Spice Routes Luxury Cruise

Go got it ..! Spice routes houseboats are testimony of luxurious stay with fabulous food served. Huge lunch / dinner spread with touch of local dishes ..!

We booked their boat “Safforn” but we were lucky to get upgraded. The experience was beautiful, their hospitality top notch. We are pure vegetarians and we informed them beforehand. They prepared full course vegetarian meals for us and the taste was amazing. Loved the interiors of the boat. Cleanliness was perfect, all the amenities were up to the mark. The best thing about the entire experience was their hospitality. Their staff took care of every small need. We will definitely visit again soon and with our family this time.

Wonderful experience in gods own country, exotic locales with divine backwaters, neatly and properly done houseboat, master chef with tongue licking authentic kerela cuisine,polite and courteous hosts, definitely an experience to savour for a lifetime, highly recommended

I had booked Cardamom houseboat of Spice routes Luxury cruise for 3 members, me and my parents. I had got MMT discount after which I paid 12k online and 6k tax amount had to be paid on houseboat itself (total 18k). As soon as we boarded, the manager gave a brief of the tour and next thing asked for the pending settlement, I felt a bit weird as in all other hotels this amount is paid at the time of checkout with final bill. But, I paid the amount to him there and then only in cash. That was my mistake, because then at the time of checkout I forgot about the bill and they didn't give me any bill of that tax amount and all money went to their pocket! That's pathetic, I am feeling that I am being cheated. About the facilities, after paying a huge amount of 18k (all to their own pocket) the facilities were very average. Before this we had stayed in 'The Wind Munnar' and in 6 times less cost, they had provided a big sofa cum bed for extra person, super clean rooms and awesome service with amazing food. Here in spice routes only a mattress on floor. The washroom was really tiny and smelly, it had rusty fittings and accessories, which is not expected of a Luxury cruise. We had chosen for jain food, which surely saves them lot of cost, still food was pathetic, no taste at all. They never presented a menu to choose from and made whatever they wanted. And the chef never came to ask how we liked the food. The backwater route that they follow is in the wide lake and you will not see those narrow lake routes which we actually wanted to see. The captain of the boat docked the boat near his village after day journey and then after morning tour we got to know, we were very near to the place from where we started, it took a small round about. So, next day I checked their route on map, the route was also not worth it, they are making you fool. The location from where they start is 10 km away from pallathuruthy. Incidence: After checkout we had booked a cab for another place in alleppey, this driver spoke to spice routes office people for route and took lot of time to arrive. When he reached he said something (in malayalam) to the spice routes manager and calmly and told us that it's their mistake they told him wrong direction and he went past the location. After which the spice routes manager lost his control and pointed a finger towards driver and asked me in anger, from where did you book him? You know what is he saying to me, no manners (shouting loudly at me), and then started blabbering with the guard continuously in loud voice. The driver calmly asked us to board the cab and we drove off. Earlier I had handed over the phone to office staff several times for telling the way to driver when we were waiting for him in spice routes office and they apparently misled him. Okay! Whatever the matter, is this the way to behave with and in front of your customers Spice routes? I couldn't understand the conversation that happened between driver and manager but the driver was talking calmly and never shouted and this manager completely lost his mind. This was the final taste we took from spice routes. Lot of spice is it? Final word - I would recommend to stay in a hotel and do sightseeing in a tourist boat rather than booking this houseboat.

I booked Spice Routes Luxury Cruise for my 3 members family at double the price of other popular houseboat options available on Makemytrip as I needed a lavish experience for my family. I paid Rs 15, 640 for 1 room for 3 persons at the Cardamom houseboat of Spice Routes Luxury Cruise and accordingly I expected a 5-star hotel like experience from that houseboat but it was a poor experience for my family when we boarded the houseboat. Given below were some points which made us regret our decision of booking their houseboat: 1) They had no sofa to sit and enjoy on their houseboat. When we're spending close to Rs 16, 000 for 21 hours (12 pm to 9 am), we can't expect the absence of comfortable sitting arrangements on the houseboat. They had only ordinary chairs and benches with light cushion and none of them was comfortable or relaxing. 2) In lunch, their staff served us 2 slices of Kingfish (a fish variety) for 2 non-vegetarian persons ie, 1 slice of fish per person. Please note that it was just a slice of fish and not a whole fish. When we asked for more fish, the staff said that they only had those 2 slices and there was no more fish for lunch. My friends and relatives have told me that other good houseboats who charge Rs 7000 - Rs 8000 for 21 hours, actually provide 1 whole Karimeen fish (the most exquisite variety of fish in Kerala) to every guest in lunch and that fish is big in size to fill the appetite of 1 person. But here at Spice Routes Luxury Cruise houseboat they didn't have Karimeen fish. They had Kingfish and that too just 2 slices for 2 persons at lunch. Then they had chicken but the quantity was again insufficient for 2 persons. They had some vegetables in more than required quantity. No actual dessert. The food was completely disappointing for someone who has paid Rs 16, 000 for a 21 hours experience in the so-called 'LUXURY' Cruise. 3) The staff just brought the food items for lunch/dinner and arranged them on the table. Only dishes were kept on the dining table to eat and we had to specifically ask for bowls and spoons in addition to their dishes. The staff left the items on the table for us and then disappeared. We served food ourselves and there was no staff around to ask any help from. We needed salt as the food was little dull. I personally had to get up from the dining table and cross the houseboat to reach the other end of the houseboat where the staff preferred to stay in their cabin. There I asked them for salt and then they brought it to our table. There was just 1 bottle of water for 3 persons at the dining table. When we needed more water I again had to get up and approach the staff's cabin to ask for more water. Is it the way a luxury ( houseboat serves it's guests? No one around the dining table to serve the guests at lunch or dinner. Really? Would you pay even Rs 5000 for such pathetic service? We paid a whole Rs 16, 000 for such pathetic service. 4) The houseboat landed at one place an hour or 2 after lunch where there was a small shop selling fishes and cold drinks etc. The staff asked me to buy any fish of your choice from that shop (with our own money) and then they would cook that fish for us in addition to their fixed menu items for dinner. I was shocked when the shopkeeper told the prices for the fishes I enquired for. He quoted a price of Rs 900 per kg for Karimeen fish. The same rate for Pomfret as well. And a whopping Rs 1600 per kg for lobster. The prices were double or more when compared with the prices of those fish varieties sold at a normal fish store in Kerala. I was not ready to allow someone to make a fool out of me by selling fish at ridiculously high prices. So I dropped the idea of buying a fish of my choice from that fish store. 5) I went to the houseboat with my brother and mom and naturally, we wanted to stay in the same room together. So I booked 1 room for 3 persons. There was a queen size bed in the room for 2 persons on the houseboat. When we asked for an extra bed for the 3rd guest, the staff brought a small mattress and put that on the floor as an extra bed. They made one of us sleep on the floor on that mattress. They couldn't arrange for any portable bed as an extra bed for the 3rd guest in their room How ridiculous was that? We were wondering whether we were staying in a cheap lodge or Dharamshala while paying for Rs 16, 000 for 21 hours. They said that the room was too small for any 3rd bed. If the room was too small for the 3rd bed, how did they find space to keep an extra mattress on the floor? 6) The driver of the houseboat kept the speed too slow throughout. All the other houseboats overtook us but our driver never even tried to catch their speed. I guess his focus was on keeping the total distance covered minimum so that they could save on some fuel as well. 7) The houseboat had 3 staff members and one of them was a little rude to us while the other 2 were normal. There was nothing LUXURIOUS in the houseboat of Spice Routes Luxury Cruise. I wonder how they managed to get good reviews on trip advisor. My decision of selecting Spice Routes Luxury Cruise was based on their good reviews on Trip Advisor but I felt like cheated after spending around Rs 16, 000 on such houseboat with pathetic food, facilities, and services. I would never recommend my friends and family to book any houseboat from Spice Routes Luxury Cruise.

Value for money. Great hospitality. Ultimate staff. Best evening I have ever spend in my life. So soothing. So refreshing with your family. Must go place once in your lifetime. This the best backwater cruise in the whole Kerala. I fully recommend all of you be stay there at least once.