If you’re heading to the valley for your next vacation, give hotels a break and consider houseboats instead. The Luxe Café handpicks the most lavish ones for you
WelcomHeritage Gurkha Houseboats
Often touted as paradise on earth for its spectacularly breathtaking beauty, the capital of Kashmir – the valley of Srinagar – at the foot of the mighty Himalayas, with its expanses of placid lakes, rapid rivers, rolling meadows, immaculate flowering gardens, and the chinar (maple) tree that reflects the changing seasons from the fresh green of spring to the russets of autumn that are shed for winter – tugs at the eyes and heart-strings of the beholder.
A houseboat on a placid lake ringed by flowering trees is by far one of the most attractive choices for accommodation, setting the tone and pace for a visit to this ethereal city and the WelcomHeritage Gurkha Houseboats on the Nagin Lake are an amalgamation of all that is the last word in pampered comfort, elegant lavishness and abiding romance.
Tariff per night: INR 11,000
Sukoon
“The houseboat sits amidst the beauty of nature and enjoys breathtaking views of the snow covered peaks of the Pir Panjal mountains.”
Surrounded by lotuses, Sukoon is moored on the beautiful Dal Lake in the heart of the verdant Kashmir Valley, surrounded by the pristine peaks of the Himalayas.The houseboat sits amidst the beauty of nature and enjoys breathtaking views of the snow covered peaks of the Pir Panjal mountains.
The richness of history is also present, silently proclaiming the Valley’s tradition of tolerance: distant silhouettes of the hilltop temple founded by the famous philosopher-saint Adi Shankara in the eighth century and the impressive sixteenth century fort built by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great can both be seen from the boat.
It was the Maharaja of Kashmir who first allowed the nineteenth century British visitors to live in houseboats. Sukoon brings this traditional concept of a residential houseboat into the modern era. Spacious and stylish, it has five en-suite bedrooms, each one named after the famous Mughal Gardens.
There is a communal sitting and dining room, with ample space for relaxing. By day you can watch life go by on the lake at an unhurried pace; at night you can dine under the endless canopy of brilliant stars, lulled by the gently lapping water.
Tariff per night: INR 8,700 to 12,400
