Johnsons Blog Alleppey

Eco Houseboat Tariff Options

2011-04-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Houseboat Rates We have now introduced 3 Options for our customers who want to hire out our houseboats for an overnight trip. The rates given below are for the same boat the best one bedroom houseboat in Kerala - "The Pride" Eco-houseboat. The room, the deck and the master bathroom of this unique houseboat is on the upper deck. This 3 optional rate system is to make the boats affordable for all people of all budgets.

Option A - PREMIUM - Rs.9000/-/- (For 2 People) 24 hours trip -12.00 noon to 12.00 noon with 2 hours of canoeing. 1/2 an hour lunch break. 6.00 p.m. evening stop. 12 course Lunch includes Fish & veggies. And Ice-cream for dessert. 8 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.750/- room at Johnson's comes free for a night for two people.

Option 2 - Mid-range -Rs.8250/- 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. 8 course lunch includes Fish. 7 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.500/- Eco-art theme room.

Option 3 - Budget - Rs.6500/- for 2 21 hours - 12.00 noon to 9.00 a.m. 1 hour Lunch break. 5.00 p.m.evening stop. 7 course vegetarian lunch. 6 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 New Cricket theme room at Johnson's.

All Options include Free To and Fro Transport. Hygienic drinking water, fruits, complimentary welcome drink(non-alcoholic) provided for all options as well.

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

The boat has 3 staff - Captain, cook and an assistant. English speaking guide provided @Rs.500/- per hour, for a couple of hours, on request.

Pls add 20% to the houseboat rates for peak season to the houseboat rates (Dec.20th to Jan 30th). During this period, we only take Option 1 trips, & the time of option 1 tour is reduced by half an hour. 12.00 noon to 11.30 a.m.

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 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 housboat charges, and then split up per person.

https://www.ecohouseboat.com

https://www.alleppeykeralahomestay.com

https://www.keralaculturetour.com

https://www.alleppeysnakeboatrace.com

Johnson's 2010 - 2011 another wonderful season

2010-05-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

Well, another wonderful season.

Highlights this time around was that my houseboat "The Pride Eco-Houseboat" got listed in the new Rough guies as one of only 3 among 800 odd houseboats in Alleppey, Kerala.

Also, we are listed in the new Lonely Planet edition as well. And so is my houseboat, even though they call it pricey. Lonely Planet has finally gone online. Now, they hopefully will start an online review site to challenge tripadvsor.

Talking of which this season, I had 3 bad reviews, and about 30 odd good ones. Not bad when you consder the number of guests who stay with us every season. Bizzarely 2 of the 3 ones featured my boat, but both said the houseboat trip was great. The complaints was about money. The other bad review was about the snake boat race trip that I organized. That review was given a fitting reply by another guest who was also there on the boat to watch the race.

My 10th anniversary year is coming up this year, and I am busy trying to come with some special plans for it.

Guess, I have nothing to ciomplain about, and so let me conclude this blog by saying thanks to the thousands of guests who stayed with us last season.

Johnson

https://www.keralahouseboatsalleppey.com

Yoga & Kalari (Kerala martial arts) at Johnson's /Orchids bloom at johnson's

2009-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

24/10/09

Wow, look at my orchids, in full bloom, and some of them have flowered now for the first time ever, and that's so rewarding. They start to flower just after the monsoon, but I've never seen all the plants blooming and flowering in so many numbers. So all you orchid lovers out there, this is probably the best time to check out my orchid garden.

20/1/2011

Went to a couple of flower shows in Kottayam & Trichur and picked up a whole lotta new orchid plants. I'm on an orchid bonkers phase. Again.

http://www.johnsonskerala.com

/2/11/2010
I have also now started yoga and Kalari classes at home in the mornings. It started with me and a couple of friends doing yoga on the beach. Once my friends left I got the yoga teacher to teach me at home. And then I got my inhouse guests to join me, and it turned out to be a big hit with them. I am now fully into fitness. So in comes my Kalari teacher. Kalari is an ancient martial arts that seemingly was the first self defense discipline practiced in the world, ever. Even preceding kung fu.

My guests can join me in the mornings for yoga or Kalari lessons for Rs.200/- per session.

For the record, I still drink beer on Saturday.

Cooking classes.

We've now started cooking classes for our guests here,as well. And it's getting quite popular too. Good.

THE DAY THEY CAME BACK

2009-02-13T06:41:00.000-08:00

It's nice when you're running a homestay business like ours and a guest who stayed with you previously comes back or recommends someone to come here. That's not unusual , but, guess what, in the last couple of days, almost all inhouse guests, who checked in to Johnson's, or were on my boat, or at the secret beach were tourists who were here before or who were recommended by people who stayed here previously. Nice, very nice.

So, let me list these fine people as a tribute to them

John Roberts and Tom - Americans - Checked out from the boat today after 2 days 2 nights recommended by Nick Balmer, who stayed with us previously.

Udad Mr. and Mrs. - French - Stayed with us last year in the bamboo cottage and now here with their brother and his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Udad (hope the spelling's correct) took the same bamboo cottage again. They wanted to stay a week again like last time, but extended that by a couple of days as well.

Hudson and Amy - Recommended by Mr. Xavier, Portugese, - they are staying 2 nights, and are taking the houseboat tomorrow.

David Nicholl Mr. and Mrs. - Stayed with us 4 years back and they're here again. Sorry David, you're Scottish, not English, of course.

Benjamin and Sandra - German- Recommended by Silvia Palmigiano.

Andre - Stayed with us and at the Secret beach and is on the way to the Secret beach now with his friends, and somewhere along the way he has managed to recommend another friend - Jack - who is coming next saturday for a day on the boat and on the Secret beach
.
Stephan Roose - German - stayed with us last season, and at the Secret beach, and then went to Wayanad, came in again yesterday midnight with Anne, and is on my houseboat now, and he will go on to Wayanad tomorrow.

And a big thanks to Derek Taylor( our Scottish lad) who keeps sending me customers from Kovalam, Ooty and wherever else he is in India at the moment.

And of course, to Tristan, good man, who stayed with us and at the Secret beach, has sent me a lot of customers since December and who may become the first customer along with his mom on my new houseboat , if I can finsish it in time for when he wants it.

It is always rewarding when a customer turns up or calls and says he has been recommended by someone who stayed here, and even better when they say that they've been here before. A good couple off days at the office.

Johnson.

CLIMATE CHANGE

2008-11-16T03:37:00.000-08:00

I wonder when the world will finally stop talking and start doing something about Climate change, surely the biggest threat to mankind's existence.
We have huge media coverage on it, so awareness or lack of it is not the problem. But collective effort and the sacrifices necessary to arrest detiorating abnormal weather patterns is a problem.
Instead of shifting our focus to the world financial meltdown, shouldn't our politicians, writers, thinkers, economists, and others who can make a difference pay more atteention to the Polar glacier meltdown. Better, still, they could solve both problems with an interactive solution, as, after all, climate change is the freak off-spring of unbridled capitalism.
Now that capitalism has failed, a newer path to a fairer world financial system not dependant on oil and coal but to instead encourage and develop alternate greener fuel /energy solutions can emerge if the right people have the necessary will. A new world order is overdue anyway, one which brings about change for the better to all people of all nations.
At Johnson's and on our houseboat, we have CFl bulbs now, and hygenic drinking water available in cans so that tourists can refill their plastic drinking bottles. So, I've done a little bit, wish I was knowledgable enough to do more.
Dec27th 2009 - Day after 5ht anniversary of Asian Tsunami.
Kyoto to Copenhagen- they're still talking and nothing's getting done. Seems to me, it's only the media who's highlighting climate change now. But, where are all the young people, who will be the most affected? They're the ones who should be leading the protests, forcing governments to take the drastic steps necessary for them to survive a few years from now on. FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN OF THE YOUNG TOURISTS WHO VISIT US, NONE OF THEM SEEM TO BE EVEN AWARE OF THE CRISIS. SIGN O' THE TIMES, I RECKON.
30/5/10

If I or anyone in Kerala needed proof of global warming, it came to us in the form of the hottest summer this year. I never usually sweat in the guesthouse - our house has a lot of greenery and thick walls plus high ceilings which keeps everything quite cool in the worst sumer days, but not this season. I sweated plenty. Glad it's over. Along with the highest temperatures ever, Kerala also recorded the highest ever beer sales this season. So I guess, we've found a way to beat global warming. Drink more beer!

http://www.johnsonskerala.com/

About my new Houseboat

2008-11-01T01:10:00.000-07:00

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.

www.ecohouseboat.com

MUSIC

2008-10-26T07:50:00.001-07:00

There's this debate I had with a friend a few years back in Cochin- and it was about which was the greatest song (pop) ever written. The two choices were Bob Dylan's 'Blowing in the wind',my friend's choice and John Lennon's "Imagine", mine. So, after innumerable arguments, we decided to take a poll among music buffsin Kochin. This was during my DJ ing days, and when I was running my music shop there, so it was'nt a problem to find music fans.The poll results came to about 20 each or so, when I decided enough is enough - and cheated. We had this housemate who had a lot of friends thru her boyfriend and they frequented my parites as well. So, it was inevitable that they would be polled soon. And I asked her to spread the word among her clique that should this question come to them , which song to pick. Sure enough, 'Imagine' soon ran away with the "Best song ever written" polls, leaving my friend frustrated with the lack of intellect among Cochin's music buffs. And I was like, who needs intellect and a nasal voice in a song anyway. I did eventually admit to him about the set-up and he was furious.
It was all good fun.
But, which is the better song, anyway?
6/12/09
3 musicians, all of whom could sing, 2 guitars, a whole lot of beer, lots of encouragement from the other non musician guests and a couple of my mates, who happened to be there made yesterday one terrific jam session of music and partying. Paul -Canadian/British, a French lady - Carat and her sound engineer husband and my man Stephan who was Italian. We sang, played guitar, drank beer and had some good healthy fun well into the night. It was great, almost like my DJ days in Kochin.

About Traveller Blogs And Alleppey "Nest" scam

2008-10-09T04:54:00.000-07:00

We started Johnson's in 2001 when it was first named "The Nest", changed it to Johnson's The Nest a few years later, and then simply to Johnson's. The reason, there are about 10 different "nest" guesthouses in Alleppey, and a lot of our customers are misled there by unscrupulous taxirickshaw drivers . From the "Dream Nest", to the 'Mummy's Nest' there are plenty of Con"nests" around in Alleppey, some of whose owners have no qualms in saying they are us. To avoid going on the runaround looking for us , call and avail of our Free pick -up offer. o

We were lucky enough and deserving to be listed in the various guide books like the Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Footprint, Guide du routard, and Stephan Loose soon after starting. It was not by accident that we got listed .We got in, I believe thru customer recommendations because of the service , integrity and honesty of our service.

However, our price range limits us in our endeavours to fully satisfy our clients. Indeed, I guess it's not feasible for any hotel/guesthouse anywhere and in any price range that can truly claim 100% customer satisfation. Human nature being what it is.

We've been running successfully for a while now and it's amusing/annoying to see some of the traveller blogs on us that pop up on the net from time to time.

From being villified as a 'rude owner' to being called a nice guy, from having shabby rooms to keeping clean and large rooms, from getting the "Worst hotel' rating to 'best place I've stayed in' blog I've seen both sides of the coin in different blogs, hilariously sometimes in the same blog. And after doing some checking, realized that it's not just us, but almost every popular guesthouse in Kerala goes thru the same thing. And most of the complaints seem to come during the off-season and the praise during peak season, for whatever reason.

No-one, including me and my establishment is perfect, and neither are all tourists - sometimes their praise or complaints are justified, and sometimes they are false, or are brought upon by their own personality or lack of it, or are misled to by some incident that occurs at that point in time which may not be the guesthouse propreitor's fault. Every season, out of the thousands of occupants that we may have, there will be 5 to 6 rooms with guests who leave unsatisfied, and to them, if the fault is mine, I do apologize.

For the record, for every negative comment, there are also many times that amount of good review on us out there as well.

In conclusion, let me say that we've had thousands of happy customers here, and will have thousands of happy customers again, and I'll continue to treat my customers with the respect, the informal friendliness and my own style of hospitality that I have been doing all this time. And the proof of which is the no. of customers who come back, recommend others, sometimes parents recommending their children, or vice versa.

The review site called Tripadvisor has us in their Kochi listings. So much for their research work. I did not ask them to list me. But Tripadvisor has big huge in India now. However, they are not to be trusted. Unlike what many tourists think, and unlike the popular guide books, Tripadvisor asks for money from guesthouse owners. I know, they asked me for 200 dollars per year. I refused, and so I am still in Kochi listings, and they do not give my address or contacts info on it. I believe only guesthouse owners who are paying gets their contact info on thier page. A guesthouse that is not listed in the guidebooks has no choice but to pay up so they can get into tripadvisor. Admittedly tripadvisor has become a factor now, in guests deciding which guesthouse or resort to go to, although not so much as word of mouth publicity. And for sure, the guesthouses that pay are getting preferential treatment from tripadvisor. Ultimately they decide which review to put in or which is fake. Naturally, they have to take care for the places who pay them. Happily, the guide books are slowly catching up. (the new Lonely Planet is now online).And so are the smarter customers. Guess tripadvisor is not in it for the long run. They make their money and get out.

https://www.alleppeyhouseboatscruise.com

THE IRISH ARE HERE

2008-10-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

It's been 10 years almost since I opened my house to tourists. And since then, we've hosted thousands of tourists - of all nationalities, age groups, & of all faiths.

I've enjoyed it all, & continue to do so.

Most of my guests come from Europe. England, France,Germany top the list. Though there's also plenty from Australia, & New Zealand. Then we've the Canadians, the travel shy Americans, the occasional Japanese the& the even rarer Chinese or the African.

But if I have to pick a favourite nationality it's got to be the Irish. Love the Irish. Love Celtic music & even the Irish, Scottish accents too. Somehow for whatever reason, I seem to bond more with the Irish than with any of the others. So here's to all the Erin, the Connors, the Sineads & the Conellys. Love having you around. Get the beer & put on Plantxy, or the pogues.

http//.www.keralaculturetour.com

Updates On Johnson's Alleppey Kerala India

2008-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

UPDATES ON JOHNSON'S-ROOMS,HOUSEBOAT,SECRET BEACH,VAGAMON & WAYANAD

This is Johnson Gilbert, owner/proprietor of Johnson's guesthouse, a homestay hotel for International tourists/travellers based in Alleppey. This is my first blog and I'll like to start with posting updates on my guesthouse rents. Since September 2008, the rents have been established as Rs.750/- for the 3 rooms in the main house, and Rs.500/- for the Eco-art theme room in the backyard. I have also got a new room now, the Cricket theme room which is smaller in size but no less cleaner @Rs.400/-.

23/10/08

We're finally sign-posted. After resisting forever to put up a sign, on account that I thought it would like more like a hotel than a homestay and a couple of more practical considerations like a hike in taxes and electricty tariffs I've finally put a Johnson's board up in front of the house

Houseboat Rates

We have now introduced 3 Options for our customers who want to hire out our houseboats for an overnight trip. The rates given below are for the same boat - the best one bedroom houseboat in Kerala - "The Pride" with the room, the deck and the master bathroom on the upper deck. This 3 optional rate system is to make the boats affordable for all people of all budgets.

Option A - PREMIUM - Rs.9000/-/- (For 2 People)

24 hours trip -12.00 noon to 12.00 noon with 2 hours of canoeing.

1/2 an hour lunch break. 6.00 p.m. evening stop.

12 course Lunch includes Fish & veggies. And Ice-cream for dessert.

8 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.750/- room at Johnson's comes free for a night for two people.

Option 2 - Mid-range -Rs.8250/- 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.

8 course lunch includes Fish. 7 course dinner includes chicken. B'fast Indian/continental.

Village walk.Fishing.

And on this option, you are now entitled to one night's free stay at the Eco-art theme room.

Option 3 - Budget - Rs.6500/- for 2

21 hours - 12.00 noon to 9.00 a.m.

1 hour Lunch break. 5.00 p.m.evening stop.

7 course vegetarian lunch. 6 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 New Cricket theme room at Johnson's.

All Options include Free To and Fro Transport. Hygienic drinking water, fruits, complimentary welcome drink(non-alcoholic) provided for all options as well.

Extra person @1250/- per person. (More people can make the amount less as you pan it around per person) Free room offer is for one room only regardless of the number of guests who may take the boat. When guests from different rooms at the homestay join up to take the boat, the free room amount is reduced from the total of the houseboat charges, and then split up per person.

The boat has 3 staff - Captain, cook and an assistant. English speaking guide provided @Rs.

500/- per hour for a couple of hours, on request.

Pls add 20% to the houseboat rates for peak season. During this period, we take only Option 1 tours, and the time is reduced by half an hour. Check-out 11.30 a.m. (Dec.20th to Jan 20th)

Johnson's guesthouse rates do not change during the season.

Secret beach guesthouse

Guesthouse near the Secret beach is promoted by myself and the rates here are Rs.1200/- and Rs.1350/- with air-con. Peak time rates (Dec.20th to Jan.30th) are Rs.1350/- and Rs.1500/- air-con. The guesthouse is a quiet homestay with 8 ensuite rooms and dining facilites. The secret beach is 20 minutes drive from Johnson's.

The secret beach guesthouse is not on the beach - it's 9 minutes walk from the beach itself is quiet, secluded, by a fishing village, totally non-touritsy. Food and beverages available inhouse. In house laundry. Internet, banks , shops within walking distance of guesthouse. An ayurveda center is nearby. The perfect Holiday.

Wayanad

Rooms at my family firend's farmhouse is Rs.2000/- with food, and during peak season Rs.2500/- with food (Dec20th to Jan30th)

Vagamon

Only 2 rooms in this fantastic, completely cut-off from the world dream place costs Rs.6000/- for two per room includes all food. 3 and a half hour's dirve from Alleppey or Kochin.

www.johnsonskerala.com

https://www.alleppeykeralahouseboat.com

https://www.alleppeykeralahomestay.com

https://www.keralaculturetour.com

https://www.alleppeysnakeboatrace.com