Deluxe
Amina Houseboat
- Lake-facing rooms
- Attached bathroom
- Heating
- Meals on board
Rates on requestWe quote after checking with the owner
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For families and groups
Family Houseboats in Kashmir
Several rooms on one boat, meals cooked to order and a deck everybody ends up sitting on. We arrange the rooms with the owner — including whole boats, and boats moored together for large families.
On board with the family
Staying on a Houseboat With Children and Parents
The water. The boat is moored and the lake inside the channels is flat, so it does not feel like being at sea. The thing to know is the edge of the deck: some boats have a rail along the verandah and some do not. With an adult on the deck it is straightforward, and we check which kind of boat you are getting before you confirm.
The crossing. Every trip ashore is a short shikara ride from the boat to the ghat. Children usually treat it as the best part of the holiday. Luggage goes across with you, and the boatman helps at both ends.
Older parents. The step from the shikara onto the boat is the one part of the day that needs thought, along with whether the room, the bathroom and the dining room are all on the same level. Tell us who is travelling and we ask the owner rather than guess.
Moored, not movingShort shikara crossingMeals cooked on boardSeveral rooms per boat
Rooms
Room Arrangements for Families and Groups
A houseboat is laid out like a house: bedrooms off a central passage, a dining room at the front, a kitchen at the back. That is what makes it work for a family — you are not spread across corridors and floors. How many rooms a boat has, and how they connect, differs boat by boat, so we confirm the layout for your group before quoting.
Two or three rooms on one boat
The usual arrangement: parents, children and grandparents on the same boat, sharing the dining room and the verandah.
Connecting or adjacent rooms
Some boats have rooms that open into each other or sit directly opposite across the passage — useful with younger children. We ask the owner which of his rooms do.
The whole boat
Take every room and nobody else is on board. For a family trip this is often worth more than a higher grade of boat.
Two or more boats moored together
For large families and groups travelling together, neighbouring boats at the same mooring keep everyone in one place with separate kitchens and decks.
Ensuite bathrooms
Most rooms have their own bathroom, but on older boats one room may share. We confirm this per room, per boat.
Heating for cold nights
Nights on the water are cold outside summer. We check what heating a boat has before recommending it for a family with children or older parents.
Houseboats
Houseboats We Can Arrange for Families
Rates on request on every boat — the price depends on how many rooms you take, the season and the meal arrangement, and we confirm it with the owner first. 657 houseboats are registered on Dal Lake with the Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association and we can approach any of them for a large group.
Houseboats of this grade we have photographed ourselves. Every other deluxe-grade boat on the lake can be arranged in the same way.
Deluxe
Royal Star Houseboat
- Lake-facing rooms
- Attached bathroom
- Heating
- Meals on board
Rates on requestWe quote after checking with the owner
Every deluxe houseboat on the lake
We represent the whole deluxe grade, not a fixed list
There are 657 houseboats registered on Dal Lake with the Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association, and we deal with the owners directly. Tell us your dates, your group and what you want from a deluxe boat, and we will put forward the ones that are genuinely free and suit you - with photographs, room details and one written price for your stay.
- Any deluxe-grade boat on Dal Lake, arranged through its owner
- Availability confirmed with the owner before we quote
- One written price, nothing added on arrival
- Shikara transfer from the ghat arranged with the stay
Meals
Meals for Children and Dietary Requests
Food on a houseboat is cooked in the kitchen at the back of the boat by the family who runs it, and served in the dining room at the front. There is no menu in the hotel sense — you say what you want and roughly when, and that is what appears.
That makes it easy with children: plain rice, eggs, bread, something without chilli. Kashmiri home food if the adults want it. Vegetarian, Jain and no-onion-no-garlic requests are all ordinary here.
Allergies we put in writing to the owner and confirm back to you before you travel, rather than leaving it to be mentioned on arrival. Which meals are included with the room varies by boat, so we state it in the quote.
FAQ
Questions Families Ask Us
Is a houseboat safe for young children?
The boats are moored, not moving, and the water is calm — but there is open water at the edge of the deck and no railing on some boats. Families with small children manage it the way they would a balcony: the deck is fine with an adult there. Tell us the ages of your children and we will only offer boats where the verandah and steps suit them, and ask the owner about railings before you confirm.
How does the crossing work with children and luggage?
You are met at the ghat by the boatman for your boat and taken across by shikara with the luggage in with you. The crossing is short and the water inside the lake is flat. If you are arriving late or with a lot of bags we tell the owner in advance so there is help at both ends.
What should older parents know before booking?
Two things decide whether a boat suits older travellers: the step from the shikara onto the boat, and whether the room is on the same level as the dining room and bathroom. Both vary boat to boat. Tell us if anyone in the group has difficulty with steps and we will check before we recommend anything.
Can we have connecting rooms, or the whole boat?
Most houseboats have several bedrooms off a central passage, so a family can take two or three rooms on the same boat. Taking every room means nobody else is on board. For larger groups we can also arrange two or three boats moored next to each other. Send the number of adults and children and we will put the arrangement together.
Can the kitchen cook for children and special diets?
Yes — meals are cooked on board by the family who runs the boat, so plain food for children, vegetarian, Jain and no-spice requests are all normal. Allergies we pass to the owner in writing and confirm back to you before you travel.
Enquire
Tell Us Who Is Travelling
Send your dates, the number of adults and children, and anything we should know about steps, diets or ages. We check rooms and layouts with the owners and come back with options and one written quote.
Email bookmyhouseboat0@gmail.com Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India