Q. What is the best season to visit Kerala?
October to March is the best time to visit Kerala. At this time Kerala experiences a mild winter. The daytime is sunny with temperature as low as 15- 20 degrees, the skies are clear and mellow wind wafts in from the sea around sundown. This is the best time to experience a houseboat on the backwaters of Alleppey, enjoy a sun-bath on the Kovalam beach, trek inside the jungle in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Q. Is Uber available in Kerala?
There are a couple of cities in Kerala where UBER is available; namely Trivandrum and Cochin. A typical intercity Uber trip is between Cochin to any part of Kerala. In such an arrangement, you need to pay the return kilometre rate like in a regular taxi. You can also book an Uber ride from Alleppey and provided it is headed to Cochin alone.

Q. Is it safe to stay in a houseboat?
There are houseboats meant for a day trip and there are overnight houseboats. The latter can further be categorized into Deluxe, Premium and Luxury categories. Make sure you are booking a houseboat stay with a reputed provider or the houseboats belong to a prominent hotel chain. There will be a full crew attending to you and you won’t have any discomfort, save for the minor insects that creep up on-board. Make sure you have researched your provider well before zeroing on an overnight stay.

Q. What is a great honeymooning destination in Kerala?
The backwaters of Alleppey offer a perfect retreat to honeymooning couples. Add to it the stay on the Houseboat, makes the experience more romantic and makes the picture more colorful. Munnar being a Hill station too is a cosy getaway for honeymooners, backwaters of Alleppey are the highlight to enjoy a few days of serene country scenery with the soft gurgle of water in the background.

Q. Is alcohol served aboard houseboats?
Alcohol is banned in Kerala and requires a licence from the authorities if it needs to be served. Houseboats do not have stocked bars as serving alcohol, but due to hospitality reasons, it lets you bring in your own alcohol. You can enjoy your own alcohol at the houseboat.

Q. Is it okay to visit Kerala in the monsoon?
Kerala experience a heavy monsoon in-between July and August when the state experiences a very high degree of Humidity. If you at all have to visit in monsoon to see the backwaters in their rain-soaked glory, visit in September when the heavy rains have subsided.

Q. What are the top places to shop for silk sarees in Kerala?
Parthas Textiles outlet in Trivandrum, Pulimoottil Silks in Thrissur, Ethnic Weaves in Trivandrum, Seematti in Kottayam, Kalyan Sarees in Kannur, Kalyan Kendra in Kozhikode, Jayalakshmi Silks in Kochi, are among the popular hubs to buy a gorgeous Kerala silk saree.

Q. Where does the Nehru Trophy Boat Race take place in Kerala?
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race or the snake boat race takes place on the Punnamada Lake near Alleppey. It happens annually in August on second Saturday. The sight of watching more than 100 rowers navigate on their punted canoes through this approximately 2 kilometre stretch competing with each other as they make it to the finishing line, is a sight to behold.

Q. What is a good place in Kerala for leisure and Ayurveda?
Varkala and Kovalam are the best choices for Ayurveda therapies in Kovalam. It has specialists conducting regular yoga sessions planned by the hotels and resorts, cafes serving the fresh catch of the day, afforded by the setting are several Ayurveda clinics and resorts that specialise in Ayurvedic therapies complete with their resident doctors and nutritionists. To top it all both these places also have specialized Ayurveda treatment hotels that provides sessions from 14 to 30 days