The Kerala backwaters are a network of lakes, canals and rivers running roughly parallel to the Arabian Sea coast, connected into a navigable system of about 900 kilometres. Villages sit on the banks, rice is grown below sea level behind bunds, and until roads reached them the water was the transport.
The famous way to experience them is a kettuvallam, a converted rice barge with a thatched roof, hired with a crew for a night or two. There are now well over a thousand of them on the water around Alleppey, which is a great many boats on a finite set of channels, and the experience varies enormously with the operator.
The alternative is a hotel on the water, which is what this article is about.
The four Keralas
The state is long and narrow, about 550 kilometres from north to south, and a good trip strings together several very different places.
Kochi, the port city, has Fort Kochi with its Chinese fishing nets, Portuguese and Dutch buildings, the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth and a genuine art scene around the Biennale.
The backwaters, around Alleppey and Kumarakom on Lake Vembanad, are the water.
Munnar and the high ranges, three to four hours inland, are tea estates at 1,600 metres with a completely different climate.
The beaches, at Marari, Varkala and Kovalam in the south, are palm-backed and quiet.
Kerala is also the home of Ayurveda as a functioning medical tradition rather than a spa menu, and several properties run genuine multi-week treatment programmes alongside ordinary hotel stays.
The nine below are grouped that way.
The backwaters
On Lake Vembanad and the channels around it.
Kumarakom Lake Resort occupies a large site on the lake with villas, an Ayurvedic centre, a meandering pool and a private houseboat fleet. It is the most complete backwater resort.
Kumarakom Lake Resort
Lake Vembanad · 5★ · $$$
Villas, a meandering pool and a private houseboat fleet
Check availabilityTaj Kumarakom Resort and Spa Kerala sits on the lake at Kumarakom in a former colonial estate with a garden, a pool running along the water and a serious spa.
Taj Kumarakom Resort and Spa Kerala
Kumarakom · 5★ · $$$
A colonial estate with a pool along the lake
Check availabilityCoconut Lagoon - Cgh Earth occupies a site reachable only by boat, built from reassembled traditional wooden houses, with a working farm and a canal running through the property. It is the most atmospheric place to stay in Kerala.
Coconut Lagoon - Cgh Earth
Kumarakom, by boat · 4★ · $$$
Reassembled wooden houses on a canal with a working farm
Check availabilityKochi
The port city, with Fort Kochi and the island hotels.
Brunton Boatyard - Cgh Earth occupies a colonial building on the Fort Kochi waterfront beside the Chinese fishing nets, with a courtyard, a pool and a strong emphasis on local food and history.
Brunton Boatyard - Cgh Earth
Fort Kochi waterfront · 5★ · $$$
Beside the Chinese fishing nets in a colonial building
Check availabilityGrand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty sits on Bolgatty Island in the harbour with a large pool, a spa and a golf course, reached by a short causeway or boat.
Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty
Bolgatty Island, Kochi · 5★ · $$$
Large pool and a golf course on a harbour island
Check availabilityThe beaches
South of Kochi. Palm-backed sand and very little development.
Marari Beach Resort Alleppey - A CGH Earth Experience occupies a coconut grove behind Mararikulam beach with cottages laid out like a fishing village, a pool and an unhurried tone. It is the best beach property in the state.
Marari Beach Resort Alleppey - A CGH Earth Experience
Mararikulam · 4★ · $$$
Cottages laid out like a fishing village in a coconut grove
Check availabilityNiraamaya Wellness Retreats, Surya Samudra, Kovalam sits on a cliff at Kovalam with cottages in gardens, a spa and a private cove below. It is adults-focused and the most romantic hotel in Kerala.
Niraamaya Wellness Retreats, Surya Samudra, Kovalam
Kovalam · 5★ · $$$
Clifftop cottages above a private cove
Check availabilityThe Leela Kovalam, A Raviz Hotel occupies a hillside above Kovalam beach with several pools, an Ayurvedic centre and full facilities.
The Leela Kovalam, A Raviz Hotel
Kovalam · 5★ · $$$
Several pools and an Ayurvedic centre above the beach
Check availabilityThe high ranges
Three to four hours inland, at 1,600 metres among the tea.
Windermere Estate sits on a working plantation outside Munnar with a small room count, a library and views across the tea to the hills. It is cool enough for a fire in the evening.
Windermere Estate
Munnar · 4★ · $$
A working plantation at 1,600 metres, cool enough for a fire
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The houseboats are excluded. For many visitors an overnight kettuvallam is the point of coming to Kerala, and the good operators run comfortable, well-crewed boats. They are vessels rather than hotels.
The Ayurvedic treatment centres that are not also hotels are excluded on the same basis.
What to do
Take a day boat rather than an overnight one if you are staying on land. A smaller country boat down the narrow canals shows you more of village life than a large barge on the main channels.
See a kathakali performance in Kochi, arriving early for the makeup, which takes longer than the show and is half the interest.
Walk Fort Kochi: the Chinese fishing nets at dusk, St Francis Church where Vasco da Gama was originally buried, the Paradesi Synagogue and the spice warehouses of Jew Town.
Go up to Munnar for the tea estates and the Eravikulam park, where the Nilgiri tahr are unbothered by people.
Eat fish curry with red rice, appam with stew, and understand that Kerala food uses coconut in a way the rest of India does not.
Practical notes
Kochi's airport is the main gateway and Trivandrum serves the south. Distances are slow: Kochi to Munnar is four hours, Kochi to Kovalam five.
October to March is the season, dry and warm. April and May are hot and humid. The southwest monsoon from June to September is heavy, and it is also traditionally considered the best time for Ayurvedic treatment.
Kerala is one of the easier Indian states to travel in, with high literacy and good infrastructure.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Kerala Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Houseboat or hotel?
A hotel on the water plus a day boat gives you the backwaters with a proper room. An overnight houseboat is the more atmospheric option if you pick the operator carefully.
How many places should you combine?
Three: backwaters, a beach and either Kochi or Munnar. Kerala rewards slow travel and the roads are slow anyway.
Is Ayurveda here genuine?
At several properties, yes, with qualified physicians and multi-week programmes. Elsewhere it is a spa menu. The difference is easy to check.
How many nights?
Eight. Kerala does not work as a short trip.