Ask a Kerala Local: Houseboat Secrets, Monsoon Magic & What to Actually Eat
Anand Krishnan runs a homestay near Alleppey's backwaters and has lived in Kerala his entire 42 years. His mother's cooking is the reason guests keep coming back. He's watched Kerala's tourism industry grow from a handful of backpackers to a global destination, and he has thoughts about how tourists can do it better.
What's the biggest mistake tourists make in Kerala?
Booking a houseboat from a tout at the Alleppey bus stand. They arrive, someone approaches them with photos of a beautiful boat, they agree on a price that sounds good, and then they end up on a boat that looks nothing like the photos. No AC, questionable food, waste dumped into the backwaters.
Book directly with Kerala Tourism-certified operators. Look for the green classification sticker on the boat itself. A legitimate 1-bedroom AC houseboat costs 6,000-8,000 INR overnight. If someone quotes you 4,000 INR, the boat isn't certified and you'll have a bad time.
Better yet — ask to see the boat before paying. Any honest operator will show you.
What about the backwaters? Are they worth the hype?
Absolutely, but only if you do it right. The main Alleppey houseboat route can get congested — 20 boats nose to tail on a narrow canal isn't the serene experience the brochures promise.
Instead, ask your operator about the Kuttanad route or the Pathiramanal Island circuit. Quieter waters, more birds, fewer boats. Or skip the houseboat entirely and take a village canoe tour — a local paddler takes you through narrow canals where houseboats can't go, past homes and churches and rice paddies. About 1,500 INR for 2-3 hours. More intimate, more real.
When should people visit?
Everyone comes October to March. And it's lovely then — clear skies, calm water. But I'll tell you a secret: monsoon Kerala (June-August) is more beautiful.
Everything is green beyond belief. The backwaters are full and flowing. The waterfalls are thundering. The ayurvedic centers say monsoon is the best season for treatments because the humidity opens your pores. And the prices drop 30-40%.
The catch: it rains hard. Roads to Munnar can be tricky. You need waterproof bags for electronics. But if you embrace the rain rather than hide from it, monsoon Kerala is extraordinary.
What should tourists eat that they're not eating?
Porotta with beef fry. I say this knowing it's controversial — Kerala is the only state in India where beef is widely eaten. But porotta (flaky layered flatbread) with Kerala-style beef fry (slow-cooked with coconut slices, curry leaves, and black pepper) is the unofficial state dish and most tourists never try it because it doesn't appear on tourist restaurant menus.
Ask at any local restaurant or — better — eat at a homestay. My mother makes it and guests lose their minds.
Also: karimeen pollichathu. Pearl spot fish marinated in a spice paste and grilled inside a banana leaf. It's the backwater specialty and you should eat it every day you're near the water.
And please stop ordering butter chicken in Kerala. We don't make butter chicken here. That's North India. Our food is coconut-based, lighter, and — I say with bias — better.
Tell us about homestays. Why are they better than hotels?
Because hotels serve food from a menu. At a homestay, you eat what the family eats. And what Kerala families eat is extraordinary.
Breakfast is appam (fermented rice pancakes) with stew. Lunch is rice with sambar, avial, thoran, and fish curry. Dinner might be dosa with chutney or puttu (steamed rice cylinders) with kadala curry.
This food takes hours to prepare. It uses fresh coconut grated that morning, spices ground by hand, and recipes passed down through generations. A hotel cannot replicate this.
Homestays cost 1,500-4,000 INR/night including meals. Some are basic, some are beautiful old family homes. Check Airbnb or Kerala Tourism's official site.
What about Fort Kochi?
Fort Kochi is wonderful. The Chinese fishing nets at sunset, the spice shops on Jew Town Road, the art galleries, and the Kathakali performances at Kerala Kathakali Centre (350 INR, arrive at 5PM for the makeup process).
But don't just do the tourist circuit. Walk into the residential lanes behind the waterfront. That's where you find the real Fort Kochi — families hanging laundry between colonial buildings, kids playing cricket in narrow lanes, the smell of fish curry from every other doorway.
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale (December-March, every two years) turns the whole area into an open-air contemporary art gallery. If your dates align, it's world-class.
Any scams or traps to avoid?
Ayurvedic scams are the main one. Some tourist areas have "Ayurvedic centers" staffed by people with no real training, using cheap oils and improvised treatments. Real Ayurveda requires government-certified practitioners.
Look for: centers affiliated with recognized Ayurvedic hospitals, practitioners with BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) degrees, and Kerala Tourism certification.
Also: spice shops in tourist areas often overcharge by 3-4x. A kilo of cardamom costs 3,000-4,000 INR at a fair price. If someone quotes 8,000 INR, walk away.
Your favorite place in Kerala?
The backwaters at sunrise. Before the houseboats start their engines. When the water is glass-flat and the coconut palms make perfect reflections, and the only sound is kingfishers diving for fish.
I've seen it a thousand times. It still stops me.
Final advice?
Eat everything. Stay at a homestay. Watch a Kathakali performance from the makeup to the final dance. Take a canoe instead of a houseboat. And come during monsoon at least once.
Kerala isn't a destination you photograph. It's a destination you taste, smell, and feel. Your phone can't capture what matters here. But your memory will. If Jaipur is also on your itinerary, check out our Jaipur travel guide.
