjoy yourself. Let the staff take care of you in their own way. This is probably the most relaxing experience that you may get anywhere in the world. Do not spoil it for yourself by expecting too much. If there are any complaints during the course of your trip, the staff is always there to correct, even for minor matters, do not hesitate to call them. If they cannot correct a problem, ask the staff to call the owner on their mobiles, even if it is the middle of the night. We are on call 24 hours. No complaints entertained after the trip. Johnson has a very low opinion of some guests who keep quiet of some trivial complaint during the course of the voyage, and then put out nasty reviews on Tripadvisor, or traveller blogs- a new trend among some unsavory people. Thank you.

Johnson’s Lal Bagh
Convent SquareAlleppey 688012Kerala, India

Mobile: 99614 66399 
              98464 66399

Phone +91 477 2245825

Email:  johnsongilbertlk2@hotmail.com
            johnsongilbertlk1@hotmail.com

About my new Houseboat

5/02/10

The Pride is doing wonderfully well now, the general opinion of the guests who are taking it is that it is the best in Kerala, and the options that I've introduced for the boat makes it easier for all tourist of all budgets to take the boat as per their budget and requirement. My only problem is that guests do not know how lucky they are to take our boat - the 3 options, the service and the friendliness of the staff are unlike what many tourists experience on other boats and in that I guess I'm pretty lucky with getting the right crew. Yes, my men on the boat are just perfect. Nice people for the Best Houseboat In Kerala.

6/6/2009

Epilogue

It's finsished, done, whew. Did a couple of daytrips and one overnight trip already.

Prologue

I started building my new houseboat Johnson's 'The Pride', last August 2007, to be exact, and it's due to be finished sometime in December 2008 this year.

What an experience, building a new houseboat is. I started building the new one right from scratch, right from sourcing the wood off the trees of an estate of this fine Kottayam gentleman. So, I struck a price for 7 trees, huge 'Anjili' or jackwood trees, some as wide as 100 inches wide. Then we got down to the business of cutting down these trees and unlike in the west, here everything's done by human power (getting a crane into the estates was impossible , 'cause of the terrain). Once the cutting and felling of these trees were over, I had to get elephants, yes, elephants to move the fallen logs to the edge of the estate, where the elephants placed them onto a lorry and took them to the mill, where it was cut into planks. This whole proces itself took about 5 months, and then we transported the planks to the houseboat building dock in Alleppey, or Alappuzha as I am supposed to call my town now. Here, they put the hull of the boat together, another 4 or 5 months, and on May 4th 2008, we finally rolled it into the water, and yippee, it floated. I took a break for the next few months on account of the monsoon and we've just started work again, on the top portion of the boat. This was one hell of an experience, dealing with different types of people, labour problems, at one time the mill where I was cutting the planks in Kottayam, caught fire and I thought, there goes my wood and investment. Luckily, they brought the fire under control and I could continue . Almost every tourist who stays with us does the houseboat trip and one FAQ from them is how much it costs to build a boat. So let me tell u , it costs anything between 1.8 million (which is what I expect my final expense to be) to 5 or 6 million that some people put into boats these days in Alleppey. It's now become almost like a status symbol, the houseboat, and everyone wants to make their boat more expensive, if not better, than the next guy's. I am not joining the rat race though, I know exactly what my customers want, and it is designed by myself for that purpose, I'm making it as eco-friendly as possible and as puting in as much of nature produce in it as I can. On my new boat, the luxury is in it's nature eco-friendliness. International tourists would have seen enough luxury, state of the art gadgets and gizmos, and the latest of them in yachts or boats that already plies in Europe, America, or elsewhere in the western world. Oh, and another FAQ is how long it takes to build one - well, you can make a houseboat in Alleppey in as little as 4 or 5 months, there are a lot of contractors out there who just makes the hull, or the whole thing in maybe even less time. But, that's just business, they do it for money and God knows how long the boat's going to last. I've already spent more than a year on mine, and I'm still not in a hurry to finish it even though the season is fast getting to peak. I want mine exactly the way I visualize it, and I want to do it in my own time. So there. But back to the actual making, the one thing that I've done is to take the entire thing , right from cutting the trees, to the elephant moving the logs part, the making of the hull, getting the engine off a dilapidated old bus and converting it into the engine for the boat, everything else of the making of the boat , I've captured it on video. And at the end, I'll be releasing a making of the houseboat video. I'm the only person who's taken the whole thing, captured the entire process of making a houseboat on video.

I'll keep u guys posted on how it goes with the boat.

5/02/09

It's Feb 2009 and I still haven't finisihed theboat. Thought it would be done by Dec 2008. But, no worries, I think I'm closing the deal very soon. We just had the first trial and I felt real proud( and relieved) when the babe moved into the backwaters. Doing the interiors now, and I'm driving the head carpenter and his workers nuts. They just can't understand why someone should want the whole room on the upper deck and just 2 bathrooms and loads of space below. But, when it's finsihed, I think the design is going to surprise a lot of people and some may want to copy the design. I might very well start a new trend in houseboat design.

Keep every one posted on how it goes.

http://www.ecohouseboat.com/